Geo Librarian

  A BOY CALLED HERO written by Marie Miranda Cruz Carolrhoda Books, 2026 ISBN: 9798765690734 Source: School Library Journal/publisher (ARC) Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A time-travel adventure story about finding ways to make a difference, connect with others, and be true to yourself no matter where (or when) you are. Twelve-year-old Hero Del Rosario isn’t happy about staying with his grandfather in the Philippines while the rest of his family takes a trip back to the States. He’s always been the overlooked one, the one who gets left behind, the one who—despite his name—is nothing special. But when he’s transported more than a century into the past, he suddenly has bigger problems. It’s 1892, and the Philippines is controlled by Spain. Hero doesn’t know how he got here or how to get home. Luckily, he meets two kids his age—his great-great-grandfather, Teo, and Teo’s ...

UNSETTLED by Reem Faruqi, narrated by Ariana Delawari HarperCollins, 2021 ISBN:  9781665077606 (AUDIOBOOK) Source: school library -- Sora Ages 9-12 Middle grade contemporary fiction (novel-in-verse) All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK For fans of Other Words for Home and Front Desk, this powerful, charming own voices immigration story follows a girl who moves from Karachi, Pakistan to Peachtree City, Georgia, and must find her footing in a new world. Reem Faruqi is the ALA Notable author of award-winning Lailah's Lunchbox. A lyrical coming of age story exploring family, immigration, and most of all belonging. Nurah is a compelling main character who I was rooting for all the way through. --Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound When her family moves from Pakistan to Peachtree City, all Nurah wants is to blend in, yet she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah...

THIRST by Varsha Bajaj Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-593-35439-1 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK The riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone. Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water g...

  TOO SMALL TOLA by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu Candlewick Press, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-5362-1127-6 Source: publisher for review Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   Tolu may be small, but she's very determined. Three delightful stories about Too Small Tola, a young girl who, though small, is very determined. Tola lives in a flat in Lagos with her sister, Moji, who is very clever; her brother, Dapo, who is very fast; and Grandmommy, who is very bossy. Tola proves to be stronger than she seems when she goes to market with Grandmommy and manages to carry home a basket full of yams and vegetables, chilli peppers and fish. When the taps in the flat don't work, it's Tola who brings water from the well, and it's Tola who saves the day when Mr Abdul, the tailor, needs his goods to be delivered quickly. Too Small Tola is a wonderful new character in the world of children's books by multi-award-winning children's writer and...

A CIRCLE OF ELEPHANTS by Eric Dinerstein Disney-Hyperion, 2019 ISBN: 978-136801658-2 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade historical/global fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From the author of What Elephants Know , a 2017 ALA Notable Children's Book and winner of the 2017 South Asia Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, comes this stunning companion novel about the complex relationship between people and nature coexisting in the Borderlands of 1970s Nepal. Thirteen-year-old Nandu lives in the newly established Royal Elephant Breeding Center on the edge of the jungle. Here, the King's elephants are to be raised under the protective watch of the stable. Nandu-along with his adoptive father Subba-sahib , his mentors, friends, and the rest of the elephant drivers-is tested by man and nature as earthquakes, drought, wild herds, and rumors of poachers threaten the Center. When Nandu's world is t...