Read Across America: Juvenile Fiction

Help us celebrate Read Across America and our Sweetbean Reading Challenge by checking out one of these juvenile novels about the experience of young people in America!


Updated February 23, 2024
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Ahmed Aziz's epic year
Hamza, Nina
Paper Book
This hilarious and poignant tween debut--which SLJ heralded as "destined to become a classic" in a starred review--tackles evergreen topics like dealing with bullies, making friends, and the power of good books. A great next read for fans of Merci Suárez Changes Gears and John David Anderson. ...
Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Native families from Nations across the...
Clean getaway
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a timely middle-grade road-trip story through landmarks of the Civil Rights movement and the map they lay for contemporary race relations. How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma: Grab a...
David digs with the dinosaur hunter
Collins, Ailynn
Paper Book
When David and his parents arrive in Lusk, Wyoming, in 1889, they are not welcomed with open arms. As Chinese immigrants, they are all too familiar with the discrimination they immediately encounter at the general store. Nonetheless, their need to earn money before continuing eastward leads them to...
The Dust Bowl
Corpora, Michelle Jabès
Paper Book
Set in the 1930s Oklahoma, this American Horse Tale is the story of a young girl who makes the difficult decision to leave her family and move to California so she can stay with her horse. A young girl named Ginny and her family are dealing with the hardships of the Great...
Finding Langston
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves.
Greetings from nowhere
O'Connor, Barbara
Paper Book
Don't miss Barbara O'Connor's other middle-grade work--like Wish; Wonderland; How to Steal a Dog; Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia; The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester; and more! From an author long recognized for her true Southern voice and heartfelt characters,<...
Hip-hop road trip
Gurevich, Margaret
Paper Book
There's nothing better than a vacation - unless it's a vacation with your dance team! Brie and the rest of the dancers at Ms. Marianne's Academy of Dance are thrilled when they find out they're performing in the Citrus Jam - the competition to end all dance team competitions. But then Brie overhears...
Loyalty
Avi
Paper Book
Newbery Medalist Avi explores the American Revolution from a fresh perspective in the story of a young Loyalist turned British spy navigating patriotism and personal responsibility during the lead-up to the War of Independence. When his father is killed by rebel vigilantes, Noah flees with...
Maribel versus the volcano : a Mount St. Helens survival story
Go?mez, Sarah Hannah
Paper Book
In 1980s Washington state, Mt. St. Helens is rumbling. Twelve-year-old Maribel isn't concerned at first, despite officials evacuating her neighborhood. Her family is convinced it's just a precaution, even as the mountain continues to rumble. Maribel decides to disobey orders and return home for...
One dead spy : the life, times, and last words of Nathan Hale, America's most famous spy
Hale, Nathan
Paper Book
Meet America's first spy, Nathan Hale, in this installment of the New York Times bestselling Hazardous Tale graphic novel series! "These books are, quite simply, brilliant. . . . Thrilling, bloody, action-packed stories from American history." --New York Times...
Other words for home
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book! A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she'd be...
The porcupine year
Erdrich, Louise.
Paper Book
The third novel in the critically acclaimed Birchbark House series by New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich. Omakayas was a dreamer who did not yet know her limits. When Omakayas is twelve winters old, she and her family set off on a harrowing journey in search of a new...
See you in the cosmos
Cheng, Jack
Paper Book
"I haven't read anything that has moved me this much since Wonder." --Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places A space-obsessed boy and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving...
A star like Jesse Owens
Smith, Nikki Shannon
Paper Book
Matthew is a young African-American boy who dreams of becoming an Olympic runner like his hero, Jesse Owens. There's one big problem: Matthew has asthma, which makes it hard for him to run. When his journalist father is assigned to cover the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Matthew jumps at the chance tag...
Step up to the plate, Maria Singh
Krishnaswami, Uma
Paper Book
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Nine-year-old Maria Singh learns to play softball just like her heroes in the All-American Girls' League, while her parents and neighbors are struggling through World War II, working for...
The unsung hero of Birdsong, USA
Woods, Brenda
Paper Book
The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South. On Gabriel's twelfth birthday, he gets a new bike--and is so excited that he...
When life gives you lemons, make peach pie
Downing, Erin
Paper Book
Mix together a used food truck, a road trip that doesn't exactly go as planned, and a lot of pie, and you have the recipe for this sweet middle grade series starter brimming with humor, heart, and a family you'll fall in love with. Perfect for readers who gobbled down The Penderwicks<...

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