Prof. Santiago - RED4844 & RED4519

Title: The Crossover

Author: Kwame Alexander

Reader Level: 10-12 years or grades 5-7 

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: Realistic Fiction, Poetry (free verse), Sports (basketball), African-American, Brothers 

• New York Times bestseller
• Newbery Medal Winner
• Coretta Scott King Honor Award
• YALSA 2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults
• YALSA  2015 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
• Publishers Weekly Best Book
• School Library Journal Best Book
• Kirkus Best Book

Title: Ghost

Author: Jayson Reynolds

Reader Level: 10-12 years or grades 5-7 

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: Realistic fiction, Sports (track), African-American, Identity/ coming of age 

• National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature
• Nominated for PBS’s The Great American Read

Title: The Night Diary

Author: Veera Hiranandani

Reader Level: 8-12 years or grades 3-7

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: Historical fiction (1940s Pakistan & India), religious identity (Hindu, Muslim), family relationships, loss, diary/ epistolary fiction 

Awards and/or Recognition:

• 2019 Newbery Honor Book
• Walter Dean Myers Honor Winner 
• ALA Notable Book 
• Malka Penn Award Recipient 
• New York Times Editor's Choice Pick 
• Junior Library Guild Selection 
• Best Book of the Year by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, The New York Times, NPR, School Library Journal, and The Washington Post
   

Title: Hurricane Child

Author: Kacen Callender (formerly Kheryn Callender)

Reader Level: Grades 4-6

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: Caribbean literature, realistic fiction, family relationships, coming of age, LGBTQ+ experience, bullying

Awards and/or Recognition:

• Winner of the Stonewall Book Award
• Winner of the Lambda Literary Award

Title: Esperanza Rising

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan

Reader Level: 8+ years or grades 6-8

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: Historical fiction (1900s America, Great Depression), poverty & homelessness, migration, Hispanic-American literature, Mexican-American literature

Awards and/or Recognition:

• Pura Belpré Award Winner
• Américas Award Honor Book
• Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winner
• Willa Cather Award Winner
• Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
• ILA Notable Book for a Global Society
• ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
• New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
• A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

Title: Long Way Down

Author: Jason Reynolds

Reader Level: Grades 7+, Ages 12+

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: African-American boyhood/ teenagers; Poetry; Narrative verse; Gun violence; Coming of age

Awards and/or Recognition: 

• A Newbery Honor Book
• A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
• A Printz Honor Book
• A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner for Young Adult Literature
• Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
• Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award
• An Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction

Title: Some Places More than Others

Author: Renee Watson

Reader Level: Grades 4-6

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: African-American girlhood; Coming of age; Travel; Urban life/ exploration/ adventure; Family; New York City; Harlem

Awards and/or Recognition: 

• Author's previous work earned Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor

Title: Free Lunch

Author: Rex Ogle

Reader Level: Grade 6-9, Ages 9-12 

Genre/ Themes/ Interests: Memoir/ biography; Children's non-fiction; Homelessness; Poverty; Domestic violence

Awards and/or Recognition: 

• 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award