January 2022

Tale of the extraordinary women who raised James Baldwin, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, whose lives spanned Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the civil rights movement, and the specific prejudices Black women faced during these and many more pivotal moments in American history.

Zauner’s unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother and forging her own identity. Have tissue handy.

I don’t normally list education books on this site, but Frank is a friend and a wonderful speaker. You’ll learn more about digital organization from him in ten minutes than anyone else can teach in a 30-day course. So timely for educators dealing with remote learning.

The extraordinary memoir of an orphan who danced her way from war-torn Sierra Leone to ballet stardom, most recently appearing in Beyonce’s Lemonade and as a principal in a major American dance company.

I want my middles schoolers and high schoolers to start the year off right, especially during these trying times. This book insists students should stop comparing themselves to others. After all, Teddy Roosevelt said that “comparison is the thief of joy.” In this fun, practical guide, teens will learn how to silence their nit-picky inner critics, cultivate self-compassion and discover what really matters to them.

Too many books for teens are negative and depressing, so I love encouraging students to read books that lift them up with positive messages. The daily devotionals found in this book will build up your teens rather than tear them down.

Mia Winchell has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. Forced to reveal her condition, she must look to herself to develop an understanding and appreciation of her gift in this coming-of-age novel for tweens.

A space opera inspired by Korean mythology, this time told from the point of view of a nonbinary tiger spirit. Upper elementary students can’t put this book down!

Newbery Honor author’s follow-up to the bestselling, award-winning Skunk and Badger. With illustrations by Caldecott medalist Jon Klassen, this new adventure begins as Skunk and Badger head out on a rock-finding expedition, finding surprises behind every boulder.  

If it weren’t for her big sister, Maya (who seems to own the spotlight), Tessie would dazzle the whole class. But when Maya lands the lead – and the coveted princess crown – in the fall recital, not even freestyle dancing can fully rescue Tessie’s spirits. But maybe they each have something to teach and the spotlight is big enough for two? Great book about sibling rivalry.