RecommendedReads: JFiction:SadButHopeful
TheProbabilityofEverything
SarahEverett
JEVER, S
When an asteroid has an 84.7% chance of colliding with the Earth in four days, eleven-year-old Kemi, who loves scientific facts and probability, assembles a time capsule to capture her family's truth as she tries to come to terms with saying goodbye.
TheBridgeHome PadmaVenkatraman
JVENK, P
Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Chennai, India but when illness strikes, will they risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom?
TheShapeofThunder JasmineWarga
JWARG, J
Told in their alternating voices, twelve-year-old neighbors and former best friends Cora and Quinn begin working together to open a wormhole so they can travel through time to prevent the school shooting that resulted in the deaths of Cora's sister and Quinn's brother.
SimonSortofSays
ErinBow
JBOW, E
Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, Simon and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life. With the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life.
AlltheBluesintheSky
RenéeWatson
JWATS, R
When thirteen-year-old Sage's best friend dies, Sage struggles with grief and feels that she's at fault, but when she joins a grief group, she slowly learns to heal. Told in verse format.
WorldMadeofGlass AmiPolonsky
JPOLO, A
Iris opens her eyes to hard truths and the power of her voice when her father dies of AIDS in 1987.
DeepWater
JamieSumner
JSUMN, J
Twelve-year-old Tully's attempt to swim across Lake Tahoe after a heartbreaking loss and become the youngest person to complete the famous "Godfather" swim takes a dangerous turn, forcing her to choose between safety and a win that could change everything.
Ms.Bixby’sLastDay
JohnDavidAnderson
JANDE
, J
Three boys are dismayed when their teacher falls ill and leaves for the rest of the school year, a situation that compels them to share their stories while cutting class and journeying across town together on a fateful day.
AHomeforGoddessesandDogs LeslieConnor
JCONN, L
After the death of her mother, Lydia moves in with her aunts and learns to find a new family of inspiring women and loving dogs.
CountingThyme MelanieConklin
JCONK, M
Thyme Owens moves across the country with her family so her younger brother can take part in a promising cancer drug trial, and though all she wants is for him to get better, adjusting to life in Manhattan is anything but easy.
BecauseofMr.Terupt RobBuyea
JBUYE, R
Seven fifth-graders at Snow Hill School in Connecticut relate how their lives are changed for the better by "rookie teacher" Mr. Terupt after he suffers a terrible accident.
LasagnaMeansILoveYou KateO’Shaughnessy
JOSHA, K
When foster kid Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else's family recipes, she collects the stories behind them and builds a website to share them, secretly hoping a long-lost relative will give her a family recipe all her own.
102DaysofLyingAboutLauren MauraJortner
JJORT, M
After being abandoned by her mother in an amusement park, twelve-year-old Mouse is determined to secretly live in the park on her own, even though getting caught could mean saving her life.
FindingLost HollyGoldbergSloan
JSLOA, H
A stray dog helps a girl cope with the loss of her father and leads her to meet something new and special.
TheTroublewithSunshine YamileSaiedMéndez
JMEND, Y
Dorani's mom, Isa, taught her to be bold and challenge the rules if they don't seem fair. But she never taught Dorani how to do it all without her. So, when Isa dies on the way to speak with the principal about Dori's latest revolution, Dori loses her voice. Moving from vibrant Miami to quiet, middle-of-nowhere Wyoming with her aunt feels like the punishment she deserves.