Junior is an awkward and dorky cartoonist growing up on a Spokane Indian reservation. Wanting to take his life into his own hands, Junior leaves the poor Indian reservation to attend school in a neighboring all-white community. Sherman Alexie’s honest and funny writing, accompanied by Ellen Forney’s poignant drawings, make this story a winner.

In a world where magic has been outlawed, Sadima, a young woman who can communicate with animals, hides two renegade magicians. Generations later, Hahp attends a school of wizardry where students must learn to survive on magic alone. Sadima and Hahp’s stories are ultimately and surprisingly connected in this complex and compelling page-turner.

In Haiti “touching snow” means living in America but for Karina, life in America is anything but easy. The women in Karina’s life fear her brutal stepfather and when he is taken away on child abuse charges, Karina has to take control of her own life and find the courage to protect the ones she loves.

When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother’s best friend, Deanna Lambert’s teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the reputation of being labeled the “school slut,” Deanna longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, Story of a Girl is a tale of human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.