Refugee

Gain three perspectives of refugees from three different time eras.  Starting with Jews in 1939, then Cubans in 1994 and finally Syrians in 2015.  Read to understand, to gain compassion, to gain knowledge of our world's history of governmental power that degrades and devalues their own.  Thrown off like this week's garbage are the lives of people in so many nations across time.

Kids Deserve it!

Professional development book meant for all areas and levels of educators.  Motivational and fast read to jumpstart your year, or even midyear slump.  Read to understand why we do what we do!

Slider

Realistic fiction more than just a kid wanting to win a food eating contest.  More about family and friendship and taking care of one another.   More than just a kid that made a mistake spending $2,000 on his mom's credit card.  Awareness of family dynamics with a kid in college that is "perfect" and a younger sibling with autism and being the middle kid. 

The Exact Location of Home

Realistic fiction that helps one understand circumstances that just crumble without the ability to get out from under them.  I'm not normally a very political person, but this one makes me think of the politicians that speak against welfare...saying the "poor" have the ability to get a job and do better for themselves.  It makes me think of the people in the same room I'm in and what is really going on with them at home.  Don't judge before you know!

wishtree

I'm calling this one realistic fiction even though it's written from the point of view of a tree.  Realistic because what is happening to the humans is real.  How many times does fear cause you to make bad decisions?  In here, the fear of someone that is different, the fear of controversy, the fear of not being accepted.  The more I read the more I realize there are so many things I don't know, have not had to face and truly don't understand.

Olive's Ocean

A girl "grows" one summer as she figures out who she is, deals with typical teenage issues and finds her way within relationships.

Dragon Was Terrible

To get a dragon to be nice and young boy uses a story and reverse psychology.