A Nest for Celeste

By Henry Cole

342 pages

 

Told from the perspective of a mouse named Celeste, this beautifully illustrated novel describes the artistic work and study of John James Audubon (1785-1851) who spent most of his life travelling across eastern North America sketching plants and animals. The array of pencil drawings (often 2-page spreads) bring the story to life and make its 342 pages fly by. Grade 3.

 

Inside Out and Back Again

By Thanhha Lai

262 pages

The year is 1975.When war threatens, Hà, her mother, and her three older brothers are forced to flee Vietnam.The refugees travel by overcrowded boat to an uncertain future, leaving behind family, school, friends, home and all that is familiar.This award-winning story, written in free verse, poignantly describes how Hà finds herself again in a brand new place where everything feels alien, where a unfamiliar language is spoken, and where she is regarded as different and strange.  Grade 5.