childhood and youth

"Set between New Jersey and Seoul, this coming-of-age story follows the author as she goes to South Korea, where she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage and herself"--.

In this feel-good coming-of-age memoir, the best-selling author and Caldecott Medalist shares his life-changing middle school trip to Europe during which he experiences a series of firsts, including first love.

"Misty never shies away from a challenge, on or off the field. So when the boys tell her she can't play football, there's only one thing to do: join their team and show them what she's got. But the training is rougher than she thought--and so are the other guys, who aren't thrilled about having a girl on their team. Middle school isn't so easy, either. Misty wants to fit in with the popular kids, but they think a girl playing football is 'weird.' Even her best friend doesn't get it. Can Misty find a way to score points with her teammates, make new friends, and show everyone--including herself--what it means to play like a girl?"--From the publisher's web site.

"A stirring memoir of growing up Black in a town at the epicenter of the fight for freedom, equality, and human rights"--Provided by publisher.

An autobiographical picture book tells the story of a young African American girl who lived during the shutdown of public schools in Farmville, Virginia, following the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

"The true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who . . . mapped his experience of hunger in 'Free Lunch,' here describes his struggle to survive; reflects on his complex, often paradoxical relationship with his passionate, fierce mother; and charts the trajectory of his stepdad's anger. Hovering over Rex's story is the talismanic presence of his unborn baby sister. Through it all, Rex threads moments of grace and humor . . ."--Provided by publisher.

"[In graphic novel format looks at] Michel Chikwanine's account of his time in a rebel militia, his escape and his efforts to make a new life for himself and his family in Canada..."--Provided by publisher.

"A heartfelt and funny graphic novel memoir by one of the first Black female cartoonists to be published in the New Yorker, at the age of 22"--Provided by the publisher.

"Rex [Ogle] captures and celebrates the powerful presence [of] a woman he could always count on--to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela's red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life. 'Abuela, Don't Forget Me' is a . . . portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn't yet know how to believe in himself"--Provided by publisher.

"Apple Valley, California, in the late eighties, a thirsty, miserable desert. Teenage James Spooner hates that he and his mom are back in town after years away. The one silver lining new school, new you, right? But the few Black kids at school seem to be gangbanging, and the other kids fall on a spectrum of micro-aggressors to future Neo-Nazis. Mixed race, acutely aware of his Blackness, James doesn't know where he fits until he meets Ty, a young Black punk who introduces him to the school outsiders skaters, unhappy young rebels, caught up in the punk groundswell sweeping the country. A haircut, a few Sex Pistols, Misfits and Black Flag records later: suddenly, James has friends, romantic prospects, and knows the difference between a bass and a guitar. But this desolate landscape hides brutal, building undercurrents: a classmate overdoses, a friend must prove himself to his white supremacist brother and the local Aryan brotherhood through a show of violence. Everything and everyone are set to collide at one of the year's biggest shows in town... Weaving in the Black roots of punk rock and a vivid interlude in the thriving eighties DIY scene in New York's East Village, this is the memoir of a budding punk, artist, and activist" From the publisher's web site.