Showing titles in Difficult Discussions

When 12-year-old Hannah uncovers an ancient Salish spindle whorl hidden in a cave near her home in Cowichan Bay, she is transported back to a village called Tl'ulpalus, in a time before Europeans had settled in the area. Through the agency of a trickster raven, Hannah befriends Yisella, a young Salish girl, and is welcomed into village life. Here she discovers that the spindle whorl is the prized possession of Yisella's mother, Skeepla, a famous spinner and weaver.

Twelve-year-old Haven Jacobs can’t stop thinking about the climate crisis. In fact, her anxiety about the state of the planet is starting to interfere with her schoolwork, her friendships, even her sleep. She can’t stop wondering why grownups aren’t even trying to solve the earth’s problem—and if there’s anything meaningful that she, as a seventh grader, can contribute.

Through a simple conversation between a boy and a tree, country-music star Granger Smith shares an incredibly powerful and deeply moving story filled with life lessons on loss, grief, and the strength gained in finding the light and the will to move forward with joy and purpose.

When Lily's blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of Eastern Maine, it's Salma Santiago who manages to catch him. Salma, the daughter of migrant workers, is in the small town with her family for the blueberry-picking season.

Tony loves basketball. But the game changed recently when his best friend, Dante, a hoops phenom, was killed by a police officer. Tony hopes he can carry on Dante’s legacy by making the Sabres, the AAU basketball team Dante took to two national championships. Tony doesn’t make the team, but Coach James likes what he sees from Tony at tryouts and offers him another chance: join the team as the statistician.

From New York Times best-selling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young listeners' edition of an unbelievable memoir about an unlikely friendship that forever changed the lives of a busy sales executive and a hungry 11-year-old boy. On one rainy afternoon, on a crowded New York City street corner, eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura. Maurice asked Laura for spare change because he was hungry, and something made Laura stop and ask Maurice if she could take him to lunch.

Libby comes from a long line of bullies. She wants to be different, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. To bolster herself, she makes a card with the message You are amazing. That card sets off a chain reaction that ends up making a difference in the lives of some kids who could also use a boost - be it from dealing with bullies, unaccepting families, or the hole that grief leaves.

Positive Bible Affirmations for Black Christian Kids is jam packed with faith-building scripturally based affirmations, relatable stories, and simple prayers, and is a vital tool to help your son or daughter connect with God. Because if they are to survive, they need to connect with the One who gave them life!

On a poor farm surrounded by marshlands, six sisters -- Grace, Willa, Freya, and triplets Deedee, Darcy, and Dolly -- live in fear of their father and the superstition that haunts him: The Curse of the Six Daughters. Their beloved grandmother tries to protect them, but the future seems bleak.

A heartwarming story about ice skating, best friends, and dealing with a bully. Siarra and her best friend Mia start their new ice skating lessons, hoping to win the chance to join an elite skating group. But they soon discover the journey will be even harder than expected. Besides mastering all the new skating techniques, Siarra faces a faster skater who bullies her, making her doubt her skills and affecting her progress. And because no one else notices the bullying, she has to make some hard choices.

Oliver Jeffers shares a history of humanity and his dreams for its future. Where are we going? Oliver starts at the dawn of humankind following people on their journey from then until now, and then offers the listener a challenge: where do we go from here? How can we think about the future of the human race more than our individual lives? How can we save ourselves? How can we change our story? Oliver Jeffers’s exploration of the state of the world today is insightful, moving and powerful.

With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It's the start of a brand new year and, best of all, it's her older sister Asiya's first day of hijab - a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, and in the face of hurtful, confusing words, Faizah will find new ways to be strong.

The mission was supposed to be fun—even funny—but things got serious quick. What follows is a daring journey with narrow escapes, attack dogs, deadly fires, and a friendship forged in shared peril. Three friends embark on an intrepid quest to retrieve a priceless treasure guarded by a menacing villain. But this is no fantasy. For Scott and his friends Tommy and Dooley, the danger is all too real. Unlikely heroes will emerge. Enemies will become allies. Powerful truths will be revealed.

On the morning of January 10, 1917, thirteen determined women stood at the gates of the White House and held banners reading “HOW LONG MUST WOMEN WAIT FOR LIBERTY?” They were there to force President Woodrow Wilson to take notice of their demand for the right to vote.

Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she’s scared. When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough?

Cruise’s Heart: A Story About Grief and Hope is a children's book designed to support young listeners through the painful journey of losing a parent. Inspired by a true story, this gentle and heartfelt book follows Cruise, a middle child, as she learns to navigate life after the sudden loss of her father. Through honest emotion and age-appropriate language, Cruise’s Heart creates space for children to feel seen and understood in their grief.

Sam loved Dog and Dog loved Sam. They spoke without words. . . and dreamed big dreams side by side in the sunbeams. Sam thinks they will go on adventures together forever. Then the time comes for Dog to go over the Rainbow Bridge. By remembering their happy times together, Sam faces sadness but finds joy again – and understands that Dog’s love and friendship are gifts that last forever.

Everything seems to be coming together for Joey Pigza. His new meds are making his ADD more manageable, and he finally feel in control. But will he renewed relationship with his recovering-alcoholic father make him lose it all?

In Rye, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, people work hard, kids go to school, and football is big on Friday nights. An eighth-grade English teacher creates an assignment for her class to debate whether Rye’s mascot should stay or change. Now six middle schoolers get involved in the issue that already has the suburb turned upside down with everyone choosing sides and arguments getting ugly. At the center of this story about human rights and Native sovereignty, there are six young people.

To 10-year-old Jamie, his family has fallen apart because of the loss of someone he barely remembers: his sister Rose, who died five years ago in a terrorist bombing. To his father, life is impossible to make sense of when he lives in a world that could so cruelly take away a 10-year-old girl. To Rose's surviving 15-year-old twin, Jas, every day she lives in Rose's ever-present shadow, forever feeling the loss like a limb, but unable to be seen for herself alone.