The Year We Fell From Space by Amy Sarig King

The Year We Fell From Space is a searing portrait of a young girl in conflict. ​Liberty Johansen distances herself from her classmates when she refuses to participate in school playground activities such as marriages and excommunications. And she’s not afraid to let her views be known. ​It’s stupid...We’re in sixth grade. Having weddings is stupid. ​She shoulders a massive self-imposed burden, trying to keep her family together, attempting to maintain peace and a sense of normalcy in situations which are beyond her control. She is fascinated with astronomy and creates her own star maps. Her interest in the stars becomes her safe place. She discovers an unusual rock and believes that it is a meteorite, sent from the skies directly to her. The rock becomes her solace, her companion, and her confidante. Lib views herself and her world through the lens of her current circumstances: sixth-grade outcast, protector for her younger sister, and dutiful daughter to her separated parents.

Smeelings

Liberty's life is filled with hikes, gazing at the night sky, campfires, and s'mores. And smeelings. ​ Smeelings are "smells that make feelings." I'm sending a toasted gooey s'more with lots of smeelings to King. Thanks for this poignant portrayal of a young girl and her family coping with mental illness. Its a story that has found a home in my heart.

Nina Soni, Former Best Friend
​by Kashmira Sheth ill by Jenn Kocsmiersky

Nina Soni’s life just got more complicated. She accidentally destroys her best friend's art project. Nina fears that Jay will no longer be her friend. She is stymied when her teacher assigns a Personal Narrative Project. She has nothing to write. Her life is as boring as plain rice. ​Then she discovers an interesting phenomenon that will be the basis for her person narrative. To her dismay, she learns that her idea is the same experiment used by  Jay at last year's science fair. She is discouraged. When her sister's birthday party plans fall through, Jay and Nina come together and develop a clever solution to the birthday dilemma. Upon reflection, Nina realizes that retelling events of the past twenty-four hours will make an interesting writing project.

For=get-ful-ness means your mind becomes so full of new thoughts and ideas that it pushes out the old ones.

Former means once-upon-a-time.

Scientific Discoveries

Dish soap

Lemon juice

Baking soda

Vinegar

At the Mountain's Base by Traci Sorell ill by Weshoyot Alvitre

Sorell's cumulative verse begins beneath a hickory tree at the base of a mountain. The scene zooms in to reveal a cabin beneath the spreading branches of the tree. Stepping inside the cabin, readers see a simple yet welcoming home. Generations of Cherokee women watch as a grandma picks up fibers and weaves a pattern. She is intertwining more than strands of colored wool. She is weaving together a family, bound by love and tradition.  Her threads extend beyond the walls of the cabin and encompass a family member far away. A pilot flying far away in war-ravaged skies senses the influence of her grandma's songs and prayers. It is a prayer is for peace and a safe return. An Author's Note explains that while this story fictional, it is based on the service of one Native American woman, Ola Mildred "MIllie" Rexroat an OgLaLa Lakota pilot.

The Art of Weaving

Cumulative Verse

Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya

Emilia Rosa is juggling a plethora of problems. Let's start with family. Dad, a Marine who was deployed during most of of her childhood, returns home. He seems to be a different person from the father she remembers. Mami, who keeps Emilia focused and organized, will be away on an extended business trip. Abuela, her maternal grandmother has definite notions about Emilia’s life, including the need for a quinceañera. This is something she emphatically does not want. Sixth grade is a struggle. Not because she isn't intelligent, but because she processes stimuli in a different way. She needs time and individual attention in order to complete her homework. Some school assignments are difficult to untangle without guidance from her mother.The noises associated with school rallies in the gym are a horrific assault on her senses.

More stories from Pablo Cartaya

Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations
​by Kelly Starling Lyons ill by Keith Mallett

It is a common occurrence for me to cry when I finish reading a book, it is uncommon for my heart to swell and tears begin to spill down my cheeks from the very first page. Sing a Song: "How Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations had me instantly reaching for tissues. Kelly Starling Lyons has penned a soul-stirring recital of the Black National Anthem's story. Inspired by her family's history, she traces the song through five generations. Beginning with a birthday celebration of Abraham Lincoln, the anthem is an integral part of the family. The music journeys with the family through the Great Migration, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement and culminates with opening of the National Museum of African American History.

Sing Along

Looking for More Inspiration? Try these books

All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker

Olympia lives in a world of artists: her mother a painter turned sculptor, her father an art restorer, and her father's studiomate Apollo. She enjoys assisting Apollo with grinding pigments and mixing his own paints. She too is an artist. But her medium is the Blackwing 602 pencil. She works strictly in black, white, and grey.  When events force her to temporarily give up sketching, she turns to watercolor. Her experiments with this medium reminded me of my early forays into the magic of pigments mixed with water and then applied to pristine white paper. I unearthed some of my childhood watercolors and paired them with some of Olympia's observations on color, art, and life.

"...a wash of blues...so deep and rich that looking at them made you feel like you were learning something." "Apollo mixes colors for his own paintings too, which is why they're so beautiful they make your chest hurt."

"It's not the worst thing, is it? To celebrate the extraordinary in the ordinary?" "It was a relief to let things be a little blurry. I liked how forgiving watercolor was, how easy it was to pretend that you hadn't made a mistake."

"but there were hundreds of blues in there that I had no words for, smoky purples and faded teals, colors even Apollo might not have known the names for." " learned that if I held the brush at the very end...and made a lazy stroke with my whole arm, I could lay down a luxurious swath of color."

"Dried gamboge doesn't look like much-just another sticky, ugly brown rock. But put a drop of water on it, and that rock will weep a tear so brightly yellow it will hurt your eyes." "They turn difficult things into beautiful ones. They're the artists. And that's what you are."

Home is a Window
by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard ill by Chris Sasaki

Home is a Window is a quiet little treasure. wrapping youngsters who face change in a reassuring embrace.  ​Title page features a busy urban neighborhood, filled with homes and shops, pets and people. Observant readers will notice a young girl walking her dog. With the first page turn, she steps off the street and enters her home. Stephanie Parsley Ledyard's descriptive text enumerates the comforting familiarity of simple things: a basket for your shoes, someone to help, a blanket all your own.

The King of Kindergarten
by Derrick Barnes ill by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Leaving the security of home and family to attend school can be a daunting event in the life of a five-year-old. ​That's not the case for this kid. The King of Kindergarten features a youngster who is capable and confident. He awakes early for his first day of school, washing up and dressing himself.  Well, almost. Shirt, overalls, socks. No problem. However tying shoelaces has yet to be mastered. Anyone who has worked with five-somethings will appreciate this visual detail. With preparation and encouragement from his parents, this guy is ready for the day's challenge!  He's got a bright smile, has practiced saying his name, is ready to give a friendly wave, and even brought a chocolate pudding cup to share.

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

Jingwen, his younger brother Yanghao, and mother venture into the unknown, immigrating to Australia,  Mom works the night shift at a local bakery and Jingwen cares for his outgoing, impulsive younger sibling while she is away. ​It's hard. School is strange. He doesn’t understand what people are saying. Kids at school ignore him.  It’s like moving to Mars. Relocation is exponentially difficult because his father is not with the family. Dad was killed in a car accident fourteen days before Jingwen’s birthday. This ten-year-old carries a heavy pocketful of resentment, guilt, and loneliness.

Strange Territory

Just South of Home by Karen Strong

Just South of Home begins as the story of mismatched cousins who must spend a summer together. Then the narrative takes an unexpected turn. ​Sarah and her brother Ellis live in a small Georgia community. Everyone knows everyone and everyone's business. Sarah’s grandmother, always referred to as Mrs. Greene, is a Church Deaconess Board member. She strictly enforces “the rules” and bakes the best red velvet cake. This summer Ellis and Sarah won’t need to spend their days living under Mrs. Greene’s rigid rules. Mama trusts the two to be on their own while their parents are at work. Then a complication arises. Cousin Jamie comes to stay with them and she's not happy about living in a provincial southern town. Sarah is worried and with good reason. Jamie has "sticky fingers" and a knack for getting into trouble.

Haunted by the Past