American Girls Growing

Kira and her mom are spending the summer at a wildlife sanctuary in Australia helping her aunt Mamie, a veterinarian, care for the animals. When Kira falls in love with an orphaned koala joey, her joy is complete—until a health emergency pulls Aunt Mamie away. Suddenly Kira can’t seem to do anything right. She’s put the wombats and her beloved koala joey in danger, and now her new friend Alexis won’t talk to her. Can Kira find a way to catch a roving predator—along with a few wayward wombats—and earn back everyone’s trust?

Lila's going for Gold—the Gold level gymnastics team. She loves the new challenge, but her best friend and fellow gymnast, Katie, feels stressed by competition. For a dose of fun, the girls go to riding camp to see Lila's favorite horse. But Katie's reaction to riding isn't what Lila expected. It seems like the two of them can't agree on anything anymore. Back at the gym, Lila discovers that their favorite coach might be leaving! Can Lila make the Gold team without her? And will her friendship with Katie survive if she does?

Six-year old Susan helps her grandmother in the kitchen and begins to learn the role of women in the household. It is 1825. Women are not allowed to vote and by law must obey their husbands. Seeing how hard the women of her family work, she is struck by the unfairness of such a law.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world.

Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories. It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat—by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them—everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes.

"Let’s play mermaids,” Camille says on a hot day. The WellieWishers imagine an underwater world full of colorful coral reefs and friendly sea creatures. When Camille and Willa discover a sunken ship, they have a great idea for surprising their friends. Camille comes up with an even bigger surprise! Will the others help her pull it off?

Kavi Sharma loves singing and dancing, so when her middle school announces a musical revue, she and her friends Sophie and Pari decide to perform a dance together. If only they could agree on what dance style to do! Soon, all Kavi can think about is the revue, and her schoolwork starts to slip, which has never happened to her before. Kavi's little brother Rishi says she has a bad case of "Broadwayitis." Can she find a way to stay on top of on her schoolwork and get her dance moves down before the curtain goes up?

It’s 1976 and the entire country is celebrating America’s 200th birthday, including Julie! She can’t wait to camp in a horse-drawn wagon for the Bicentennial, but pioneer life turns out to be a lot harder than she expected. Back in school, Julie looks to make some history herself after she lands in detention for helping a friend, and decides to run for student body president to make some much-needed changes. But as the election heats up, Julie’s on the brink of dropping out. It’s her big chance to prove that one girl can change the system—but does she have the nerve?

Eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi is now an expert on travel and doesn't want summer to end! In this final book chronicling her family vacation in Japan, she visits Kyoto. And wowee zowee, on this vacation there is still lots more to see. This is their last stop, and Jasmine is thrilled to be enjoying the city with her older sister, Sophie, and her Obaachan who teaches her how to live in the moment. Sad to see their trip coming to an end, in true Jasmine fashion, she hatches a plan.

Native American princess or British celebrity? Pocahontas played a pivotal role in the New World, but the powerful pull between her tribe and the new settlement on Virginia's shores took its toll.

Melody Ellison can’t wait to sing her first solo at church, and she wants to pick a song that’s special. She gets advice from her big brother, who has his sights set on becoming a Motown star, and inspiration from her older sister, who’s home from college with new ideas about marches and protests and making things fair. When Melody experiences discrimination for herself, she decides to stand up and speak out about civil rights, too. As her solo approaches, an unimaginable tragedy leaves her silent. Can Melody find her voice to speak up for those who can’t?

Crystal is brave and bold and doesn’t back down. Courtney tries to be the same in real life. When Courtney meets Isaac Wells at the arcade, they form an epic friendship. Isaac has awesome ideas to add to Crystal Starshooter’s game world, and he gets along great with Sarah and Kip, Courtney’s two best friends. When Isaac needs help fighting a real battle called HIV, Courtney is quick to support him. But doing so puts her friendship with Sarah at risk. Being brave and bold is complicated. What would a superhero do?

It’s Melody’s birthday, and she’s excited to turn “double digits” on January 1, 1964. She’s also eager to answer her pastor’s New Year’s challenge and make her community better. Melody decides to fix up the neighborhood playground and plant a garden. Her friends pitch in to help, but after a series of setbacks, Melody realizes that being a leader isn’t easy. But it is easy to say yes when her brother asks her to sing backup for him. Melody gets to go to the Motown music studio and add her voice to a real record! Can she find a way to make her voice stand out?

Evette is a nature-lover full of crafty ideas for reusing and upcycling clothes. When she finds a vintage swimsuit in Gran E’s closet, she also uncovers a family secret that could explain why her mother’s family, which is Black, and her father’s, which is White, don’t spend time together. When Evette visits the river where her grandmother used to swim, she realizes how polluted it’s become. She rallies her new friends Makena and Maritza along with her whole family for a cleanup day.

The battles of World War II may be a world away, but Molly McIntire and her family do what they can to help from the 1944 home front. Meet Molly and her family, and get to know what it was like to be a girl celebrating Christmas during World War II in this book.

In this WellieWishers™ early chapter book, a robin has moved into the garden, and the WellieWishers couldn’t be more excited! As they care for the robin, they learn new things about what birds like to do and eat. But one day, the robin disappears. Will the girls be able to find the robin and his secret? Animal-lover Willa is on the case! This story tells how Willa learns to take lead, and that things are not always what they seem. Includes ideas for fun activities that girls and parents can do together.

Kaya is a Nez Perce girl who takes pride in helping out and supporting the tribe—and also in her beloved horse, Steps High. But when she chooses racing her horse over family responsibilities, Kaya has to prove herself to earn her tribe’s respect. Kaya’s story of adventure in the wilderness is sure to engage today's listeners as they learn what it was like to be a Native American girl in 1764 in this book. This exciting book is based on an American Girl story by Janet Shaw.

Melody Ellison loves singing and gardening, and is inspired by friends and family and the Civil Rights Movement to make changes in her community. Melody's story of leadership and making one's voice heard is sure to engage today's readers as they learn what it was like to be a girl in 1964. This Step 3 Step into Reading leveled reader is great for American Girl fans ages 5 to 8. This exciting Step into Reading is based on an American Girl story by Denise Lewis Patrick.

It’s Aunt Miranda’s birthday! The WellieWishers want to give her something special, but they can’t agree on what it should be. Then Kendall discovers the Tomorrow Pile. What looks like a bunch of old, dirty, broken things to the other girls looks like cool fun stuff with lots of potential to Kendall! Can the girls work together to create something wonderful for Aunt Miranda?

The stories cover a range of settings and topics, including finding freedom during the Civil War, growing up in a Nez Perce Indian tribe in 1764, standing up for equality in the Civil Rights era, celebrating Christmas during World War II, and helping a friend in need in turn-of the century New York in 1904.