2020 Books for Missouri Students
Ten short stories of what happens after the final school bell rings at Latimer Middle School and what happens during the walk home.
12-year old Ellie, who is wheelchair bound due to cerebral palsy, moves with her mom to help take care of her grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s. Will Ellie’s love of cooking help her make friends?
Coyote’s mother and two sisters were killed in a car accident. Now, Coyote and her father travel around the country in a converted school bus. On their way back home to rescue a time capsule from a city park about to be demolished, Coyote and her father pick up and help several others.
13-year-old Genesis thinks that her black skin is the cause of all her family problems. If only she could do something that would lighten her skin. With the help of some new friends, teachers, and blues music, Genesis begins to realize there are many reasons to love herself for just the way she is.
It isn’t until after Clea is diagnosed with ADHD that she is able to get help from a psychiatrist and learn to focus on everyday tasks.
Formerly homeschooled, 5th grader Emma really wants to make a friend at school. She is able to find a connection (through her rabbit) to Jack. However, Jack’s special needs may prevent Emma from having any other friends.
Several boys in Mila’s middle school are making her uncomfortable by their unwanted touches. Her friends think she is making too big of a deal out of it and the behavior is not bad enough to get any teacher’s attention. An unnecessary comment before the band concert forces Mila to make a drastic decision that will cause the harassment to finally end.
Memoir of 13-year old Sharon Robinson, daughter of MLB baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, during the Civil Rights Movement.
Rebeka Uwitonze was born in Rwanda with club feet. She gets the opportunity to travel to the USA when she was nine so that she could have a surgery to fix and straighten her feet so that she can walk properly.
In September, 1940, while Germany was bombing England, the SS City of Benares set sail for Canada with over 100 British children and their escorts aboard. Uses many primary sources to detail the events of this ship (ended up being torpedoed by a German submarine) and the actions of the survivors in the days that followed (some at sea for eight days before being rescued).
Seeking friends after her move, Lane anonymously leaves invitations to a secret club in library books. The three girls who find the invitation all have different interests (birding, cooking, journalism). When they encounter a problem with a local cooking contest, all the girls use their talents to make an impact in their community.
After her older brother joins the Syrian Resistance, Jude and her mother are sent to live with family in the USA. Becoming acquainted with the American culture is a shock for Jude, but her persistence in her ESL class pays off.
Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick is a British butler that Carter’s family has inherited. Carter isn’t for sure what to think about the new butler, especially when he teaches Carter to drive and how to play the game cricket.
After 12-year old Hanako’s family spends time in a Japanese interment camp, they decide to renounce their American citizenship and move back to live with their grandparents in a small village not too far from devastated Hiroshima.
Tristan is dreading the summer he is spending on his grandparent’s farm, especially since his best friend Eddie has recently passed away. Chasing after Eddie’s glowing journal allows Tristan to open the MidPass, connecting him to West African folklore.
Sisters Viji and Rukku run away and find themselves under a bridge, where they meet Muthi and Arul. Together, all four spend the day digging through the trash for things that they can sell. When the rainy season hits, Rukku’s health declines.
Details the construction of the steamship SS United States and the life of the designer and engineer, William Francis Gibbs.
Memoir of the author’s experience serving in a segregated Army during World War II and how his pursuit of art helped him throughout his various trials and hardships.
Makeda is adopted and only has one friend who can sympathize with her. You see–Makeda’s family is white and she is black; she struggles to fit in. Now that Makeda has moved away, leaving her best friend behind, Makeda is worried she isn’t going to be able to adjust properly.
