I am an educator, cook, lover of rooftops and nature. In 2017, a series of extraordinary events brought me to Oswego, New York to speak about my debut YA novel, Hello?. With time to spare, I scrolled through Facebook and saw, āHomework? NY Students Debate Exterminating Jews.ā Where was the assignment given? Oswego! And surprise, at my book signing, I met one of the two brave teens who protested the debate. These experiences spurred The Assignmentās journey. Speaking up against bigotry, hatred, and injustice is a life-long quest of learning, action, and sharing knowledge. I hope youāll join me. These books are a great start.
Nancy Churnin shares the incredible story of the famous author, Charles Dickens, and Eliza Davis, the brave woman who wrote to Dickens to express her disappointment for his antisemitic portrayal of a Jewish man in Oliver Twist. Her letter had a profound impact on Dickens. In his next book, he included a wonderful Jewish character, making Eliza proud and grateful. I love how this book shows an ordinary personās positive impact on a literary legend.
2021 National Jewish Book Award Winner - Children's Picture Book 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Picture Books Chicago Public Library Best Informational Books for Younger Readers 2021 The Best Jewish Children's Books of 2021, Tablet Magazine A Junior Library Guild Selection March 2022 The Best Children's Books of the Year 2022, Bank Street College 2022 First PlaceāChildren's Book Nonfiction, Press Women of Texas 2022 First PlaceāChildren's Book Nonfiction, National Federation of Press Women
Eliza Davis believed in speaking up for what was right. Even if it meant telling Charles Dickens he was wrong.
When Tracy Beaumontās father is convicted for a murder he didnāt commit, she refuses to accept the verdict. Her unwavering determination to fight the long-standing racism in her small town shows the depth of its hateful history and its horrific impact on her father and family. This unforgettable, heartbreaking, and hopeful novel provides a mirror and window into the courage needed to fight against injustice.
"Incredible and searing." --Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin
The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.
Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time--her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy's older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track starā¦
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn theā¦
As a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, Linus Baker is summoned by Extremely Upper Management to determine the future of six unique and potentially dangerous youth kept at an orphanage on Marsays Island. This novel is one of the most creative, imaginative books that addresses the impact of prejudice. TJ Klune draws readers into the magic spun by his brilliant storytelling. Respect, acceptance, and tolerance are major themes, and itās a perfect book to celebrate diversity and individual differences.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or notā¦
When Rani Kelkar secretly dates the tattooed, charismatic, artistic Oliverāher motherās worst nightmareācultures collide. This exquisitely written novel explores appropriation, identity, and self-respect. Bigotry can show its ugly head in micro-aggressions and Anuradha Rajurkar does a phenomenal job illuminating this form of hatred. An eye-opening and thought-provoking novel, readers will recognize that sometimes speaking up for oneself is one of the most important ways to fight against bigotry, hatred, and injustice.
A luminous story of a young artist grappling with first love, family boundaries and the complications of a cross-cultural relationship. Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon, Erika Sanchez and Jandy Nelson.
Praise for American Betiya A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of 2022 A YALSA Best Best Fiction for Young Adults A Cosmopolitan Best 100 Books of All Time A Book Riot best YA Book of 2021 A South Asia Book Award 2022 honoree A Children's Cooperative 2022 Best Book of the Year A 2022 Nerdy Book Club Best Novel Award Winner
A human child raised by the fae is an uncommon thing. But Rafi was such a child.
Now grown, half-fae but mortal, he lingers on the edge of human society in Miryoku, a nearby town sharing a border with fae territory. He doesnāt want to join the human world properly;ā¦
Seventh-grader, Will Levine, has a condition that causes his chin to shrink during puberty. Bullied at school, kids call him Turtle Boy. The nickname is a double entendre since Will also loves turtles. As he prepares for his bar mitzvah, copes with the death of his father, and navigates a friendship with a terminally ill boy, Will also finds himself in a battle to preserve a marsh filled with endangered turtles. Will has to come out of his shell to prevent developers from destroying this environment. This book will inspire readers to speak up against injustices.
This is a powerful story of hope and friendship, perfect for fans of Wonder and The Goldfish Boy. Exploring self-image, family and grief, this book will make you laugh and cry.
Meet Will Levine. Here are three things Will loves: turtles, the nature reserve behind school, being left alone. And one thing Will really hates: his nickname.
Kids at school call Will Turtle Boy because of his funny-looking chin. But when Will meets RJ, he learns not everyone is his enemy. RJ has a bucket list of adventures which extends way beyond his hospital room, and he needs help tickingā¦
In the vein of the classicĀ The WaveĀ and inspired by a real-life incident, this riveting novel explores discrimination and antisemitism and reveals their dangerous impact.
Senior year. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand. As the school administration addressed the teens' refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?
A heartfelt romantic fantasy set in a whimsical traveling theatre troupeāwhere the newest member is fleeing home, and the lead actor is hiding a dangerous fae curse.
Vai Delvecchio, escaping a family scandal, joins the eccentric Quicksand Theatre Company, where magic fuels both stage tricks and real-world consequences. As theyā¦
We are all surrounded by darkness. And we are all drawn to the light.
The Orkney Islands north of Scotland are steeped in stories of selkies, seal folk who swim in cold ocean waters and shed their skins to sing and dance on land.
