American Library

From the critically acclaimed author of The Borden Murders comes the thrilling story of Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the US government, for her alleged involvement in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. A dubious distinction belongs to Mary Surratt: on July 7, 1865, she...

A high school senior navigates messy boys and messier relationships in this bitingly funny and much-needed look into the overlap of Asian American identity and teen sexuality. June Chu is the “just good enough” girl. Good enough to line the shelves with a slew of third-place trophies and...

With passion and precision, Kekla Magoon relays an essential account of the Black Panthers—as militant revolutionaries and as human rights advocates working to defend and protect their community. In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla...

An NPR Book Concierge Pick of the Year “The fun of this engrossing read is that underneath the slapstick lies a finely nuanced meditation on how we perform as ourselves.” —New York Times Book Review From the New York Times bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a moving young adult...

From the multi-award-winning author of Code Talker comes a Native American perspective on the Civil War. Louis Nolette, a fifteen-year-old Abenaki Indian from Canada, is recruited to fight in the northern Irish Brigade in the Civil War. Though he is too young, and neither American nor Irish...

Washington, D.C., 1864: In a city that’s weary of war and eager for entertainment, Joseph and his father’s mind-reading act has become the toast of the town. Even President Lincoln comes to see Joseph demonstrate his amazing mental powers. It’s all an elaborate hoax, of course, but Joseph...

"I dare anyone to read this book without a ginormous grin on their faces. Warmth, humor and enchantments burst off the page, and the colorful characters of the Granados family crackle to life with Cervantes's signature wit, aching empathy and enviable flair for whimsy." —Roshani Chokshi, NYT...

Sylvia is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in the fall of 1957, whether people like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into...

In 1876, France decided to give the United States a very big and very special present--the Statue of Liberty. The gift was to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States, and just packing it was no small feat--350 pieces in 214 crates shipped across the ocean. The story of how the...

A speculative middle grade novel about three generations of Black girls connected across time and space through a wormhole in their school locker. A School Library Journal and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year What if your locker was a wormhole to the past? On the first day of eighth...

A Korean American teen tries to balance her dream to become a chef with the cultural expectations of her family when she enters the competitive world of a TV cooking show. A hilarious and heartfelt YA novel from the award-winning author of Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim...

My dad used to be Abraham Lincoln. When I was six and learning to read, I saw his initials were A.B.E., Albert Baruch Edelman. ABE. That’s when I knew. Mina Edelman believes that she and her family are the Lincolns reincarnated. Her main tasks for the next three months: to protect her father...

LaToya Williams lives in Montgomery, Alabama, and attends a mostly white high school. It seems as if her only friend is her older brother, Alex. Toya doesn’t know where she fits in, but after a run-in with another student, she wonders if life would be different if she were . . . different. And...

When superstar athlete Jim Thorpe and football legend Pop Warner met in 1904 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called "the team that invented football," they took on the best opponents of their day...

A powerful contemporary novel about an aspiring 12 year-old filmmaker whose world is turned upside down when his grandfather is slain in a senseless and racist act of violence. From the author of the award-winning memoir, Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South and co-editor of Recognize! An...

Starting middle school is no joke! Isaiah Dunn has more to say in the sequel to the award-winning novel Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero. Friendship, community, and a love of poetry blend in this coming-of-age tale. Things are looking up for super kid Isaiah Dunn. He and his sister, Charlie, are getting...

From bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes a fascinating account of the Spanish influenza pandemic 100 years after it first swept the world in 1918. "Davis deftly juggles compelling storytelling, gruesome details, and historical context. More Deadly Than War reads like a terrifying dystopian...

Newbery Medalist Christopher Paul Curtis brings his trademark humor and heart to the story of a boy struggling to do right in the face of history's cruelest evils. Twelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His dad just died, the share crops are dry, and Cap'n Buck--the most fearsome man in...

Paris has just come for piano lessons, not chopped-liver sandwiches or French lessons or free advice. But when old Mrs. Rosen gives her a little bit more than she can handle, it might be just what Paris needs in order to understand the bully in her brother’s life . . . and the bullies of the...

A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain. "A true...