portland (or.)

Ryan, a cheerful fourth-grader from Portland, Oregon, tries to look on the bright side of every difficulty life throws at her, including having a name that's typically a boy's name. When her father loses his job, they have to move to a smaller house and sell their second car. Ryan is sometimes sad, especially when she botches a well-practiced speech, but with her family and friends supporting her, she finds ways to make sunshine in her life.

In 1990s Portland, Oregon, seventeen-year-old Iph, aided by George, a modern-day Robin Hood, seeks her sensitive fifteen-year-old brother, Orr, while Orr has escaped wilderness boot camp and is residing with The Furies, an all-girl punk band.

After spending two months in a juvenile detention center for a crime he did not commit, seventeen-year-old Andre Jackson returns home to Portland, Oregon, and tries to adapt to a Covid-19 world and find his missing best friend.

During Black History Month, Ryan learns more about her ancestors and local Black pioneers, and their hope for her generation.

"Many years ago, young men disappeared under the streets of Portland. They were hidden in tunnels and forced to work on ships"--Back cover.

"Distant lovers. Shady friends. Racist strangers. Estranged parents. Insufferable bosses. Who says your twenties are fun? Julian Strickland is seemingly the lone Black man in the hipster dreamland of Portland, Oregon. To his friends, he's the coolest member of the scene: the soulful drummer from Chicago in an indie rock band that's just about to break through. But to himself, he's a sheltered Christian homeschool kid who used to write book reports on Leviticus. A virgin until the night of his marriage, divorced at twenty-four, he's still in disarray two years later - pretending to fit in, wondering if any of his relationships are real, estranged from his family, and struggling to reconcile his strict religious background. Then he meets Ida Blair, a Black painter at the start of a promising career. They begin a tentative romance, and Ida seems to offer Julian relief from his confusion. Until suddenly she stops responding to his texts. Things only get worse when Julian's best friend mysteriously turns on him, his house burns down, and the band considers breaking up on the eve of their most important show yet. It seems the only thing Julian has left - the only thing he's ever had, really - is the weight he is carrying. Jeff Boyd's beguiling first novel is a piercing exploration of faith, racial identity, love, and friendship - woven of acid humor, disarming vulnerability, and unforgettable poignance."--.

"Jamie Santiago wants to fit in at his high school in Portland, but as the only minority student he sometimes wonders if it would be easier if he could forget his Filipino heritage instead of trying to embrace it. Filipino folk dancing is a large part of Jamie's life, and when the last ever Asian Folk Festival falls on the same day as Homecoming, Jamie is torn between honoring his heritage and salvaging what's left of his social life. With a racist bully at school and rising protests in the city, he must decide who he truly wants to be"--Adapted from back cover.

In the summer before fifth grade, Ryan Hart continues to grow through changes and challenges, such as waiting for a new baby sister to be born, a summer camp trip, and more.

When Louisa asks her principal to start a girls basketball team, she's soon viciously targeted by male coaches at her school, lied to by the school board, and dismissed as "out of line" as she fights for a fair chance to be an athlete.

From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Ren??e Watson comes the first book in a young middle grade series about Ryan Hart, a girl who is pure spirit, kindness, and sunshine. Ryan Hart has a lot on her mind--school, self-image, and especially family. Her dad finally has a new job, but money is tight. That means some changes, like selling their second car and moving into a new (old) house. But Ryan is a girl who knows how to make sunshine out of setbacks. As her brother says when he raps about her,she's got the talent that matters most: it's a talent that can't be seen, she's nice, not mean! Ryan is all about trying to see the best in people, to be a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend. But even if her life isn't everything she would wish for, when her big brother is infuriating, her parents don't quite understand, and the unexpected happens, she always finds a way forward, with grace and wit. And plenty of sunshine. Acclaimed author Ren??e Watson writes her own version of Ramona Quimby, one starring a Black girl and her family, in this start to a charming new series.