My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

Although this book is not for fourth graders, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is told from the innocent point of view of  ten-year-old, Jamie, whose family has never been the same after his older sister was killed in a terrorist bombing five years before. When his family moves to the countryside without his mother, he is nervous until he becomes friends with a Muslim girl, Sunya. However, ever since the bombing, Jamie’s father hasn’t trusted any Muslims, and as Jamie tries to keep their friendship a secret he learns that Sunya is very different than his father would imagine her to be. This is a very moving story, and it was very interesting to see discrimination through the eyes of a ten-year-old. I would definitely recommend it.

Adriana, 13

Watch the book trailer from the original U.K. publisher:

A Girl Named Faithful Plum

Based on a true story, A Girl Named Faithful Plum is about an 11-year-old dancer who lives in a poor farming town in Communist China who decides to audition for an important dance school in Beijing. However, no one in her town has ever done anything like this before—how can she expect to? This was a very inspiring story about how she succeeds even when all the odds were against her. An interesting aspect about this book was that it was written not only in prose but also with letters from Zhongmei, the main character, to her sister. The only flaw was that this book seems to be directed towards younger readers even though it has some difficult themes. 

Adriana, 13

I Am J

I am J is about a transgender boy who goes by J. Everybody, including his parents, expect him to act like the girl that he appears to be, but J just wants them to recognize him for who he really is inside—a boy. However, many people, including J’s father, refuse to accept him, so J leaves home to try to transition on his own. 

This is a very moving story with very real characters that are easy to relate to. I would recommend this to teens who like realistic fiction or who are interested in LGBT issues. 

Adriana, 13