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List: Best Books 2021 Grades 4-6


A photo of Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids

Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids

Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.

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A photo of Amari and the night brothers

Amari and the night brothers

Thirteen-year-old Amari, a poor Black girl from the projects, gets an invitation from her missing brother to join the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs and join in the fight against an evil magician.

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A photo of One jar of magic

One jar of magic

Joining her family in her community's annual New Year's Day magic-capturing ceremony, a 12-year-old girl who has always been lucky captures just one tiny jar of magic, revealing the true nature and beliefs of her loved ones.

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A photo of Starfish

Starfish

Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, twelve-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies.--

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A photo of Pity party

Pity party

"A grab bag of deliciously dark short fiction set in middle school that explores anxieties and twists them into funny, resonant, and reassuring psychological thrills"--

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A photo of Too bright to see

Too bright to see

It's the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug's best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare. For Moira, this means figuring out the right clothes to wear, learning how to put on makeup, and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life. But none of this is all that appealing to Bug, who doesn't particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl. Besides, there's something more important to worry about: a ghost is haunting Bug's eerie old house in rural Vermont...and maybe haunting Bug in particular. As Bug begins to untangle the mystery of who this ghost is and what they're trying to say, an altogether different truth comes to light--Bug is transgender.

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A photo of Cece Rios and the desert of souls

Cece Rios and the desert of souls

Privately questioning her remote community's superstitions about dangerous powerful spirits in their Devil's Alley home, Cecelia Rios experiments with the forbidden art of brujería to rescue her kidnapped sister.

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A photo of The awakening storm

The awakening storm

"When Grace moves to Hong Kong with her mom and new stepdad, her biggest concern is making friends at her fancy new boarding school. But when a mysterious old woman gifts her a dragon egg during a field trip, Grace discovers that the wonderful stories of dragons she heard when she was a young girl might actually be real--especially when the egg hatches overnight."--

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A photo of Borders

Borders

"Borders is a masterfully told story of a boy and his mother whose road trip is thwarted at the border when they identify their citizenship as Blackfoot. Refusing to identify as either American or Canadian first bars their entry into the US, and then their return into Canada. In the limbo between countries, they find power in their connection to their identity and to each other. Borders explores nationhood from an Indigenous perspective and resonates deeply with themes of identity, justice, and belonging."--

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A photo of Jukebox

Jukebox

"A mysterious jukebox, old vinyl records, and cryptic notes on music history, are Shaheen's only clues to her father's abrupt disappearance. She looks to her cousin, Tannaz, who seems just as perplexed, before they both turn to the jukebox which starts ... glowing? Suddenly, the girls are pulled from their era and transported to another time! Keyed to the music on the record, the jukebox sends them through decade after decade of music history, from political marches to landmark concerts. But can they find Shaheen's dad before the music stops?"--

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A photo of Pawcasso

Pawcasso

"Best friends furever! Every Saturday, Pawcasso trots into town with a basket, a shopping list, and cash in paw to buy groceries for his family. One day, he passes eleven-year-old Jo, peering out the window of her house, bored and lonely. Astonished by the sight of an adorable basket-toting dog on his own, Jo follows Pawcasso, and when she's seen alongside him by a group of kids from her school, they mistake her for Pawcasso's owner. Excited to make new friends, Jo reluctantly hides the truth and agrees to let "her" dog model for an art class the kids attend. What could go wrong? But what starts as a Chihuahua-sized lie quickly grows Great Dane-sized when animal control receives complaints about a dog roaming the streets off-leash. With Pawcasso's freedom at stake, is Jo willing to spill the truth and risk her new friendships?"--

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A photo of Katie the catsitter

Katie the catsitter

Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp--something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget, UNLESS Katie can figure out a way earn the money for camp herself. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life get interesting. First, Madeline has 217 cats (!) and they're not exactly . . . normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out EXACTLY when the city's most notorious villain commits crimes?! Is it possible that Katie's upstairs neighbor is really a super villain? Can Katie wrangle a whole lot of wayward cats, save a best friendship (why is Beth barely writing back? And who's this boy she keeps talking about?!), AND crack the biggest story in the city's history? Some heroes have capes . . . Katie has cats!

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A photo of Meltdown : earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Fukushima

Meltdown : earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Fukushima

"On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever measured in Japan occurred off the northeast coast. It triggered a tsunami with a wall of water 128 feet high. The tsunami damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima triggering the nightmare scenario--a nuclear meltdown. For six days, employees at the plant worked to contain the meltdown and disaster workers scoured the surrounding flooded area for survivors. This book examines the science behind such a massive disaster and looks back at the people who experienced an unprecedented trifecta of destruction."--

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A photo of Blancaflor, the hero with secret powers : a folktale from Latin America

Blancaflor, the hero with secret powers : a folktale from Latin America

"In this updated adaptation of a classic Latin American folktale, Blancaflor, a young ogre with magical powers, decides to secretly help a charming prince who has made a foolish bet with her father. Through saving the prince and the kingdom, she learns to be honest with herself and others about the things that make her special"--

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A photo of Race to the bottom of the Earth : surviving Antarctica

Race to the bottom of the Earth : surviving Antarctica

"In 1910, Captain Robert Scott prepared his crew for a trip that no one had ever completed: a journey to the South Pole. He vowed to get there any way he could, even if it meant looking death in the eye. Then, not long before he set out, the telegram arrived: "Proceeding to Antarctic - Roald Amundsen." What was to be an expedition had become a race. One hundred and eight years later, Captain Louis Rudd readied himself for a similarly grueling task: the first solo crossing of treacherous Antarctica. Then came the Instagram message: "On Nov. 1, I depart for the ice - Colin O'Brady." What was to be a journey had become a race. For fans of Michael Tougias' The Finest Hours, this gripping tale of two history-making moments is perfect for budding scientists, survivalists, and thrill seekers"--

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A photo of Wonder women of science : twelve geniuses who are currently rocking science, technology, and the world.

Wonder women of science : twelve geniuses who are currently rocking science, technology, and the world.

The twelve scientists who are profiled here are women from all sorts of backgrounds who are currently rocking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each of them has a different story to tell about how she got to where she is today, but the one thing they have in common is that they are truly wonder women of science. Around the world there are many more women doing incredible work and breaking new ground in STEM fields--not to mention girls of all ages dreaming of how they will one day contribute.

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A photo of Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre

Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre

The 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma, race massacre was one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history. On May 31 and June 1 an armed mob looted homes and businesses as Black families fled. The police did nothing to protect Greenwood, and as many as three hundred African Americans were killed, most buried in unmarked graves. No official investigation occurred until seventy-five years later. Weatherford helps young readers understand the events of this incident. --

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