2025 Global Reads for 1st - 6th grade

Updated May 20, 2025
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Anoka County Library - MELSA Anoka County Library - MELSA
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2025 Global Reads for 1st - 6th grade

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The circuit : graphic novel
Rostan, Andrew
Paper Book
Poignantly told from a young boy's perspective, the popular and award-winning memoir centered on a Mexican family working California's fields is now a powerful graphic novel that will appeal to readers of Illegal and They Called Us Enemy.  An honest and evocative account...
The diamond explorer
Yang, Kao Kalia
Paper Book
From APALA-winning author and Guggenheim Fellow Kao Kalia Yang, a middle-grade debut about a Hmong American boy's struggle to find a place for himself in America and in the world of his ancestors. Malcolm is the youngest child of Hmong refugees, and he was born over a decade...
Gigi and Ojiji : what's in a name?
Iwai, Melissa
Paper Book
Gigi wants to go by something besides her baby name--but her full name, Geraldine, is too long to write and Hanako, her middle name, doesn't feel quite right. Will Gigi find the perfect name This exciting new I Can Read series is brought to you by author-illustrator Melissa...
Her epic adventure : 25 daring women who inspire a life less ordinary
De Laurentiis Johnston, Julia
Paper Book
Throughout history, women eager for adventure have long faced obstacles and opposition. But here are the stories of 25 remarkable women - from pilots to mountain climbers, deep-sea divers to Antarctic explorers - who defied expectations and made their mark on history. Included are the first Black...
Hope in the valley
Perkins, Mitali
Paper Book
Hope in the Valley, from National Book Award Nominee Mitali Perkins, is a middle-grade novel exploring grief, friendship, family, and growing up in a community facing a housing crisis. Twelve-year-old Indian-American Pandita Paul doesn't like change. She's...
It's boba time for Pearl Li!
Chen, Nicole
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Kelly Yang and Jessica Kim, this joyful, moving middle grade contemporary follows a big-hearted Taiwanese American girl as she aims to gain her family's acceptance and save her favorite boba tea shop by selling her handcrafted amigurumi dolls.  Pearl...
Kareem between
Safadi, Shifa Saltagi
Paper Book
This award-winning, heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school. "The exact type of book I would've loved, and needed, as a kid." -Jasmine Warga, New...
The last Rhee witch
Lee-Yun, Jenna
Paper Book
A 2025 Children's Book Council Favorites Award Winner in three categories: Middle-Grade, Teacher, & Librarian! For fans of The Last Fallen Star, Witchlings, and Ghost Squad, a heartfelt middle grade debut where Korean folklore is all too real and summer...
Lily Xiao speaks out
Chen, Nicole
Paper Book
From the author of It's Boba Time for Pearl Li! comes an empowering, heartfelt middle grade novel about a grunge-loving Taiwanese American tween who must use her voice to fight for ESL support at her school. Lily Xiao can't wait to go to Camp Rock Out this summer,...
Maizy Chen's Last Chance
Yee, Lisa
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER . NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST . ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR YOUTH LITERATURE Twelve year-old Maizy discovers her family's Chinese restaurant is full of secrets in this irresistible novel that celebrates food, fortune, and family. NAMED...
Red Bird danced
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
An American Indian Youth Literature Award Honoree With lyrical verse and powerful emotion, Dawn Quigley (Ojibwe) tells the story of urban Native kids who find strength in connection with those who came before and in the hope that lets them take flight. Ariel and Tomah have lived in...
When clouds touch us
Lai, Thanhha
Paper Book
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award finalist! Inspired by the author's own childhood, this stunning novel in verse, the sequel to the award-winning #1 bestseller Inside Out and Back Again, picks up two years after Hà and her family arrive in Alabama as refugees from the Việt Nam War....
When life gives you mangos
Getten, Kereen
Paper Book
Named to Oprah Magazine's Best Caribbean Books for Your 2021 reading list, imagination and adventure run wild in the most talked about middle grade debut of the year!     A small village on a Jamaican island.  A girl who doesn't remember the...
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