Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

San Francisco, 1906: Mercy Wong is determined to break out of the poverty of Chinatown and she has a plan. She will get an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls, a prestigious private school, once she convinces the owner that he needs her for business connections in Chinatown. With her tenacious attitude and what her mom calls ‘bossy cheeks,’ Mercy’s plan is working...mostly. But then the disastrous earthquake turns the world and all of Mercy’s dreams upside down.

As Mercy and her friends struggle to survive, Mercy learns that a life on Nob Hill isn’t the most important thing. This is historical fiction that exposes racism, but champions the idea of teamwork and friendship. Mercy’s story is inspiring and even if her character is a little ahead of the time, her story is worth reading.

Recommended ages--11 and up

Love in English by Maria E. Andreu

This is another new favorite for me--such a wonderfully written book that explores an English Language Learner’s experience in the United States. In this story, Ana has just moved with her mother from Argentina to New Jersey. They have come to join her father who has been living in America for almost four years. Readers follow Ana as she struggles with language and cultural barriers all while trying to navigate high school.

I felt extra connection with and compassion for Ana because my own Anna (yes, my daughter shares the main character’s name) is currently living in Honduras. Like Ana, she is striving to be herself all while struggling to express herself. Love in English is an important book to gain more understanding for those new to our country (or really any country).

Recommended ages 12 and up

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Wow!! This book is not my usual genre, but David Arnold made a science fiction masterpiece that completely won me over. I love Arnold’s lyrical writing, excellent character building, and amazing story telling, but how to even explain the plot?

After the devastating Fly Flu wipes out the majority of the world’s population, just a few survivors scrape out a meager living. Nico and her faithful dog Harry have only ever known the Farmhouse, but now they are on a mission to find a mythical portal that her father suddenly claims is real. Kit was raised in an abandoned cinema by his Dakota, but when she dies, he and Monty and Lakie set out to find a rumored civilization. The beauty of the story is the mystery of how the characters present, past, and future weave together.

A quirky book with beautiful writing and a complicated story. There is some profanity to be aware of and one scene of very briefly and loosely implied sex, but the rest stays clean. I loved the book, but Arnold’s storytelling may not be for every reader, but I highly recommend you try it and find out.

Recommended ages--14 and up