My book list that helped me survive 2020
Hello everyone,
Happy New Year!
Are you looking for some good books to read or gift it to someone?Here are some of the interesting books that I have read during this pandemic of 2020. I have enjoyed reading them and have actually learnt a lot in the process of reading.I would like to recommend them to all middle grade readers like me. Here I share my list of 31 diverse books.
- Other words for home by Jasmine warga
The book Other Words for Home written by Jasmine Warga., has won the 2020 Newbery Honor. The story is about a family of Syrian refugees. Jude moves to Ohio with her mom and stays with her uncle’s family . The book talks about Jude’s struggle to fit into American life and finding a home away from home. We can learn about Jude’s life in American school, where she tries out for her very first play. It is difficult for Jude as she misses her home in Syria and not being next to her brother Isa and her father. I highly recommend reading this book
- More to the story by Hena Khan
. In More to the Story, Jameela is a Pakistani American seventh-grade girl, who has a loving family and a good head on her shoulders. But that doesn’t mean life is simple. Her father goes to The Middle East for a couple of months.A boy her age, and family friend, moves to their town from Britain with troubles of his own. While she’s becoming good friends with him, her ambitions to become a great reporter for the school paper have her chasing him for an exclusive and that might not go as planned. Réal trouble starts when her sister gets diagnosed with lymphoma.. This book is inspired by ‘Little Women’.
- Inside out and Back Again by Thanha lai
Inside Out and Back Again is a story about a young girl named Kim Hà and her family. She lives in Vietnam with her mother and three brothers. The Vietnam War forces them to move to the United States since their home was no longer safe. This book highlights the challenges of refugees and their struggle to start a new life. In this book the girl gets bullied but she learns to stand for herself at the end.
- A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
This story is based on a true story from Sudan during the war. It is about two children. A boy named Salva who is separated from his family and is forced to move from one country to another as a refugee. Another character, Nya,is a girl who has to walk eight hours a day to get water for her family and cannot go to school because of this responsibility.
I learned that water is the purest and most important thing on earth. Many countries have a scarcity of water and people face different challenges related to it. Salva Dut moves to america after many years of going from one refugee camp to another camp. To this day salva works with organizations to provide water pumps in sudan. At the end of the book, Salva goes to sudan where he meets nya. She thanks him for the water pumps in her villages and for sponsoring girls’s education.
Learn more about the journey of Salva and Nya by reading this book.
5.Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse
Letters from Rifka talks about a Jewish’s family’s emigration from Russia in 1919. It is historical fiction as it took place years ago about immigration. Rifka writes letters to her cousin Tovah talking about her settling from Belgium to the United States. Along the way to America, the family catches typhus and Rifka gets ringworm. Everyone had to stay quarantined until they were better. But Rifka has to stay behind because it looks like she is very ill and has to stay behind her parents. This is a story of friendship, family and immigration.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is another story of racism and injustice. An innocent person is punished for a crime that he has not done just because of racism. The mockingbird stands for innocent or harmless characters in the story. This book also teaches the lesson of not judging others. There is a movie based on this book.
Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their Father named Atticus who is a lawyer.
In their neighborhood there is a family that is not social and never leaves home. In the neighborhood the neighbors spread bad rumors about the family. Their son they called ‘Boo Radley’ was considered weird and dangerous. But by the end of the story, Children realize they were wrong in judging Boo (Arthur) Radley when he saves The kids’s life. Secondly , Atticus stands up for a black man who is wrongly accused of harming a white lady named Mayella. But his client gets punished for something that he had not done just because of racism.
7. Five feet apart by Rachel Lippincott
Cystic fibrosis is a chronic lung disease. This is a story of two people with CF named Stella and Will. They are in the hospital and cannot touch each other and have to stay five feet apart. It is a story of their relationship and suffering because of CF. There is a movie based on this book. I recommend this book for kids 11 and older because it would be inappropriate and confusing due to the many medical terms used throughout the book.
8. The bridge home by Padma Venkatraman:
The bridge home is about two girls Viji and Rukku (who is differently abled) run away to the city from their abusive father. As Viji and Rukku look for a place to stay, they run into a stray dog “Kutti”, which means dog in hindi. They then become friends with 2 homeless boys named Arul and Muthu. They pick trash from the heap of junk instead of begging on the streets. As fall comes, Rukku gets very sick and gets dengue and pneumonia. Viji uses the money for medications and food. They sleep in a tent under the bridge instead of staying in the orphanage school a few blocks from there. Viji, Rukku, Arul,Muthu and Kutti have fun together.The girls find a family under the bridge away from their home. Will it be too late to help sick Rukku? Will the kids find a new home? Read to find out.This book is very heartbreaking and it is sad to learn that even to this day there are many homeless children on the streets. After reading this book,I am very thankful for everything I have.This story is very close to my heart as it shows strong bonding between sisters. The journey of these girls was filled with challenges. This is a story of poverty, loss, and grief. This book is written in an appropriate manner that describes the difficult scenarios in simple words. I highly recommend this book.
9. You bring the distant near by Mitali Perkins
‘You bring the distant near” by Mitali Perkins, is about 3 generations of Women in the Das family and their life in America.It starts off with Ranee Das,an Indian woman originally born and raised in Calcutta,india. She has 2 daughters named Sonia and Tara. The family moves to the United states from London. Each generation has its challenges.
Tara is the oldest daughter of Das’ family and wants to be an actress one day whereas Sonia loves writing. Their dad likes to travel and the family visits many countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Ghana and India. Their father suddenly dies in a hit and run accident and Ranee(the mother) is left as a widow with two daughters . Sonia and Tara then follow their dreams, and later get married and have daughters named Anna and Chantal.
Tara marries a man from India whereas Sonia marries an African American man.
Anna is shy and is a daughter of Bollywood actors. She is like a bengal tiger, always ready for what is next.Chantal is a fierce girl, an amazing Indian classical dancer and very confident .
“You bring the distant near”, means that although you are somewhere far from home, you should try to make it feel like home. Ranee makes sure that her daughters and granddaughters remember their Indian roots. This book symbolises cultural values, family traditions and love among sisters. I enjoyed reading this book because I could identify with many characters and events in the book.
The author Mitali Perkins has written this book in a simple language that is easy to read and understand.
10. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
This is a book written by Pam munoz Ryan. Esperanza is a thirteen year old girl in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She is the daughter of a wealthy landowner, Sixto Ortega and has a happy life. She lives on her family’s ranch, El Rancho de la Rosas, with her mother, father, and grandmother Abuelita. The day before Esperanza’s 13th birthday, her father is murdered on his way to town. Her uncle Tío Luis reveals he now owns their land, as it was not customary to leave property to women. Tío Luis offers to continue to care for them and their ranch on one condition: Esperanza’s mother must marry him. When she refuses, he threatens that she will regret her decision. Their ranch later burns down during a fire caused by Tío Luis. Esperanza and her mother have to stay in the servant’s quarters with their longtime servants and family friends, Alfonso, Hortensia, and their son Miguel. Abuelita, injured during the fire, is sent to a convent where she can recover. Esperanza, Her mother, Miguel, Hortensia and Alfonso go to South California where they work on a farm. Esperanza realizes that she is no longer a rich girl and she is now a peasant. Esperanza then learns about the challenges in life and works hard to earn money so that she can bring her grandmother from Mexico . After a dust storm, Esperanza’s mother gets very sick with valley fever and people say that she may not survive.
Will Esperanza and the rest of the camp will survive through the tough battle? Will Abuelita come back? Will Esperanza’s mother survive? Read the book to find out.
11. Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
This is another book by Mitali Perkins. Naima is a talented Bangladeshi girl. She paints the best ‘alpnas’ in town.’Alpanas’ are traditional paintings made by Bengali women to decorate their houses.Alpanas is Naimas passion but she cannot make money from it. She wants to ride a rickshaw to support her family financially. But the job of riding a rickshaw was considered mens work. Her father who is a rickshaw driver becomes sick and cannot work. What is Naima going to do next? No matter what or who you are, or what your gender is, you can do anything you want to do for your family . As Naima disguises herself as a boy, she then learns she does not need to worry and she can do what she wants. This is a story of poverty, and changing gender roles in society. The alpana sketches and patterns in the book are amazing.
12. One crazy summer by Rita Williams Garcia
One Crazy Summer is a historical fiction novel by American author Rita Williams-Garcia, published in 2010. The novel is about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, three sisters, visiting their mother who had abandoned them and had moved to California many years ago. The three sisters travel to Oakland, California, from New York ,during the summer of 1968. The sisters go to a day camp for black kids and for the first time, they experienced discrimination based on their color. During this time, the daughters get to learn about their mother’s dark past and were able to forgive her at the end.
13. PS be Eleven by Rita Williams Garcia
Ps be Eleven is the sequel of One Crazy Summer. Eleven-year-old Brooklyn girl Delphine and her sisters return to Brooklyn after meeting their mom and soon new challenges begin . Her Uncle is back from war and is not the same. Papa has a girlfriend and school is getting harder . Delphine’s mother Cecile writes to the girls everyday and always writes Ps be eleven at the end of her letters. The meaning of Ps be eleven is very special to me as it means to never ever change and be yourself.
14. .Kira-Kira By Cynthia Kadohata
Kira- Kira is one of my favorite books. Kira-Kira means glitter/bright in Japanese. Kira Kira is about sisterhood. Lynn and Katie are both sisters and best friends. They do everything together. But after a few years, everything changes as they grow up . The parents work long hours in a hatchery to support the family and are not able to spend time with their kids. Their lives change when Lynn gets diagnosed with cancer. Will Lynn get better? Will the sisterhood fall apart? Read the story to find out.
15. Merci Suarez changes gears by Meg Medina
Merci, a cuban american girl who is starting the 6th grade at Seaward Pines Academy, the best school in the state. Merci soon realizes that sixth grade is not a piece of cake as for Edna Santos, a colleague of hers, who was also babysitting her twin cousins. They were also a sunshine buddy. Merci meets a boy named Michael Clark at the sunshine buddy program who takes interest in Edna. Besides this conflict at school trouble starts at Merci’s home.Things get worse as her supportive and caring grandfather (Lolo) gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s , a disease that has no cure.Merci felt that she was losing her grandpa to Alzheimer’s.. To learn more about Merci and her family’s struggle with grandpa’s Alzheimer’s read this book. You can find a copy in a library or amazon.
16 Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan
It is a story of a 12 year old half Latino girl who has been abandoned by her parents and lives with her great grandmother and a physically disabled brother named Owen in Trailer park, California. Naomi’s past life made me feel sad and sorry for Naomi and her brother Owen because their mother had left them and their father had been missing.. Many years later the mother comes back with her boyfriend. . Naomi has mixed feelings about her mother. Should Naomi go with her mother? Will she ever meet her Dad? Will Naomi find the courage to stand for herself?
Read this wonderful book about the journey of Naomi.
17. I’m not your perfect Mexican daughter by Erika Sanchez
While reading I am not your perfect Mexican daughter by Erika L. Sanchez, I realized that Julia the main character is not like any other hispanic teenager. She does not identify herself with her hispanic family background. She has a bad temper, hates her family values and hispanic culture. She gets frustrated about everything in her life. She does not appreciate what her family does for her. Julia becomes more short tempered after her sister Olga dies in a car crash and Julia wants to know what happened to Olga and all her secrets. She hates whenever she is compared to her dead sister who was an example of a perfect daughter. On the other hand, Julia is ambitious and wants to do something meaningful in life. She is a fantastic writer and wants to go to a college with a good English program but her parents are not supportive. Julia’s rebellious attitude makes me really curious about the reason for her frustration and anger about her life., So if you are curious to know if Julia will change for good and discover her heritage please read this book.
18. The benefits of being an octopus By Ann Braden
The main character is Zoey, a seventh grader,who lives in Vermont in a trailer with her mom, siblings and her mom’s boyfriend. You might be wondering,why is the title called “The benefits of being an octopus”. Well, in this book, the main character Zoey faces challenges due to poverty, difficulties at school, her mom’s boyfriend’s behaviors and responsibilities towards her younger siblings. As an octopus has 8 arms, it can do many things at the same time. Therefore,Zoey wishes to be an octopus so that she can take care of all the problems in her life. Among the challenges, she finds support from a friend and a teacher at school.
Can Zoey find the courage to speak up for her mom and siblings?
19. The truth as told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor.
While reading The Truth As Told By Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor, I noticed that Mason the main character had dyslexia and the dragon that he talked about was actually a computer program used by teachers for kids with learning problems to help them share their story. Mainly,I felt sorry for Mason as I learned that he was grieving the loss of his best friend who had mysteriously died in his orchard.The early part of the story made me feel upset and sad about Mason’s challenges but later I was anxious to learn about the truth behind his friend Benny’s death.
20. Circus mirandus by Cassie Beasley
Micah is a young boy who lives with his grandpa after his parents death in an accident. Growing up ,Micah is told a story about a magical circus ‘Circus Mirandus’ once visited by his Grandpa Ephriham. Grandpa is very sick and wants Micah to find the Lightbender, a magician from the Circus Mirandus to cure his illness. Without permission from his strict great aunt Gertrudis Micah cannot do anything. Later Micah meets a girl named Jenny and together they try to find the lightbender to cure grandpa Epriham. Will the magic work? Find out by reading this interesting book.
21. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Chodlenko
This book was inspired by Al Capone.“Al Capone does my shirts” by Gennifer Chodlenko is a fiction story about a twelve year old boy named Moose and his older sister Natalie who is mentally challenged. Their family moves to Alcatraz (Prison on an island near San Francisco) where there were dangerous prisoners. Moose’s father Mr Flanagan is an electrician and guard who works for the prison and moves to this island with his family. Natalie needs to get into a special school in San Francisco but the family has to face many challenges to get her into that school. While reading this book,I learned about life in Alcatraz and the challenges of having a sibling that is differently abled. When Moose hears about Al Capone locked up in the prison, he hopes that Capone might help to get Natalie into the special school. It was known that Al Capone worked in the laundry section of the prison. Somehow, Moose manages to send a note to Al Capone asking for a favor for his sister. Will Al Capone help? Read to find out.
This book is very interesting and is told in a very simple language. I highly recommend it for ages 10 and up. You can buy it on Amazon,borrow from the library or try audiobooks.
22. Posted by John David Anderson
Posted, written by John David Anderson, is about a middle school boy named Frost who has this friend tribe with three of his best friends. Frost loves poetry and his nickname comes from the poet Robert Frost. Posted is about middle school life, problems, drama, bullying and more. When cell phones are banned in school , post it notes war begins.
23. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya is about a Puerto Rican boy who lives in Florida. His Abuela owns a family restaurant and life is perfect, until someone wants to take away the restaurant and Abuela is not well. Arturo tries to make things better for his family by stopping the restaurant from being bought and trying to reveal his feelings to his crush Carmen. What will happen to the restaurant? Will things get better? Read this book to find out.
24. Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
I just finished reading Blackbird Fly and I can say it is the best book by the author.Apple Yengko is a Fillipino girl who immigrated to America with her mother when she was very young after her father died. Apple is a big fan of the Beatles and can play any song on the guitar.But there is a problem.Apple does not have a guitar and mom doesn’t want to buy it. She has conflicts with her mother at home and challenges at school. School drama including a dog log which is a list of the ugliest girls in school and racist comments about her appearance makes her life very difficult.. With the help of her two friends, Apple becomes stronger to face all the challenges . The reason behind the title ‘blackbird fly’ is very interesting . ‘Black bird fly’ is Apple’s favorite song by the Beatles and the words in the song are against racism and highlights that all lives matter. As Apple gets bullied at school this title appears more relevant .
I recommend this book to everyone.
25. The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga
The White Tiger has become one of the favorite books that I have read so far.Although it is not my reading level, I have enjoyed reading this book with my mom.
I came to know about this book during a free book club on varsity tutors.
This book is written by Arvind Adiga and has won the prestigious ‘Booker award’.This book reflects poverty, crime, caste system,corruption in the Indian society and entrepreneurship.Balram Halwai, a man from a poor family in Bihar, is forced to quit school by his granny in order to make money and pay for his cousin’s dowry. He moves to Delhi in search of work. He finally finds a job and works for Mr Ashok and Pinky Madam as a driver. Balram feels suppressed and is frustrated about things around him.Towards the end of the story, Balram kills his master.He becomes a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore and changes his identity to start his new life. This is his journey of becoming a master from a servant.
If you are wondering about the title of the book, here is the explanation.The White tiger is an animal that is rare and comes once in a generation. Balaram’s nickname is ‘white tiger’ because he is unique. To learn more about it please read the book.
A movie based on this book is being made and will be available on Netflix soon.
I liked this book because I learnt a lot about India but I didn’t like the violence and crime.
I feel that Balram’s character is complex and i still don’t understand why he killed his master as he was not so bad to him.
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26. Save me a seat by Gita Varadajan and Sarah Weeks
The Book “ Save Me a Seat” by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. It is about two 5th grade boys and their perspectives about school and life.Ravi is a new student at Albert Einstein School in New Jersey . He had moved to New Jersey from Bangalore India, he has trouble making friends and gets made fun of for his accent. Things get worse when he is the only Indian at school and has to get special help for his English.
Joe, a boy with APD (Auditory processing disorder), a sensory disorder who also attends the same school, has trouble making friends. He is always made fun of for his appearance and his Mom being a lunch monitor. Joe is also bullied by the mean kid Dillon Sumreen. This story is about friendship, family, immigration, cultural acceptance, bullying, empathy and kindness.
Read this book to learn more about the journey of Ravi and Joe.
27. Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
A graphic novel,Pashmina is by Nidhi Chanani. It is about a girl named Priyanka who wants to go to India. Her mom used to live before moving to the USA. Her mother refuses to talk about India and her past life. Her mom had abandoned everything and had moved to the USA. Priyanka wonders who her dad is. One day a suitcase falls off her closet. It was a suitcase from India. She found a pashmina that she puts on. It magically takes her to India where she meets an elephant and a peacock. Finally she goes to India and learns about her mother’s past and truth about her dad.At the end Priyanka finds her root.I learned that it is important to value your root. If you don’t know where you are coming from, you don’t know where you are going.
28. Are you there god? Its me Margaret
While reading Are you there god? It’s me Margaret, by Judy Blume, I realized that Margaret has started to change and hasn’t really been the character I thought she was in the beginning. She has been feeling weird about her body as many of the girls in her grade had started growing and experiencing the changes of puberty. I also think her friend Nancy is a bad influence as she has club meetings for girls where they gossip and talk about boys. But Margaret is in a dilemma. Her Mother is Christian and her Dad is Jewish. She faces challenges so she writes to god in search of her roots and identity. I also noticed that Margarets grandmother wants to convert her into Judaism in chapter 10 when Margaret asked if they could go to the synagogue Grandma was very happy. Margaret is ambitious, always thinking “Am I in the right spot”, “Will I grow up”? We also know that Margaret is very sensitive. I know this because whenever she hears something, the thought never goes away. From chapter 10 onwards Judy Blume discusses human growth and development. In chapter 15, she talks about the uncomfortable topic of menstruation in simple ways.
I recommend this book especially to the girls of age 11 and above. (It helps many young girls learn about life).
29.Asha and the spirit bird by Jasbinder Bilan
Asha and the spirit bird’ is written by Jasbinder Bilan. It is about a twelve year old girl named Asha who lives with her family near the Himalayas in North India . Asha lives on a farm with her 2 siblings, her mom and has a good friend named Jeevan. Her father goes across the country to work in a city and sends them money. Trouble starts when Four months passes , and the family doesn’t get any calls, letters or money from the father. Landlords come to their house and ask for the money that their father had borrowed from them. Asha and her best friend Jeevan decide to go to the city to find the father. A crow keeps following them and Asha thinks that it is her deceased grandmother’s spirit. As in Hinduism, it is believed that our ancestors come as crows as a spirit. They have a long adventurous journey.
Will Asha find her father?Will it be too late to find the father? She just has seven weeks to find him, before the festival of Diwali! This story is about family, friendship and faith.Asha believes that the bird that continues to help her throughout the difficult journey was her grandma’s spirit. Jeevan is a true friend who helps her find her father.
30. Stargazing By Jen Wang
I just finished reading Stargazing by Jen Wang and I loved it. Stargazing is a graphic novel about two American Chinese girls named Christine and Moon. This story is about friendship despite differences in personality between two girls.
Christine is a Chinese- Christian girl who wants everything to be perfect and tries to impress her parents and loves to play the violin. She has close friends that she sits next to and cares about her.
Moon is a Buddhist- Vegetarian Chinese who loves K Pop and was homeless before she moved next to Christine. Moon is the one who gets angry and beats up people that insult her. When Moon begins to start seeing stars and has visions issues , the doctors discover that Moon has a Brain Tumor that gives Moon seizures that nobody knew even happened.
I really enjoyed this book as 2 girls learn more about life and friendship. Although they were different did not mean they could not be friends. This book was very heartwarming and shows that it’s ok to be weird and different and to be proud of your differences.
Of note, the author of this book had a brain tumor at the age of 6 similar to what the character Moon has in this story.
31) Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
It is 1793 and Mattie cook (a fourteen year old girl)is doing well with her family until news of people dying of an unknown disease starts. They had to close the cafe that they owned as one of their employees died of the illness.The doctors soon found out many cases of similar illness among people. It was a Yellow fever epidemic . An epidemic had arrived and was spreading rapidly in Philadelphia. Mattie’s mother also got the infection . Mattie and her grandpa had to leave home to protect themselves from the deadly disease. The epidemic was so bad that nearly everyone with the infection had died. This meant a big loss could occur in Mattie’s family . What will happen to her family ? Will Mattie survive the hard time of the yellow fever epidemic in Pennsylvania?
As we are in COVID 19 pandemic we can understand the challenges in this story based on a deadly epidemic.
I highly recommend these books and can guarantee you that these books will change your perspective about life.
Happy New Year!!