Battle of the Books 2021

Over the last forty years, Aaron Lansky has jumped into dumpsters, rummaged around musty basements, and crawled through cramped attics. He did all of this in pursuit of a particular kind of treasure, and he's found plenty. Lansky's treasure was any book written in Yiddish, the language of generations of European Jews. When he started looking for Yiddish books, experts estimated there might be about 70,000 still in existence. Since then, the MacArthur Genius Grant recipient has collected close to 1.5 million books, and he's finding more every day.

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.

Nine-year-old Calvin catches the attention of the school bully on the day before he starts fourth grade, while at home, the unfriendly, fifteen-year-old daughter of his mother's best friend has taken over his room.

In Brooklyn, nine-year-old Jax joins Ma, a curmudgeonly witch who lives in his building, on a quest to deliver three baby dragons to a magical world, and along the way discovers his true calling.-- Provided by Publisher.

All the other students at Cece's old school were deaf and didn't care about her Phonic Ear. At her new school, the device she needs seems to be repelling the one thing she really wants: a friend. This graphic novel chronicles the author's experience with hearing loss.
Genre: Graphic Novel Memoir

All his life Benji, now ten, has been sickly and he has long been targeted by the school bully, but after a seizure Benji gets a therapy dog that is not only big enough to protect him, it can also talk.

"Avid baker Zoe Washington receives a letter on her twelfth birthday from her biological father, who is in prison for a terrible crime"--Provided by publisher.

Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.

Eager to do something her big sister has not done first, Jasmine Toguchi, eight, decides to pound mochi with the men and boys when her family gets together for New Year's.

A picture book biography of Joan Procter, an English woman who loved reptiles and, while a curator of reptiles at the London Zoo in the 1920s, worked with Komodo dragons.

After leaving his village in southeastern China, twelve-year-old Sun is held at Angel Island, San Francisco, before being released to join his father, a merchant living in the area. Includes historical notes.

"Og the Frog tells the story of how he first came to Room 26, where he meets Humphrey the hamster, befriends the students, and writes poems and songs"-- Provided by publisher.

Second-grader Lola has a wonderful family, a great teacher, and the best friend ever, Josh, and they all help her feel better after she is teased and forbidden to play team sports at recess for having accidentally hurt classmate Juan during a soccer game.

Nathaniel Harlow lives with his grandfather in a trailer park in Franklin County, Florida, and he has always been unlucky--but when he is struck by lightning on his eleventh birthday and survives, it seems like his luck starts to change.

A biography of Maya Lin, the artist-architect who designed the Vietnam War Memorial"-- Provided by publisher.

"Paloma Marquez is traveling to Mexico City, birthplace of her deceased father, for the very first time. She's hoping that spending time in Mexico will help her unlock memories of the too-brief time they spent together. While in Mexico, Paloma meets Lizzie and Gael, who present her with an irresistible challenge: The siblings want her to help them find a valuable ring that once belonged to beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Finding the ring means a big reward -- and the thanks of all Mexico. What better way to honor her father than returning a priceless piece of jewelry that once belonged to his favorite artist!"--Jacket flap.

Mo'ne's story is one of determination, hard work, and an incredible fastball. Mo'ne is a multisport athlete who also plays basketball and soccer and is an honor-roll student at her school in Philadelphia.

An illustrated look at the life of American blues singer and guitarist, Muddy Waters.

"A picture book biography sharing the inspiring and incredible true story of the nation's oldest student, Mary Walker, who learned to read at the age of 116"-- Provided by publisher.

When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

"When he is paired with a girl who has lost her legs, Rescue worries that he isn't up to the task of being her service dog"--OCLC.

Ravi has just moved to the United States from India and has always been at the top of his class; Joe has lived in the same town his whole life and has learning problems--but when their lives intersect in the first week of fifth grade they are brought together by a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and the need to take control of their lives.

Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.

At the start of World War II, Japanese-American third-grader Aki and her family are sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, while Mexican-American third-grader Sylvia's family leases their Orange County, California, farm and begins a fight to stop school segregation.

"A biography of James Van Der Zee, innovative and celebrated African American photographer of the Harlem Renaissance. Includes an afterword, photos, and author's sources"--Provided by publisher.

Gabriel, twelve, gains new perspective when he becomes friends with Meriwether, a Black World War II hero who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South. -- (source of summary not specified)

Nory, Elliott, Andres, and Bax find their lives forever changed when they attend the Dunwiddle Magic School's Upside-Down Magic class.

"Lopside, Champion, Bug, and Daisy have been taken on a voyage into deep space aboard the spaceship Laika to help their humans set up an outpost on a distant planet. They are called the Barkonauts. But when Lopside and the other dogs wake up in their hibernation chambers, ready to complete their mission, they realize the humans are gone and the Laika is failing. Survival seems impossible but Lopside and his friends are Barkonauts. And Barkonauts always complete their mission"--Provided by publisher.

Interested in WWII? Love historical fiction? Want a book with a great main character? This could be the book for you. A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.

"Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. A look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation." -- (Source of summary not specified)