by Julianne DonaldsonUnconditional Recommendation: A darling story of an innocent, whimsical 17-year-old girl who learns to embrace the love and acceptance she didn’t think would be hers.
Genre: Historical Romance
by Kasie WestConditional Recommendation: Sixteen-year-old Charlotte “Charlie” is a sporty tomboy growing up in a household of boys when a new job and a possible romance pushes her out of her comfort zone and into new ways of being a young woman.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
by Wilson RawlsConditional Recommendation: An engaging tale of friendship and adventure shared by a boy and his two hound dogs.
Awards: Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1987), North Dakota Children’s Choice Award (1981).
by Wendelin Van DraanenUnconditional Recommendation: A humorous, honest story of first love, growing up, and changing perspectives told from alternating point of views.
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Comedy
by Frances Hodgson BurnettUnconditional Recommendation: A story of mystery, transformation and new life for a neglected young girl, her fearful cousin, and an abandoned garden.
Genre: Classic
by E.D.E.N. SouthworthConditional Recommendation: Ishmael, though born motherless and impoverished, rises above his circumstances through humility, integrity and hard work.
Genre: Historical
by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth CareyUnconditional Recommendation: A hilarious and endearing collection of stories about efficiency experts, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and their growing household of twelve children.
Genre: Memoir, Comedy
by Lori WickUnconditional Recommendation: Follow a tenderhearted woman through the everyday life of caring for a grieving family with persistent faith and love that can encourage the heart of the reader.
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyConditional Recommendation: From a cruel mother to a good home, this is a young girl’s journey to freedom, healing, and identity through the help and care of her guardian during WWII.
Awards: Newbery Medal Nominee (2016), Schneider Family Book Award for Middle School (2016), Odyssey Award (2016), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2017), Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature (2016), Bluestem Book Award Nominee (2017), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children’s (2015), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2017)