belonging (social psychology)

"Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna . . . Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he's searching for lost love. Years later a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited--her only connection to her family's troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world"--Publisher.

'"On the farm, some eggs are hatching. A flock of sweet ducklings are popping out. But one duckling looks different from all the others... Cast out and all alone, this odd duckling will need all her bravery and curiosity to survive. Her journey is a search for belonging, but what she finds is the right to be different"--BTCat.

"Sophy is a shy girl who struggles to fit in in the outside world. She is happiest at home, playing in her wolf suit in her den. It makes her feel strong like a wolf, fierce like a wolf, and maybe even a little bit brave like a wolf. But one day, an extraordinary thing happens . . . Sophy is whisked away to a magical snowy land where she meets a wolf and her cub. The unlikely trio roll, run and howl together, playing happily in the snow. Sophy has found friends and nothing can ruin her day . . . until a big, angry bear appears. But Sophy finally finds her voice and finds the courage she's been looking for all along"--Provided by publisher.

When her best friend's cancer returns in the summer of 1987, none of her usual pursuits--surfing, singing, or reading poetry--can keep thirteen-year-old Ava afloat.

"For twelve-year-old Autumn Holloway, a week at Blazing Hoops wheelchair basketball camp is a dream come true. She has high hopes that it will be her ticket to making friends and connections in the adaptive sports community. But Autumn struggles to fit in with her wealthier fellow campers. To make matters worse, she has to use a borrowed basketball wheelchair that keeps needing repairs. It takes a chance encounter with the campus custodial staff to help Autumn realize that, no matter where she's from or how she speaks, she belongs at camp--and on the court--just as much as anyone else"--Provided by publisher.

Highlighting girls' volleyball, a sport that has overtaken girls' basketball in popularity, Volleyball Vibe shows how engagement in sports can boost self-esteem, confidence and foster responsibility and teamwork. The main character, Ria, is a teen girl whose obsession with beauty and fashion leads her mother to insist that she either get a job or join a team sport. At an age when too many girls stop competing athletically, Ria discovers her own capabilities as well as the rewards of challenging herself and connecting with others on a team.

A poetically told immigration story that fosters understanding and beautifully articulates how the desire to belong and the need for human connection are universal highlights the character education traits of resilience, kindness, and empathy.

Toma and Malek, two thirteen-year-old Syrian children living in Beirut, struggle to provide for their families in a country that can be hostile against refugees like them, but they maintain hope that there is a way out of their seemingly impossible situation.

"When a little slug finds new friends in the backyard, she notices they look a lot like her...except they have shells! Maybe a shell is exactly what she needs to fit in--but finding one is a lot harder than it sounds!"--Provided by publisher.

Mila ages out of foster care and accepts an internship on an isolated Northern California farm where she confronts haunting memories and the traumas of her fellow residents.