News Room Read the latest news about Silicon Valley Reads. News Articles Select link below to read the full article. February 5, 2026 Panel explores impact of mass incarceration and reforms on Black Silicon Valley residents Read full article February 3, 2026 This year’s Silicon Valley Reads focuses on political polarization Read full article January 22, 2026 Silicon Valley Reads bridges divided times for night of community Read full article Facebook News Feed News Releases newsrelease101222 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2026 Silicon Valley Reads Announces 2026 Season: 200+ Free Events That Build “Bridges to Belonging” Across Santa Clara County SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. – Silicon Valley Reads is proud to unveil an expansive calendar for the 2026 season. Centered on the theme “Bridges to Belonging,” this year’s program features more than 200 free events for all ages, designed to spark connection through art, nature, technology, and literature. The season begins on Thursday, January 15, at De Anza College in Cupertino with a free, high-energy kickoff event moderated by The Mercury News columnist Sal Pizarro in conversation with the three featured authors: john a. powell, The Power of Bridging Keeonna Harris, Mainline Mama Annie Hartnett, Unlikely Animals The kickoff will be in-person and livestreamed. Register here. Attendees at the in-person event can purchase these books onsite and have them signed by the authors. They are also invited to enjoy the art exhibit, "A Sense of Belonging," at the Euphrat Museum of Art before and after the program. There will be additional opportunities to hear from featured authors, including youth book authors Anna Sortino ( Give Me a Sign ), Kelly Yang ( Front Desk ), and Roz MacLean ( Together, A Forest ). There will also be a special event at Santa Clara University with Dr. Joshua Miele—researcher and author of the recommended read, Connecting Dots —who was blinded at the age of 4. The Silicon Valley Reads programming team, a collaboration of librarians and school representatives, moved the program “beyond the page” through dynamic community engagement, helping residents find a personal bridge to their community. The community is invited to participate in county-wide cultural projects, including: Paper Chains of Kindness: Drop in at select libraries and add links to a physical chain representing our connected community. The Community Cookbook Project: A celebration of heritage and belonging through shared recipes and culinary stories submitted online . “Thank You, Neighbor” Community Video: Add your gratitude in your native language by submitting your video ! The 2026 lineup features robust programming for children and teens, our next generation of bridge-builders. Highlights include interactive STEAM sessions with LEGO challenges, nature-based workshops, and high-energy dance and movement classes. The season also emphasizes inclusivity through an open house at Animal Assisted Happiness, ASL-integrated literacy programs, and multilingual storytimes. The arts serve as a universal language of belonging. Programs that highlight this include the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, adult watercolor workshops, and the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s production of Julius Caesar . All Silicon Valley Reads events are free and open to the public. The season officially runs from January through March 2026. For a complete, searchable calendar of events and registration details, please visit: siliconvalleyreads.org/calendar . Media Contact: Reid Myers, Silicon Valley Reads siliconvalleyreads@gmail.com The Silicon Valley Reads community engagement program is presented annually by the Santa Clara County Library District, Santa Clara County Office of Education, and San José Public Library in conjunction with other public libraries, community colleges and universities, and community organizations. Over 150 Events Author talks, book clubs, community events and more! Please join us for many more events celebrating Bridges to Belonging! CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Calendar of Events Thank you for joining us for over 250 amazing events in January - March celebrating Bridges to Belonging! Please visit us in the fall for a sneak peek of our 2027 season. Events for 2027 will be posted here in January, 2027. If you'd like to watch our 2026 kickoff event with our three featured authors: john a. powell (The Power of Bridging), Keeonna Harris (Mainline Mama) and Annie Hartnett (Unlikely Animals), you can watch it HERE. 2026 Events Mark your calendar! Browse the chronological list of upcoming Silicon Valley Reads events or use the search bar to find specific ones. You can also click a category button to quickly filter events that match your interests. Accessibility Programs Author Visits/Book Talks Music/Movies/Culture Youth/Teen Activities Adult Classes/Talks/Activities Children's Activities Online Events 2026 All Events Tue, Jan 20 Thank You, Neighbor StoryWalk® / Multiple Local Parks Details Jan 20, 2026, 7:00 AM – May 31, 2026, 5:00 PM Multiple Local Parks, 171 W Edmundson Ave, Morgan Hill, CA 95037, USA Enjoy the outdoors with your little ones while reading along to a storybook! StoryWalk® is a great way to exercise the body and the mind. Join us at multiple parks across Santa Clara County! Tue, Apr 07 We Need to Build: In Person with Eboo Patel / Santa Clara University Details Apr 07, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA Eboo Patel, author of the 2025–26 SCU Community Read book We Need to Build: Fieldnotes for Diverse Democracy, will be at Santa Clara University for an in-person talk and fireside chat. Refreshments will be available. Free event!

Advisory Board Members of the community that provide guidance to Silicon Valley Reads programs. Jill Bourne Co-chair, Library Director City of San Jose Dr. David Toston, Sr. Co-Chair, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools Santa Clara County Office of Education Jennifer Weeks Co-chair, County Librarian Santa Clara County Library District Nicole Branch Dean, University Library Santa Clara University Clover Codd Superintendent Moreland School District Kelsey Martinez Combellick Chief of Staff, Betty Duong Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Alicia Cortez Trustee, Gavilan Join Community College Dr. Michael Gallagher Executive Director ACSA Region 8, Santa Clara County Dr. Deborah Gorgulho Assistant Superintendent Santa Clara County Office of Education Tracy Gray Library Director City of Mountain View Margaret Hengel Past President Santa Clara County Reading Council Cindy Hill Board President Los Altos Library Endowment Kara Iwahashi Associate Program Director The Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley Gayathri Kanth Director of Library Services City of Palo Alto Katie Khera Culture & Arts Commission Morgan Hill Library Deepka Lalwani Founder Indian Business & Professional Women Shannon Miller, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Humanities and Arts San Jose State University Reid Myers Director Silicon Valley Reads Alyce Parsons Author and Teacher Sal Pizarro Columnist The San Jose Mercury News Diane Roche Director of Communications & Marketing Santa Clara County Library District Tara Sreekrishnan Trustee Santa Clara County Board of Education Elizabeth Smith Associate VP of Comms and External Relations De Anza College Patty Wong City Librarian Santa Clara City Library

Silicon Valley Reads was started as a traditional "one book, one community" program that selected a book and invited all residents to read it. Over the years, Silicon Valley Reads has evolved into a more ambitious endeavor that uses books reflecting a provocative theme relevant to the region to encourage people to read, think, discuss and engage. Silicon Valley Reads Welcome to Silicon Valley Reads Silicon Valley Reads is a community engagement program that brings people together through books and a shared annual theme. Each year, from January through March, we offer more than 150 free public events for all ages including author talks, book clubs, arts and music activities, movies, hands-on workshops, and creative experiences inspired by our theme. Our 2026 Theme: Bridges to Belonging Our 2026 season ended at the end of March. We hosted over 250 programs through our libraries, schools, and partner organizations. We involved over 12,000 participants and the feedback from the season was overwhelmingly positive. Together, we focused on our shared values and built bridges across our community from building a "chain of kindness" with links in libraries from Palo Alto to San Jose, to reading with animals at Animal Assisted Happiness and Magical Bridge Playground. We had author visits both online and in-person as we explored what community means in Silicon Valley. We are currently working on our programming for our 2027 season and will announce on this site in the fall. Sign up for our mailing list to receive the latest information (no spam). Kickoff Recording Each year we celebrate our theme with a kickoff event at De Anza College. Our 2026 season kicked off on January 15th with all of our selected authors in conversation with Sal Pizarro from the San Jose Mercury News . If you missed this conversation, you can watch the recording HERE . Featured Videos Silicon Valley Reads 2026: Bridges to Belonging Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied 2026 Books We have carefully selected three diverse books that encapsulate the spirit of belonging and encourage meaningful community conversations. Featured Books for Adults The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong In The Power of Bridging, john a. powell offers an essential roadmap for building bridges across our divisions and creating a society where everyone feels they belong. He explains how “othering” and “breaking” keep us apart—casting people as outsiders or excluding them altogether—while “bridging” invites connection, solidarity, and shared humanity. With a mix of personal insight and practical tools, Powell shows how each of us can become a “bridger” in our families, workplaces, and communities. This book is both a call to action and a guide, reminding us that bridging is not just a response to division, but a path toward co-creating a future grounded in belonging. Read More Mainline Mama In this moving memoir, Keeonna Harris shares her journey of building bridges to belonging while navigating the isolating realities of the U.S. carceral system. Becoming a “mainline mama” at just fourteen, she raises her son while her partner is incarcerated, confronting stigma, shame, and systemic barriers along the way. Yet Harris’s story is also one of resilience, love, and community—finding strength in family bonds and solidarity with other women facing similar struggles. From everyday acts of care to moments of radical resistance, Mainline Mama shows how creating connection and community in the face of division becomes a powerful pathway to belonging. Read More Unlikely Animals In this tender and humorous novel, Annie Hartnett explores how belonging can grow in unexpected places. When Emma Starling returns to her New Hampshire hometown to care for her dying father, she is drawn into a community grappling with crisis, loss, and disconnection. Through her search for a missing friend and reconnection with family, Emma discovers that even fractured places can be mended through compassion, community, and the bridges we build with one another. Read More 2026 Books Featured Companion Books for Teens/Children 2026 Companion Books Thank You, Neighbor Join a young narrator and her dog on their daily walk through a bustling, colorful urban neighborhood. They greet essential community helpers—the bus driver, the sanitation workers, the mail carrier—and chat with all the neighbors they know. In the flurry of a busy day, it’s easy to hurry past the people who keep our world running, but this charming book reminds us that patience and kindness can make your neighborhood truly feel like family. Read More Together, A Forest In this visually stunning picture book, Joy and her diverse class explore a forest where every student, including those who are neurodivergent or use mobility aids, discovers their unique connection to nature. Joy is initially anxious about finding her "one thing" for a project, but she soon sees how her classmates' different ways of experiencing the world reflect the complex beauty of the ecosystem. The book compares the essential diversity of trees, fungi, and rushing water to the diversity of the class. It reminds readers of all ages that there is no "one right way" for a mind, body, or person to be, and that our unique differences are what create a truly vibrant, flourishing community. Read More Front Desk Based on the author's real-life experience, Kelly Yang's award-winning novel follows 10-year-old Mia Tang, a recent Chinese immigrant whose family manages a rundown motel in California. While facing poverty, racism, and the unfairness of the American Dream, Mia bravely takes on the role of front desk manager—but her real job is building a community. Front Desk illustrates "Bridges to Belonging" as Mia, her parents, and the long-term tenants ("weeklies") transform the Calivista Motel into a sanctuary for close friends. Through compassion and courage, they stand up for one another against injustice, proving that a sense of belonging is a powerful force created not by wealth or status, but by kindness, solidarity, and finding your voice to fight for those who need a place to call home. Read More Give Me a Sign For years, Lilah has felt suspended in a silent, lonely space -"stuck in the middle" between the vibrant hearing world and the rich, expressive Deaf one. Hard-of-hearing and tired of constantly navigating a world that wasn't built for her, she yearns for a place where she doesn't have to choose or apologize for who she is. That search for solid ground leads her to a life-changing summer where she worked as a counselor at a camp for Deaf and blind teens. It's here, within this community, that Lilah finds peace and a solid sense of belonging. Read More More about 2026 Companion Books Recommended Reading Silicon Valley Reads is pleased to provide a curated list of recommended reading for our Bridges to Belonging theme. Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley is a heartwarming story that proves the most rigid social contract—never talk to strangers—is meant to be broken. Iona Iverson, an eccentric advice columnist, lives by an ironclad rule: ignore everyone on her daily train ride, whom she knows only by self-assigned nicknames like "Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader." But when a fellow commuter suddenly chokes, a single, life-saving act of intervention shatters Iona's carefully constructed isolation. Watch as this unlikely cast of characters—each dealing with their own private struggles with loneliness, aging, and career anxiety—evolves from anonymous passengers into a found family. This story explores how breaking down barriers of judgment and embracing vulnerability can lead to unexpected, life-altering connections, transforming a train car of strangers into a true community. Connecting Dots The memoir of MacArthur "Genius" award winner Dr. Joshua A. Miele is a powerful testament to finding connection and building a life of purpose in a world not built for you. Badly burned and blinded at age four, Miele refused to be a victim. Instead, his natural curiosity and problem-solving skills led him to the heart of the tech industry—from working at NASA to pioneering revolutionary accessibility technologies like screen readers and tactile maps. Connecting Dots is an unforgettable, funny, and deeply honest journey of a blind scientist who channels his experiences into creations that connect the disabled community to the world. Miele’s life demonstrates that the ingenuity spurred by necessity creates the strongest bridges to belonging, allowing millions to fully participate in a society designed for the sighted. What it Takes to Save a Life: A Veterinarian's Quest of Healing and Hope Dr. Kwane Stewart, founder of Project Street Vet and CNN's 2023 Hero of the Year, was a struggling veterinarian on the brink of burnout when a single, spontaneous act of kindness changed everything: offering free treatment to a homeless man's dog. This powerful, honest memoir takes you onto the streets of California and beyond, revealing the extraordinary bonds of unconditional love between unhoused individuals and their animal companions. For people facing extreme loneliness and invisibility, a pet is their only family, their lifeline, and their bridge to stability. In What It Takes to Save a Life, Kwane Stewart shows how healing these animals is a crucial step in recognizing the humanity of their owners. His journey is a profound reminder that we are all part of a wider community, and by extending compassion to our most vulnerable neighbors—and their beloved pets—we can save not just an animal, but a human soul. View All Adult Recommended Reading Youth Recommended Reading Silicon Valley Reads has selected a recommended read for our youth audience this year. The author of Becoming Boba will be doing some programming with us- please see our events listing in January for more information! Becoming Boba Milk Tea Town was steeped in tradition, and Mindy didn't fit the mold. While the classic brown flavors sipped from sensible straws, Mindy sparkled in green, white, and red. Worried she wasn't "milk tea enough," she dives into their history, seeking a way to belong. What Mindy and her friends discover on this journey isn't a lesson in conformity, but a surprising truth about milk tea's past—a secret that could redefine the entire town and prove that belonging isn't about being the same, but about claiming your own flavor. A delightful, heartwarming tale about self-love and the universal question: What does it mean to be enough? Youth Recommended Reading Thanks to our Donors! Silicon Valley Reads relies on the generous donations of our community partners and donors to run over 150 free events each year. For more information on donating, please visit the Donor Information page . Thank you for financially supporting Silicon Valley Reads programs! Friends of the Cupertino Library Christy's International Real Estate The Michael and Alyce Parsons Education Fund Silicon Valley Library System Cupertino Library Foundation Friends of San Jose West Valley Library Friends of the Saratoga Libraries Santa Clara County Library District Foundation First 5 Magical Bridge Foundation

Gallery of photos and videos promoting Silicon Valley Reads Events 2026 Videos Silicon Valley Reads Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing Kickoff Video 2026: Bridges to Belonging 01:21:56 Play Video Now Playing Author Conversation on Color & Belonging 01:13:51 Play Video Now Playing AI & Ethics in Commerce, Medicine and Journalism 01:25:48 Play Video Photos & Videos 2026: Bridges to Belonging 2026 Event Photos 2026 Videos 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World 2025 Event Photos 2025 Videos 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today 2024 Event Photos 2024 Videos 2023 Journey to New Beginnings View event photos 2023 videos 2022 The Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope View event photos 2022 videos 2021 Connecting View event photos 2021 videos 2020 Women Making it Happen View event photos Play video on YouTube 2019 Finding Identity in Family History View event photos Play video on YouTube 2018 No Matter What: Caring, Coping, Compassion View event photos Play video on YouTube 2017 "...and justice for all" View event photos Play video on YouTube 2016 Chance of Rain? View event photos Play video on YouTube 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience View event photos Play video on YouTube 2014 Books & Technology: Friends or Foes? View event photos Play video on YouTube 2013 Invisible Wounds of War View event photos Play video on YouTube

2020 Books Play video on YouTube View event photos Play video on YouTube View event photos Alpha Girls Julian Guthrie Audience: Adult Alpha Girls is the untold story of pioneering women in Silicon Valley. Described as "Hidden Figures" meets "The Social Network," Alpha Girls is the story of the real unicorns of Silicon Valley -- the women who bucked the system and found ways to survive and thrive in this high-stakes, male-dominated world. The book explores the rise of such companies as Facebook, Tesla, Oracle, Trulia, Imperva, F5 Networks, Acme Packet, ForeScout, Salesforce and more – all through the eyes of trailblazing "alpha girls" of Silicon Valley. The book is being adapted for a television series by Academy Award-winning producer Cathy Schulman and TriStar. Read More The Tenth Muse Catherine Chung Audience: Adult The Tenth Muse is an exhilarating, moving novel about a trailblazing mathematician whose research unearths her own extraordinary family story and its roots in World War II From the days of her childhood in the 1950s Midwest, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem. As she matures from a girl of rare intelligence into an exceptional mathematician, traveling to Europe to further her studies, she must face the most human of problems—who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition? These questions grow ever more entangled as Katherine strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics and becomes involved with a brilliant and charismatic professor. When she embarks on a quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that may hold both the lock and the key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II. Forced to confront some of the most consequential events of the 20th century and rethink everything she knows of herself, she finds kinship in the stories of the women who came before her, and discovers how seemingly distant stories, lives, and ideas are inextricably linked to her own. Read More The Most Magnificent Thing Ashley Spires Audience: Picture Book This charming picture book is about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. "She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!" But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. The book has been made into a short animated film featuring the narration of Whoopi Goldberg. Read More Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream Tanya Lee Stone Audience: Young Adult What does it take to be an astronaut? Excellence at flying, courage, intelligence, resistance to stress, top physical shape — any checklist would include these. But when America created NASA in 1958, there was another unspoken rule: you had to be a man. Here is the tale of 13 women who proved that they were not only as tough as the toughest man but also brave enough to challenge the government. They were blocked by prejudice, jealousy, and the scrawled note of one of the most powerful men in Washington. But even though the Mercury 13 women did not make it into space, they did not lose, for their example empowered young women to take their place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space capsules. Read More Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers? Tanya Lee Stone Audience: Young Adult In the early 19th century lived Ada Byron, a young girl with a wild and wonderful imagination. The daughter of internationally acclaimed poet Lord Byron, Ada was tutored in science and mathematics from a very early age. But Ada’s imagination was never meant to be tamed and, armed with the fundamentals of math and engineering, she came into her own as a woman of ideas―equal parts mathematician and philosopher. From her whimsical beginnings as a gifted child to her most sophisticated notes on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, this book celebrates the woman recognized today as the first computer programmer. Read More

2025From award-winning author Lindsay Lackey, Farther Than the Moon is a heartfelt story about a thirteen-year-old boy named Houston who dreams of becoming an astronaut. When he’s accepted to a prestigious astronaut program, Houston faces a dilemma: his younger brother, Robbie, has disabilities that prevent him from attending. Despite the challenges, Houston is determined to honor Robbie’s dream of space exploration, even if it means making sacrifices. As Houston navigates the demands of the program and confronts the reality of his brother’s limitations, he discovers the true meaning of friendship, perseverance, and the power of hope. < All Book Selections 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Farther than the Moon Lindsay Lackey Audience: Middle Grades From award-winning author Lindsay Lackey, Farther Than the Moon is a heartfelt story about a thirteen-year-old boy named Houston who dreams of becoming an astronaut. When he’s accepted to a prestigious astronaut program, Houston faces a dilemma: his younger brother, Robbie, has disabilities that prevent him from attending. Despite the challenges, Houston is determined to honor Robbie’s dream of space exploration, even if it means making sacrifices. As Houston navigates the demands of the program and confronts the reality of his brother’s limitations, he discovers the true meaning of friendship, perseverance, and the power of hope. About the Author Lindsay Lackey never wanted to be an astronaut when she was growing up. She did, however, want to be an opera singer, a Supreme Court Justice, or an author. She was born in Colorado and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their spoiled dogs. Her debut novel, All the Impossible Things was the recipient of multiple honors and critical acclaim. Her second novel, Farther Than the Moon , launched in 2023 and was shortlisted for several awards, including the OWL Award and the Cybil Award for middle grade fiction. Lindsay loves to sing, is almost always listening to an audiobook, and is now obsessed with space. In fact, if NASA wants to send a children’s book author to space, she will happily volunteer. Lindsay Lackey Author's website

2018Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react--shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken. < All Book Selections 2018 No Matter What: Caring, Coping, Compassion Not If I See You First Eric Lindstrom Audience: Teens Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react--shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken. About the Author Eric Lindstrom has worked in the interactive entertainment industry for years as a creative director, game designer, writer, and combinations of all three. He has written two Young Adult novels. Eric Lindstrom Author's website

2022Shine on! might be the catchphrase of twelve-year-old Piper's hero--astronaut, astronomer, and television host Nellie Dumont Frisse--but Piper knows the truth: some people are born to shine, and she's just not one of them. That fact has never been clearer than now, since her dad's new job has landed them both at Chumley Prep, a posh private school where everyone seems to be the best at something and where Piper definitely doesn't fit in. Bursting with humor, heart, science, possibilities, and big questions, Shine! is a story about finding your place in the universe--a story about figuring out who you are and who you want to be. < All Book Selections 2022 Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope SHINE! Chris and J.J. Grabenstein Audience: Grades 4 - 8 Shine on! might be the catchphrase of twelve-year-old Piper's hero--astronaut, astronomer, and television host Nellie Dumont Frisse--but Piper knows the truth: some people are born to shine, and she's just not one of them. That fact has never been clearer than now, since her dad's new job has landed them both at Chumley Prep, a posh private school where everyone seems to be the best at something and where Piper definitely doesn't fit in. Bursting with humor, heart, science, possibilities, and big questions, Shine! is a story about finding your place in the universe--a story about figuring out who you are and who you want to be. About the Author J.J. & CHRIS GRABENSTEIN are a husband-wife writing team J.J. is an award-winning voice-over and stage performer as well as her husband's long-time secret weapon, reading and editing each one of his 75 published books before anyone else saw them. This is her debut as a co-author. Chris is the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Mr. Lemoncello, Welcome to Wonderland, Dog Squad, Smartest Kid In The Universe, and Haunted Mystery series, as well as the coauthor of numerous fun and funny page-turners with James Patterson, including the Max Einstein, Jacky Ha Ha, I Funny, House of Robots, and Treasure Hunters series. J.J. and Chris live in New York City, with Phoebe Squeak and Luigi, two cats adopted from their local rescue group where J.J. is a volunteer. Visit ChrisGrabenstein.com for trailers, bonus quizzes, and more. Chris and J.J. Grabenstein Author's website

2022By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have. Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room. < All Book Selections 2022 Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope The Big Umbrella Amy June Bates and daughter Juniper Bates Audience: Pre-K to K By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have. Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room. About the Author When Amy was a kid she loved to draw and read. She spent the time that she wasn't reading and drawing trying to keep her six brothers and sisters from drawing on her pictures and losing her place in whatever book she was reading. She loved the mountains quite a bit. She grew up and learned to draw a lot better. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her three children and husband. She reads and she draws quite a bit. Amy June Bates and daughter Juniper Bates Author's website

2024Set in a world where Florida faces the relentless onslaught of extreme weather and rising sea levels, "The Light Pirate" is the story of a small coastal town preparing for a powerful hurricane. Divided into four parts—power, water, light, and time—this GMA Book Club pick novel mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the gradual transformation of the world as we know it. It serves as a contemplation of changes that challenge our comfort zones and a reminder of the untamed beauty and strength of nature. < All Book Selections 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today The Light Pirate Lily Brooks-Dalton Audience: Adult Set in a world where Florida faces the relentless onslaught of extreme weather and rising sea levels, "The Light Pirate" is the story of a small coastal town preparing for a powerful hurricane. Divided into four parts—power, water, light, and time—this GMA Book Club pick novel mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the gradual transformation of the world as we know it. It serves as a contemplation of changes that challenge our comfort zones and a reminder of the untamed beauty and strength of nature. About the Author Lily Brooks-Dalton's most recent novel is The Light Pirate , a #1 Indie Next pick for December 2022, a Good Morning America Book Club selection, one of NPR's "Books We Love," and a New York Times Editors' Pick. She is also the author of Good Morning, Midnight , which has been translated into seventeen languages and was the inspiration for the film adaptation The Midnight Sky , and the memoir, Motorcycles I’ve Loved , which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. A former writer-in-residence at The Kerouac House and The Studios of Key West, she currently lives in Los Angeles. Lily Brooks-Dalton Author's website Author

2024To Change a Planet demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of color on every page create a stunning visual narrative. Readers follow the same characters through their daily lives- ultimately coming to a climate change march on Washington where the characters come together. < All Book Selections 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today To Change a Planet (Pre-K - 1st) Christina Soontornvat Audience: Pre-K to 1 To Change a Planet demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of color on every page create a stunning visual narrative. Readers follow the same characters through their daily lives- ultimately coming to a climate change march on Washington where the characters come together. About the Author Christina Soontornvat is an award-winning author, engineer, and STEM educator. Her many works for children include picture books, chapter books, and the bestselling graphic novel, The Tryout . She is a three-time Newbery Honor recipient, most recently for The Last Mapmaker, which was also named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times. Christina Soontornvat Author's website Sam Bond Photography With calm, truthfulness, and beauty, To Change a Planet demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of color on every page create a stunning visual narrative that invites readers to find and follow the same characters through their daily lives and ultimately to a climate march on Washington, where their storylines converge.

2021Winner of the 2017 Southern Book Prize Winner of the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center Finalist for the John Burroughs Medal Named a “Best Scholarly Book of the Decade” by The Chronicle of Higher Education “In me, there is the red of miry clay, the brown of spring floods, the gold of ripening tobacco. I am, in the deepest sense, colored.” From these fertile soils—of love, land, identity, family, and race—emerges The Home Place, a big-hearted, unforgettable memoir by ornithologist J. Drew Lanham. Dating back to slavery, Edgefield County, South Carolina—a place “easy to pass by on the way to somewhere else”—has been home to generations of Lanhams. In The Home Place, readers meet these extraordinary people, including Drew himself, who over the course of the 1970s falls in love with the natural world around him. As his passion takes flight, however, he begins to ask what it means to be “the rare bird, the oddity”—to find joy and freedom in the same land his ancestors were tied to by forced labor, and then to be a black man in a profoundly white field. By turns angry, funny, elegiac, and heartbreaking, The Home Place is a remarkable meditation on nature and belonging, at once a deeply moving memoir and riveting exploration of the contradictions of black identity in the rural South—and in America today. < All Book Selections 2021 Connecting The Home Place J. Drew Lanham Audience: Adult Winner of the 2017 Southern Book Prize Winner of the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center Finalist for the John Burroughs Medal Named a “Best Scholarly Book of the Decade” by The Chronicle of Higher Education “In me, there is the red of miry clay, the brown of spring floods, the gold of ripening tobacco. I am, in the deepest sense, colored.” From these fertile soils—of love, land, identity, family, and race—emerges The Home Place, a big-hearted, unforgettable memoir by ornithologist J. Drew Lanham. Dating back to slavery, Edgefield County, South Carolina—a place “easy to pass by on the way to somewhere else”—has been home to generations of Lanhams. In The Home Place, readers meet these extraordinary people, including Drew himself, who over the course of the 1970s falls in love with the natural world around him. As his passion takes flight, however, he begins to ask what it means to be “the rare bird, the oddity”—to find joy and freedom in the same land his ancestors were tied to by forced labor, and then to be a black man in a profoundly white field. By turns angry, funny, elegiac, and heartbreaking, The Home Place is a remarkable meditation on nature and belonging, at once a deeply moving memoir and riveting exploration of the contradictions of black identity in the rural South—and in America today. About the Author A native of Edgefield, South Carolina, J. Drew Lanham is the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, which received the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Southern Book Prize, and was a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal. He is a birder, naturalist, and hunter-conservationist who has published essays and poetry in publications including Orion, Audubon, Flycatcher, and Wilderness, and in several anthologies, including The Colors of Nature, State of the Heart, Bartram’s Living Legacy, and Carolina Writers at Home. An Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University, he and his family live in the Upstate of South Carolina, a soaring hawk’s downhill glide from the southern Appalachian escarpment that the Cherokee once called the Blue Wall. https://milkweed.org/author/j-drew-lanham J. Drew Lanham Author's website

2023 Books 2023 videos View event photos There There Tommy Orange Audience: Adult This shattering novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle's death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American -- grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and unflinching, utterly contemporary and truly unforgettable. Read More The Second Life of Mirielle West Amanda Skenandore Audience: Adult The glamorous world of a silent film star’s wife abruptly crumbles when she is carted hundreds of miles from home to be detained at the Carville Lepers Home in this page-turning story of courage, resilience, and reinvention set in 1920s Louisiana and Los Angeles. Based on the true story of America’s only leper colony, The Second Life of Mirielle West brings vividly to life the Louisiana institution, where thousands of people were stripped of their civil rights, branded as lepers, and forcibly quarantined throughout the entire 20th century. At first she hopes her exile will be brief, but those sent to Carville are more prisoners than patients and their disease has no cure. Instead she must find community and purpose within its walls, struggling to redefine her self-worth and reimagining her future. Read More What the Fireflies Knew Dr. Kai Harris Audience: Adult Told from the perspective of 11-year-old Kenyatta Bernice (KB), this coming-of-age novel follows KB and her teenage sister, Nia, as they are sent by their overwhelmed mother to live with their estranged grandfather in Lansing, Michigan after their father passes away from a drug overdose. Over the course of a single, sweltering summer, KB attempts to get her bearings in a world that has turned upside down. Pinballing between resentment, abandonment, and loneliness, KB is forced to carve out a different identity for herself and find her own voice. As she examines the jagged pieces of her recently shattered world, she learns that while some truths cut deep, a new life--and a new KB--can be built from the shards. Read More Coqui in the City Nomar Perez Audience: Pre-K to 1 Miguel's pet frog, Coquí, is always with him: as he greets his neighbors in San Juan, buys quesitos from the panadería, and listens to his abuelo's story about meeting baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Then Miguel learns that he and his parents are moving to the U.S. mainland, which means leaving his beloved grandparents, home in Puerto Rico, and even Coquí behind. Life in New York City is overwhelming, with unfamiliar buildings, foods, and people. But when he and Mamá go exploring, they find a few familiar sights that remind them of home, and Miguel realizes there might be a way to keep a little bit of Puerto Rico with him--including the love he has for Coquí--wherever he goes. Read More Sugar in Milk Thrity Umrigar Audience: Grades 2-4 A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness and a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins. A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people. Read More When Stars are Scattered Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed Audience: Grades 5-8 Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story. Read More Furia Yamile Saied Méndez Audience: High School/Young Adult In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university. But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Read More

2011 Books The Year of Fog Michelle Richmond Audience: Adult Life changes in an instant. On a foggy beach. In the seconds when Abby Mason-photographer, fiancée, soon-to-be-stepmother-looks into her camera and commits her greatest error. Heartbreaking, uplifting, and beautifully told, here is the riveting tale of a family torn apart, of the search for the truth behind a child's disappearance, and of one woman's unwavering faith in the redemptive power of love - all made startlingly fresh through Michelle Richmond's incandescent sensitivity and extraordinary insight. Six-year-old Emma vanished into the thick San Francisco fog. Or into the heaving Pacific. Or somewhere just beyond: to a parking lot, a stranger's van, or a road with traffic flashing by. Devastated by guilt, haunted by her fears about becoming a stepmother, Abby refuses to believe that Emma is dead. And so she searches for clues about what happened that morning - and cannot stop the flood of memories reaching from her own childhood to illuminate that irreversible moment on the beach. Now, as the days drag into weeks, as the police lose interest and fliers fade on telephone poles, Emma's father finds solace in religion and scientific probability - but Abby can only wander the beaches and city streets, attempting to recover the past and the little girl she lost. With her life at a crossroads, she will leave San Francisco for a country thousands of miles away. And there, by the side of another sea, on a journey that has led her to another man and into a strange subculture of wanderers and surfers, Abby will make the most astounding discovery of all - as the truth of Emma's disappearance unravels with stunning force. A profoundly original novel of family, loss, and hope - of the choices we make and the choices made for us - The Year of Fog beguiles with the mysteries of time and memory even as it lays bare the deep and wondrous workings of the human heart. The result is a mesmerizing tour de force that will touch anyone who knows what it means to love a child. Read More Alabama Moon Watt Key Audience: Grades 4 - 8 After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless enemy, and finally a new life. Read More One Kathryn Otoshi Audience: Grades K - 3 Introduces young readers to numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors by offering the story of ill-tempered Red who got too powerful for his own good and had to be brought down to size by One--a single entity with the courage to stand up for what was right. Read More Pouch! David Ezra Stein Audience: Pre-K A baby kangaroo takes his first tentative hops outside of his mama's pouch, meeting other creatures and growing bolder each time. Read More

2010Real food -- the kind of food your great-grandmother would recognize as food - is being undermined by science on one side and the food industry on the other, both of whom want us focus on nutrients, good and bad, rather than actual plants, animals and fungi. According to author Michael Pollan, the rise of "nutritionism" has vastly complicated the lives of American eaters without doing anything for our health, except possibly to make it worse. Nutritionism arose to deal with a genuine problem -- the fact that the modern American diet is responsible for an epidemic of chronic diseases, from obesity and type II diabetes to heart disease and many cancers -- but it has obscured the real roots of that problem and stood in the way of a solution. In 200 pages, Pollan outlines the challenge and offers a straightforward manifesto -- "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." -- as well as practical advice on how to accomplish these deceptively simple goals. < All Book Selections 2010 In Defense of Food Michael Pollan Audience: Adult Real food -- the kind of food your great-grandmother would recognize as food - is being undermined by science on one side and the food industry on the other, both of whom want us focus on nutrients, good and bad, rather than actual plants, animals and fungi. According to author Michael Pollan, the rise of "nutritionism" has vastly complicated the lives of American eaters without doing anything for our health, except possibly to make it worse. Nutritionism arose to deal with a genuine problem -- the fact that the modern American diet is responsible for an epidemic of chronic diseases, from obesity and type II diabetes to heart disease and many cancers -- but it has obscured the real roots of that problem and stood in the way of a solution. In 200 pages, Pollan outlines the challenge and offers a straightforward manifesto -- "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." -- as well as practical advice on how to accomplish these deceptively simple goals. About the Author For the past 20 years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. He is the author, most recently, of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. His previous book, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. It also won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, the James Beard Award for best food writing, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Pollan's previous book, The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World, was also a New York Times bestseller, received the Borders Original Voices Award for the best non-fiction work of 2001, and was recognized as a best book of the year by the American Booksellers Association and Amazon.com. PBS is airing a two-hour special documentary based on The Botany of Desire in fall 2009. He is also the author of A Place of My Own (1997) and Second Nature (1991). A contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine since 1987, his writing has received numerous awards, including the James Beard Award for best magazine series in 2003; the John Burroughs prize (for the best natural history essay in 1997); the QPB New Vision Award (for his first book, Second Nature); the 2000 Reuters-I.U.C.N. Global Award for Environmental Journalism for his reporting on genetically modified crops; and the 2003 Humane Society of the United States' Genesis Award for his writing on animal agriculture. His essays have appeared in many anthologies, including Best American Essays (the 1990 and 2003 editions), Best American Science Writing (2004), and the Norton Book of Nature Writing. In addition to publishing regularly in the New York Times Magazine, his articles have appeared in Harper's (where he served for many years as executive editor), Mother Jones, Gourmet, Vogue, Travel + Leisure, Gardens Illustrated, and House & Garden. In 2003, Pollan was appointed the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, and the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. In addition to teaching, he lectures widely on food, agriculture, and gardening. Michael Pollan, who was born in 1955, grew up on Long Island, and was educated at Bennington College, Oxford University, and Columbia University, from which he received a Master's in English. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer, and their son, Isaac. Michael Pollan Author's website SELECTED REVIEWS From The Washington Post Reviewed by Jane Black In his 2006 blockbuster, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan gave voice to Americans' deep anxiety about food: What should we eat? Where does our food come from? And, most important, why does it take an investigative journalist to answer what should be a relatively simple question? In the hundreds of interviews Pollan gave following the book's publication, the question everyone, including me, asked him was: What do you eat? It was both a sincere attempt to elicit a commonsense prescription and, when it came from cynical East Coast journalists, a thinly veiled attempt to trap the author. "Oh! So he shops at farmers markets," we snipped enviously to one another. "Well, easy for him out there in Berkeley where they feast on peaches and cream in February! What about the rest of us?" In Defense of Food is Pollan's answer: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." For some, that instruction will seem simple, even obvious. (It will seem especially so to those who read Pollan's lengthy essay on the same topic in the New York Times magazine last year.) But for most people, those seven little words are a declaration of war on the all-American dinner. Goodbye, 12-ounce steak. Instead, how about three ounces of wild-caught salmon served with roasted butternut squash and a heap of sautéed kale? For many, following the rules may not be so simple after all. Yet in this slim, remarkable volume, Pollan builds a convincing case not only against that steak dinner but against the entire Western diet. Over the last half-century, Pollan argues, real food has started to disappear, replaced by processed foods designed to include nutrients. Those component parts, he says, are understood only by scientists and exploited by food marketers who thrive on introducing new products that hawk fiber, omega-3 fatty acids or whatever else happens to be in vogue. Pollan calls it the age of "nutritionism," an era when nutrients have been elevated to ideology, resulting in epidemic rates of obesity, disease and orthorexia, a not yet official name for an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. "What we know is that people who eat the way we do in the West today suffer substantially higher rates of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity than people eating any number of different traditional diets," he writes. "When people come to the West and adopt our way of eating, these diseases soon follow." Part of Pollan's answer to improving our health is going back to traditional foods and ways of eating: Eat leaves, not seeds. Steer clear of any processed food with a health claim. And for goodness sake, don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. But equally important is changing the way we relate to food. Pollan argues that we've traded in our food culture -- a.k.a. eating what Mom says to eat -- for nutritionism, which puts experts in charge and makes the whole question of what to eat so confusing in the first place. Indeed, Pollan makes a strong case that the "French paradox" -- the way the French stay thin while gobbling triple créme cheese and foie gras -- isn't a paradox at all. The French have a different relationship with food. They eat small portions, don't come back for seconds and spend considerably more time enjoying their food -- an eminently sensible approach. In Pollan's mind, trading quantity for quality and artificial nutrients for foods that give pleasure is the first step in redefining the way we think about food. The rules here: Pay more, eat less. Eat meals, not snacks. Cook your own meals and, if you can, plant a garden. Each of the rules is well supported -- and only occasionally with the scientific mumbo-jumbo that Pollan disparages. But what makes Pollan's latest so engrossing is his tone: curious and patient as he explains the flaws in epidemiological studies that have buttressed nutritionism for 30 years, and entirely without condescension as he offers those prescriptions Americans so desperately crave. That's no easy feat in a book of this kind. What should we eat? The answer is here. Now we just have to see if Americans are willing to follow good advice. From Publisher's Weekly Pollan provides another shocking yet essential treatise on the industrialized Western diet and its detrimental effects on our bodies and culture. Here he lays siege to the food industry and scientists' attempts to reduce food and the cultural practices of eating into bite-size concepts known as nutrients, and contemplates the follies of doing so. As an increasing number of Americans are overfed and undernourished, Pollan makes a strong argument for serious reconsideration of our eating habits and casts a suspicious eye on the food industry and its more pernicious and misleading practices. Listeners will undoubtedly find themselves reconsidering their own eating habits. From Booklist Expanding on a theme from his popular The Omnivore's Dilemma (2007), Pollan mounts an assault on a reigning theory of the relationship between food and health. For Pollan, "nutritionism" offers too narrow a view of the role of eating, confining its benefits solely to food's chemical constituents. This has resulted in an unnatural anxiety about the things we humans eat. To counteract this, Pollan appeals to tradition and common sense. The "Western diet," with its focus on meat as the principal food, produces cardiovascular problems, and nutritionists' attempts to correct this with a high-carbohydrate and sugar regimen has served only to spawn a generation of obese diabetics. Although Pollan doesn't advocate eliminating meat or any other whole food, he wants to place vegetables and fruits in the center of things, reassigning meat to the status of a side dish. Given the continuing fascination with Pollan's earlier work, this smaller tome will surely generate heavy demand.

2017It started out as an innocent day for Martin, but it quickly turned into his worst nightmare – arrested for something he didn’t even mean to do. And five months later, he is still locked up in jail on Rikers Island. Just when things couldn’t get any rose, Martin gets caught in a fight between two prisoners, and his face is slashed. He’s scarred forever, but one good thing comes from the attack – Martin is transferred to a part of Rikers where inmates must attend high school. When he meets his caring and understanding teacher, will Martin open up and learn from his situation? Or will he be consumed by prison and getting revenge on his attackers? < All Book Selections 2017 ...and justice for all Rikers High Paul Volponi Audience: Young Adult It started out as an innocent day for Martin, but it quickly turned into his worst nightmare – arrested for something he didn’t even mean to do. And five months later, he is still locked up in jail on Rikers Island. Just when things couldn’t get any rose, Martin gets caught in a fight between two prisoners, and his face is slashed. He’s scarred forever, but one good thing comes from the attack – Martin is transferred to a part of Rikers where inmates must attend high school. When he meets his caring and understanding teacher, will Martin open up and learn from his situation? Or will he be consumed by prison and getting revenge on his attackers? About the Author Paul Volponi is the award-winning author of 12 novels for young adults. He spent six years on New York City’s infamous Rikers island, the world's largest jail, teaching teens awaiting trial there to read and write. His novel Black and White, winner of the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award, explores the unbalanced scales of the criminal justice system. His novel, Rikers High, an American Library Association Quick Pick Top 10, takes the reader through the hallways and classrooms of the jail with very little fiction involved. Paul, who is the recipient of 11 ALA awards, believes the job of the author is to hold an accurate mirror up to the society and let the readers make their own judgments on what they see. Paul Volponi Author's website

2014This book started as an Academy Award winning animated short film directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. What happens when a huge wind comes up and all your books -- not to mention buildings! – are lost? Mr. Morris Lessmore finds out when he goes to work in a library after he loses all of his books. He discovers that sharing books is the most rewarding, proving that “less” is “more.” < All Book Selections 2014 Books & Technology: Friends or Foes? The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore William Joyce Audience: Ages 4 - 8 This book started as an Academy Award winning animated short film directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. What happens when a huge wind comes up and all your books -- not to mention buildings! – are lost? Mr. Morris Lessmore finds out when he goes to work in a library after he loses all of his books. He discovers that sharing books is the most rewarding, proving that “less” is “more.” Available in Spanish About the Author William Joyce has achieved world-wide recognition as an author, illustrator and pioneer in the digital and animation industry. In February 2012, he won an Academy Award for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, an animated short film about the curative powers of story. In the past two years, he has also written seven hard copy Simon & Schuster children’s books including The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Guardians of Childhood book series: The Man in the Moon, The Sandman: Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie, Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core! and Toothania: Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies. His newest books, The Mischievians and Sandman and the War of Dreams will be released this fall. Named by Newsweek magazine as “One of the 100 people to watch in the new millennium,” William has been heavily involved in the world of digital animation from its full-scale inception at Pixar Animation. His projects have been produced by nearly every major film studio including Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation. His feature films include Rise of the Guardians, Robots and Meet the Robinsons and his television series George Shrinks and Rolie Polie Olie for which he won three Emmy Awards. Additionally, he is the writer, producer, and production designer on the Blue Sky Studios feature film, Epic, inspired by his book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. Epic was released in the summer of 2013. William Joyce Author's website Kirkus Review: “The story, in a nutshell, concerns the titular book-loving Mr. Morris Lessmore, whose personal library is blown away in a terrible wind but who finds meaning caring for the books he finds in a marvelous library. Filled with both literary (Shakespeare, Humpty-Dumpty) and film references (The Wizard of Oz, The Red Balloon and Buster Keaton), the picture book version of Joyce's story has a quiet contemplative charm that demonstrates the continuing allure of the printed page. Paradoxically, the animated books of the film and app are captured as though in a series of frozen frames. The motif of the bound, printed book is everywhere. Even the furnishings and architectural details of the old-fashioned library in which the books “nest” like flying birds recall the codex. The unifying metaphor of life as story is a powerful one, as is the theme of the transformative power of books. The emphasis on connecting readers and books and the care of books pays homage to librarianship. Rich in allusions (“Less is More”) and brilliant in depicting the passage of time (images conflate times of day, seasons and years), Joyce’s work will inspire contemplation of the power of the book in its many forms. As triumphant in book form as in animated and interactive ones."

2025Someday, Maybe is a vibrant picture book that sparks imagination about the limitless possibilities of the future. Featuring futuristic jobs like intergalactic rock bands with riffing robots and doctors with X-ray glasses, the book encourages children to dream big and envision exciting careers that haven’t even been invented yet. With self-driving cars and commercial launches to space, the future has arrived, and the opportunities are endless. Join a group of intrepid young innovators as they explore the exciting possibilities that await them in this imaginative picture book. < All Book Selections 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Someday, Maybe Diana Murray Audience: Pre-Readers Someday, Maybe is a vibrant picture book that sparks imagination about the limitless possibilities of the future. Featuring futuristic jobs like intergalactic rock bands with riffing robots and doctors with X-ray glasses, the book encourages children to dream big and envision exciting careers that haven’t even been invented yet. With self-driving cars and commercial launches to space, the future has arrived, and the opportunities are endless. Join a group of intrepid young innovators as they explore the exciting possibilities that await them in this imaginative picture book. About the Author Diana Murray is the author of Unicorn Night , an Amazon Best Book of the Year from the bestselling Unicorn Day series, Jr. Library Guild Selections such as Goodnight Veggies and City Shapes , and many other children’s books. Her poems have appeared in anthologies and magazines including Highlights and High Five . Diana grew up in New York City and still lives nearby with her husband, two creative kids, and a dog who loves car rides. Diana Murray Author's website

2024Fire. Ice. Flood. Three climate disasters. Four kids fighting for their lives. Alan Gratz shines a light on our increasingly urgent climate crisis while spinning an action-packed story that will keep readers hooked--and inspire them to take action. In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Akira and her horse struggle to escape a massive wildfire. In Churchill, Manitoba, Owen and George flee starving polar bears that have been stranded on land by melting sea ice. In Miami, Florida, Natalie fights to keep her head above water–and save her neighbor’s dog–as her city drowns in a hurricane. Though they live thousands of miles from each other and face disparate challenges, Akira, Owen, George, and Natalie will come to understand they are more deeply connected than they ever could have imagined–and in ways that will change them and, possibly, the world. < All Book Selections 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Two Degrees (5th - 8th) Alan Gratz Audience: Grades 5-8 Fire. Ice. Flood. Three climate disasters. Four kids fighting for their lives. Alan Gratz shines a light on our increasingly urgent climate crisis while spinning an action-packed story that will keep readers hooked--and inspire them to take action. In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Akira and her horse struggle to escape a massive wildfire. In Churchill, Manitoba, Owen and George flee starving polar bears that have been stranded on land by melting sea ice. In Miami, Florida, Natalie fights to keep her head above water–and save her neighbor’s dog–as her city drowns in a hurricane. Though they live thousands of miles from each other and face disparate challenges, Akira, Owen, George, and Natalie will come to understand they are more deeply connected than they ever could have imagined–and in ways that will change them and, possibly, the world. About the Author Alan Gratz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels and graphic novels for young readers, including Two Degrees , Captain America: The Ghost Army, Ground Zero , Refugee, Allies, Prisoner B-3087, and Ban This Book . A Knoxville, Tennessee native, Alan is now a full-time writer living in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and daughter. Learn more about him online at www.alangratz.com . Alan Gratz Author's website

Featured Companion Books for Teens/Children 2026 Companion Books Thank You, Neighbor Ruth Chan Audience: Pre-K - New Readers Join a young narrator and her dog on their daily walk through a bustling, colorful urban neighborhood. They greet essential community helpers—the bus driver, the sanitation workers, the mail carrier—and chat with all the neighbors they know. In the flurry of a busy day, it’s easy to hurry past the people who keep our world running, but this charming book reminds us that patience and kindness can make your neighborhood truly feel like family. Read More Together, A Forest Roz MacLean Audience: Elementary In this visually stunning picture book, Joy and her diverse class explore a forest where every student, including those who are neurodivergent or use mobility aids, discovers their unique connection to nature. Joy is initially anxious about finding her "one thing" for a project, but she soon sees how her classmates' different ways of experiencing the world reflect the complex beauty of the ecosystem. The book compares the essential diversity of trees, fungi, and rushing water to the diversity of the class. It reminds readers of all ages that there is no "one right way" for a mind, body, or person to be, and that our unique differences are what create a truly vibrant, flourishing community. Read More Front Desk Kelly Yang Audience: Middle Grades Based on the author's real-life experience, Kelly Yang's award-winning novel follows 10-year-old Mia Tang, a recent Chinese immigrant whose family manages a rundown motel in California. While facing poverty, racism, and the unfairness of the American Dream, Mia bravely takes on the role of front desk manager—but her real job is building a community. Front Desk illustrates "Bridges to Belonging" as Mia, her parents, and the long-term tenants ("weeklies") transform the Calivista Motel into a sanctuary for close friends. Through compassion and courage, they stand up for one another against injustice, proving that a sense of belonging is a powerful force created not by wealth or status, but by kindness, solidarity, and finding your voice to fight for those who need a place to call home. Read More Give Me a Sign Anna Sortino Audience: High School/Young Adult For years, Lilah has felt suspended in a silent, lonely space -"stuck in the middle" between the vibrant hearing world and the rich, expressive Deaf one. Hard-of-hearing and tired of constantly navigating a world that wasn't built for her, she yearns for a place where she doesn't have to choose or apologize for who she is. That search for solid ground leads her to a life-changing summer where she worked as a counselor at a camp for Deaf and blind teens. It's here, within this community, that Lilah finds peace and a solid sense of belonging. Read More Becoming Boba Joanna Ho Illustrated by Amber Ren Audience: Youth Milk Tea Town was steeped in tradition, and Mindy didn't fit the mold. While the classic brown flavors sipped from sensible straws, Mindy sparkled in green, white, and red. Worried she wasn't "milk tea enough," she dives into their history, seeking a way to belong. What Mindy and her friends discover on this journey isn't a lesson in conformity, but a surprising truth about milk tea's past—a secret that could redefine the entire town and prove that belonging isn't about being the same, but about claiming your own flavor. A delightful, heartwarming tale about self-love and the universal question: What does it mean to be enough? Read More Over 150 Events Author talks, book clubs, community events and more! Please join us for many more events celebrating Bridges to Belonging! 2026 Calendar of Events Previous Selections Past selections of books for children and teens. 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Someday, Maybe Diana Murray Audience: Pre-Readers Someday, Maybe is a vibrant picture book that sparks imagination about the limitless possibilities of the future. Featuring futuristic jobs like intergalactic rock bands with riffing robots and doctors with X-ray glasses, the book encourages children to dream big and envision exciting careers that haven’t even been invented yet. With self-driving cars and commercial launches to space, the future has arrived, and the opportunities are endless. Join a group of intrepid young innovators as they explore the exciting possibilities that await them in this imaginative picture book. Read More 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World ARTificial Intelligence David Biedrzycki Audience: Lower Elementary Ever since he was a little chip, Robot knew he was ART-ificially different. A funny and heartfelt picture book exploring AI, art, and creativity, the story follows Robot as he tries to fit in at the warehouse. But when he’s sent off for reprogramming, he takes a wrong turn and discovers a world of music, dancing, and art. Struggling to understand and express himself through these creative outlets, Robot eventually discovers a unique ability: he can sense the emotions behind the music and the movements of the dancers. Inspired by this newfound understanding, Robot begins to experiment with his own artistic creations, combining his mechanical precision with his newfound appreciation for art. Soon, the warehouse, once a dull and monotonous place, is transformed by Robot’s artistic creations. The other robots, inspired by his passion, begin to experiment with their own forms of expression. Together, they create a vibrant and dynamic environment where technology and art coexist. Read More 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World The Wild Robot Peter Brown Audience: Upper Elementary The Wild Robot, a heartwarming and action-packed novel, now a DreamWorks movie, tells the story of Roz, a robot stranded on a remote island. As she battles the elements and learns to adapt to her wild surroundings, Roz forms unlikely friendships with the island’s animal inhabitants. But her mysterious past threatens to disrupt her newfound peace. From bestselling author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a captivating tale exploring the collision of nature and technology. Read More 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Farther than the Moon Lindsay Lackey Audience: Middle Grades From award-winning author Lindsay Lackey, Farther Than the Moon is a heartfelt story about a thirteen-year-old boy named Houston who dreams of becoming an astronaut. When he’s accepted to a prestigious astronaut program, Houston faces a dilemma: his younger brother, Robbie, has disabilities that prevent him from attending. Despite the challenges, Houston is determined to honor Robbie’s dream of space exploration, even if it means making sacrifices. As Houston navigates the demands of the program and confronts the reality of his brother’s limitations, he discovers the true meaning of friendship, perseverance, and the power of hope. Read More 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today To Change a Planet (Pre-K - 1st) Christina Soontornvat Audience: Pre-K to 1 To Change a Planet demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of color on every page create a stunning visual narrative. Readers follow the same characters through their daily lives- ultimately coming to a climate change march on Washington where the characters come together. Read More 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today The Forest Man (2nd - 4th) Anne Matheson Audience: Grades 2-4 After years of harsh monsoon seasons, a forest on the river island of Majuli is in danger of being slowly washed away. Jadav, a boy living on the island, is determined to save the forest he loves. This is the true story of how one young boy dedicated his life to creating and cultivating an expansive forest that continues to grow to this day. In a world impacted by climate change, Jadav Payeng’s inspirational story shows how one person’s contributions can make a difference in helping to save our environment. Read More 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Two Degrees (5th - 8th) Alan Gratz Audience: Grades 5-8 Fire. Ice. Flood. Three climate disasters. Four kids fighting for their lives. Alan Gratz shines a light on our increasingly urgent climate crisis while spinning an action-packed story that will keep readers hooked--and inspire them to take action. In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Akira and her horse struggle to escape a massive wildfire. In Churchill, Manitoba, Owen and George flee starving polar bears that have been stranded on land by melting sea ice. In Miami, Florida, Natalie fights to keep her head above water–and save her neighbor’s dog–as her city drowns in a hurricane. Though they live thousands of miles from each other and face disparate challenges, Akira, Owen, George, and Natalie will come to understand they are more deeply connected than they ever could have imagined–and in ways that will change them and, possibly, the world. Read More 2023 Journey to New Beginnings Coqui in the City Nomar Perez Audience: Pre-K to 1 Miguel's pet frog, Coquí, is always with him: as he greets his neighbors in San Juan, buys quesitos from the panadería, and listens to his abuelo's story about meeting baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Then Miguel learns that he and his parents are moving to the U.S. mainland, which means leaving his beloved grandparents, home in Puerto Rico, and even Coquí behind. Life in New York City is overwhelming, with unfamiliar buildings, foods, and people. But when he and Mamá go exploring, they find a few familiar sights that remind them of home, and Miguel realizes there might be a way to keep a little bit of Puerto Rico with him--including the love he has for Coquí--wherever he goes. Read More 2023 Journey to New Beginnings Sugar in Milk Thrity Umrigar Audience: Grades 2-4 A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness and a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins. A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people. Read More 2023 Journey to New Beginnings When Stars are Scattered Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed Audience: Grades 5-8 Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story. Read More 2022 Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope The Big Umbrella Amy June Bates and daughter Juniper Bates Audience: Pre-K to K By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have. Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room. Read More 2022 Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope The Girl in the Gold Dress Christine Paik Audience: Grades 1 - 3 Hannah’s Korean name literally means “Gold Dress,” so why doesn’t she want to be seen wearing her gold hanbok dress? 10-year-old Hannah is facing a big performance for her school’s talent show. The trouble is, she’s ashamed of her dress, the dance, even the music - they’re too different, too Korean! What if everyone makes fun of her? Will Hannah be brave enough to perform, or will she run off stage like she did at rehearsal? First, she must learn about the gold dress she’s wearing and its mysterious connection to her name and her family’s past in Korea: starting with a desperate escape from war and a secret wish hidden for decades in an envelope. Read More 2022 Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope SHINE! Chris and J.J. Grabenstein Audience: Grades 4 - 8 Shine on! might be the catchphrase of twelve-year-old Piper's hero--astronaut, astronomer, and television host Nellie Dumont Frisse--but Piper knows the truth: some people are born to shine, and she's just not one of them. That fact has never been clearer than now, since her dad's new job has landed them both at Chumley Prep, a posh private school where everyone seems to be the best at something and where Piper definitely doesn't fit in. Bursting with humor, heart, science, possibilities, and big questions, Shine! is a story about finding your place in the universe--a story about figuring out who you are and who you want to be. Read More 2022 Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope Darius the Great is Not Okay Adib Khorram Audience: High School Darius has never really fit in at home, and as he prepares for a trip to Iran, he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself. Read More 2021 Connecting Parker Looks Up Jessica Curry and Parker Curry Audience: Picture Book When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald’s transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn’t just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen - one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl’s imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book. Parker Looks Up follows Parker, along with her baby sister and her mother, and her best friend Gia and Gia’s mother, as they walk the halls of a museum, seeing paintings of everyone and everything from George Washington Carver to Frida Kahlo, exotic flowers to graceful ballerinas. Then, Parker walks by Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama…and almost passes it. But she stops...and looks up! Parker saw the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in this powerful painting of Michelle Obama. An everyday moment became an extraordinary one…that continues to resonate its power, inspiration, and indelible impact. Because, as Jessica Curry said, “anything is possible regardless of race, class, or gender.” Read More 2021 Connecting Maybe Something Beautiful F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell Audience: Grades K - 3 What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, more than you might ever imagine! Based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire transformation - and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. Pick up a paintbrush and join the celebration! Read More 2021 Connecting Garvey’s Choice Nikki Grimes Audience: Grades 4 - 8 Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading - anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father - by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. Read More 2021 Connecting The Sun is Also a Star Nicola Yoon Audience: Ages 14+ This book is inspired by Big History (to learn about one thing, you have to learn about everything). In The Sun is Also a Star, to understand the characters and their love story, we must know everything around them and everything that came before them that has affected who they are and what they experience. Two teens -- Daniel, the son of Korean shopkeepers, and Natasha, whose family is here illegally from Jamaica -- cross paths in New York City on an eventful day in their lives--Daniel is on his way to an interview with a Yale alum, Natasha is meeting with a lawyer to try and prevent her family's deportation to Jamaica--and fall in love. Read More 2020 Women Making It Happen The Most Magnificent Thing Ashley Spires Audience: Picture Book This charming picture book is about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. "She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!" But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. The book has been made into a short animated film featuring the narration of Whoopi Goldberg. Read More 2019 Finding Identity in Family History Alma and How She Got Her Name Juana Martinez-Neal Audience: Pre-K to 3 If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all — and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. Read More 2019 Finding Identity in Family History The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond Brenda Woods Audience: Grades 4 - 7 Violet is biracial, but she lives with her white mother and sister, attends a mostly white school in a white town, and sometimes feels like a brown leaf on a pile of snow. Now that she's eleven, she feels it's time to learn about her African American heritage, so she seeks out her paternal grandmother. When Violet is invited to spend two weeks with her new Bibi (Swahili for "grandmother") and learns about her lost heritage, her confidence in herself grows and she discovers she's not a shrinking Violet after all. Read More 2019 Finding Identity in Family History Picture Us In The Light Kelly Loy Gilbert Audience: Grades 8+ Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined. Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan. When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed façade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him. Read More 2018 No Matter What: Caring, Coping, Compassion Mango, Abuela, and Me Meg Medina Audience: Grades Pre-K to 3 Mia's abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can't read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English ("Dough. Masa"), and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it's still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. A 2016 Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book. A 2016 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor Book. Read More 2018 No Matter What: Caring, Coping, Compassion The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones Wendelin Van Draanen Audience: Grades 4 - 7 Lincoln Jones has a life so secret, only his mother knows where he's from, why they left, or the place he's living now. More importantly, none of the kids in his new 6th grade class know where he goes after school. After all, if they think his "Southern drawl" is funny, imagine what they'd do knowing he hangs out at a dementia-care facility where his mother works as a caregiver. To escape the real world, Lincoln writes stories in a notebook. Stories about young heroes with courage and power. Underdogs who somehow come out on top. This is a story of a boy who's closed the world out for so long, he's not sure how to let anyone in. Winner of the Bank Street College of Education's 2017 Josette Frank Award. Read More 2018 No Matter What: Caring, Coping, Compassion Not If I See You First Eric Lindstrom Audience: Teens Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react--shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken. Read More 2017 ...and justice for all Bear and Bee Sergio Ruzzier Audience: Ages 2 - 5 "When a bear wakes up hungry from his winter nap, a beehive and its honey seem to be the perfect answer to his problem—but what about the bee? While Bear has never seen a bee, he knows they “are terrible monsters! They are big, and they have large teeth, and they have sharp claws, and they never share their honey!” He explains this to a nearby bee. (The “bees” Bear imagines are green alien-looking creatures sporting horns and curling proboscises.) But as Bee points out, one quality per spread, Bear shares all those characteristics with bees, at which point Bear dissolves into tears: He’s a bee! Bee quickly corrects Bear’s mistake and reveals what he is, lack of teeth and claws and all. And as for sharing honey…he is happy to. Short sentences with simple vocabulary and lots of repetition make this a good choice for beginning readers, who can use the illustrations’ clues to puzzle out more challenging words. Front endpapers and the dedication and copyright pages make a pleasing visual beginning to this story. Best of all, Ruzzier’s pacing is impeccable, adding to the suspense of Bear’s discovery and the sweet start of the duo’s friendship. The digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations are simple and uncluttered, keeping the focus on the two expressive friends and making this a great choice for sharing with groups. The correction of misconceptions has never been so much fun.” -- Kirkus Review Read More 2016 Chance of Rain? The Storm in the Barn Matt Phelan Audience: Ages 10+ The Dust Bowl is sweeping through 1937 Kansas, but 11-year-old Jack Clark still faces life's ordinary challenges: town bullies, a sister with an eye for trouble, and his father's failed expectations. With tensions flaring in the rising heat, Jack catches a glimpse of a sinister figure with a face like rain in a neighbor's abandoned barn. When it never rains, it's hard to trust what you see with your own eyes – and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. The Storm in the Barn is a graphic novel that has received numerous honors including the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and Kirk Reviews Best Children’s Book of the Year. Read More 2016 Chance of Rain? Water is Water Miranda Paul Audience: Ages 3 - 9 This poetic story follows two siblings—and all the water around them—through a year’s worth of movements and changes. Includes back matter facts about the science behind the story, with additional info. Awards/Honors/Reviews: Junior Library Guild selection, Starred Review in School Library Journal Huffington Post Book Blog Review. Kirkus Reviews Read More 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience My Name Is Yoon Helen Recorvits Audience: Ages 4 - 8 Her name is Yoon and she came from Korea, a country far away. Yoon's name means Shining Wisdom, and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy -- like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isn’t sure she wants to be Y-O-O-N. At her new school, she tries out different names – maybe CAT or BIRD. Maybe CUPCAKE! My Name Is Yoon is a spare and inspiring story about a little girl finding her place in a new country. Read More 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience Dancing Home Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel Zubizaretta Audience: Ages 8 - 12 In this timely tale of immigration, two cousins learn the importance of family and friendship. Mexico may be her parents’ home, but it’s certainly not Margie’s. She has finally convinced the other kids at school she is 100% American—just like them. But when her Mexican cousin Lupe visits, the image she’s created for herself crumbles. Things aren’t easy for Lupe, either. Mexico hadn’t felt like home since her father went North to find work. Lupe’s hope of seeing him in the United States comforts her some, but learning a new language in a new school is tough. Lupe, as much as Margie, is in need of a friend. Little by little, the girls’ individual steps find the rhythm of one shared dance, and they learn what “home” really means. In the tradition of My Name is Maria Isabel—and simultaneously published in English and in Spanish—Alma Flor Ada and her son Gabriel M. Zubizarreta offer an honest story of family, friendship, and the classic immigrant experience: becoming part of something new, while straying true to who you are. Read More 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience Something About America Maria Testa Audience: Ages 12+ Inspired by actual events, this story written in free verse starts 10 years after the narrator’s family fled the fires of ethnic hatred in Kosova, Yugoslavia – long enough for the narrator to have transformed herself into a typical American schoolgirl. Her parents continue to feel like foreigners, and she grows impatient with what she perceives as their refusal to assimilate. Then an ugly incident in a nearby town changes everything, forcing each member of this refugee family to consider what being an American truly means. The book has received many awards, including: * New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age * International Reading Association Young Adult Choices * Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year * Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Poetry Pick * Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights Outstanding Book Awards, Honorable Mention * Boston Authors Club, Julia Ward Howe Award Finalist * Maine Literary Award Read More 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience The Peace Book Todd Parr Audience: Ages 2 - 5 The Peace Book delivers positive and hopeful messages of peace in an accessible, child-friendly format featuring Todd Parr's trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes. Perfect for the youngest readers, this book delivers a timely and timeless message about the importance of friendship, caring, and acceptance. Read More 2014 Books & Technology: Friends or Foes? The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore William Joyce Audience: Ages 4 - 8 This book started as an Academy Award winning animated short film directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. What happens when a huge wind comes up and all your books -- not to mention buildings! – are lost? Mr. Morris Lessmore finds out when he goes to work in a library after he loses all of his books. He discovers that sharing books is the most rewarding, proving that “less” is “more.” Read More 2014 Books & Technology: Friends or Foes? Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Chris Grabenstein Audience: Ages 8+, Grades 3 - 7 How do you get out of the library when you’ve been locked in? Our hero Kyle loves winning. He plays with his brothers all of the time. Kyle wants to meet a world famous game maker and he has his chance when Mr. Lemoncello comes to town to open the new library that he designed – with technology like no one has ever seen! Kyle has to use all his smarts to make his way and this game is the most important one of his life. A book with a good puzzle, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is a laugh out loud fun time. Read More 2014 Books & Technology: Friends or Foes? Reading Makes You Feel Good Todd Parr Audience: Pre-K Reading makes you feel good because... You can imagine you are a scary dinosaur, You can make someone feel better when they are sick, And you can do it anywhere! Reading Makes You Feel Good inspires and encourages young children to delight in the experience of reading. With bright, bold pictures and silly scenes, the book explains that reading isn't something that just happens at school or at home-it can happen anywhere! Targeted to those first beginning to read, this book invites children to read the main text as well as all the funny signs, labels, and messages hidden in the pictures. Read More 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Night Catch Brenda Ehrmantraut Audience: Pre-K to Grade 2 When a soldier's work takes him halfway around the world, he enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son. Night Catch is a timeless story that connects families while they are apart and offers comforting hope for their reunion. The book has been endorsed by the Military Child Education Coalition, United Through Reading and Army Wife Network. Read More 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery Audience: Grades 2 - 5 Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving. But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. The two formed a fast friendship, made stronger by Dennis's willingness to share his meals, offer a warm place to sleep, and give Nubs the kind of care and attention he had never received before. Nubs became part of Dennis's human "pack" until duty required the Marines to relocate a full 70 miles away--without him. Nubs had no way of knowing that Marines were not allowed to have pets. So began an incredible journey that would take Nubs through a freezing desert, filled with danger to find his friend, and would lead Dennis on a mission that would touch the hearts of people all over the world. Nubs and Dennis will remind readers that friendship has the power to cross deserts, continents, and even species. Nubs is nominated for the California Young Reader Medal, and is the recipient of 10 State Children's Choice Awards, The Christopher Medal, and the National Parenting Publication Gold Award. Read More 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Back Home Julia Keller Audience: Grades 5 - 8 Rachel "Brownie" Browning is thirteen when her father comes back from the war in Iraq. Of course she understands that he has been injured and that he will be a little different, at least for a while. But Brownie doesn't even know the man with a prosthetic arm and leg who sits in the living room day after day. He's certainly not the father who helped her build a fort in her backyard, or played basketball with her sister, or hauled her little brother around like a sack of potatoes. Brownie's mother says that because of his traumatic brain injury, their father needs their affection and patience. In time, he'll be better - Dad will be back. But Dad doesn't seem to be making much progress, or much effort. He doesn't smile. He doesn't talk. He won't even get out of his wheelchair, even though the doctors have taught him how and say that walking is essential to his recovery. And Brownie begins to wonder, will her family ever be able to return to the way life was before the war? A story about an ordinary family forced to deal with an extraordinary loss, Back Home tells the tale of families scarred and the battle just beginning when their wounded loved ones return home. Read More 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Purple Heart Patricia McCormick Audience: Ages 14+ When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero. There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together. Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad-Justin, Wolf, and Charlene-the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed. Read More 2012 Muslim and American: Two Perspectives It's OK To Be Different Todd Parr Audience: Pre-K From Publishers Weekly: It's OK To Be Different combines rainbow colors, simple drawings and reassuring statements in this optimistic book. His repetitive captions offer variations on the title and appear in a typeface that looks handcrafted and personalized. A fuschia elephant stands against a zingy blue background ("It's okay to have a different nose") and a lone green turtle crosses a finish line ("It's okay to come in last"). A girl blushes at the toilet paper stuck to her shoe ("It's okay to be embarrassed") and a lion says "Grr," "ROAR" and "purrr" ("It's okay to talk about your feelings"). Parr cautiously calls attention to superficial distinctions. By picturing a smiling girl with a guide dog ("It's okay to need some help"), he comments on disability and he accounts for race by posing a multicolored zebra with a black-and-white one. An illustration of two women ("It's okay to have different Moms") and two men ("It's okay to have different Dads") handles diverse families sensitively this could cover either same-sex families or stepfamilies and also on the opposite page, a kangaroo with a dog in its pouch ("It's okay to be adopted"). He wisely doesn't zero in on specifics, which would force him to establish what's "normal." Instead, he focuses on acceptance and individuality and encourages readers to do the same. Read More 2012 Muslim and American: Two Perspectives One Green Apple Eve Bunting Audience: Grades K - 2 From School Library Journal: As a Muslim girl rides in a hay wagon heading to an apple orchard on a class trip, the dupatta on her head setting her apart, she observes that while some of the children seem friendly, others are not. Her father has explained, ...we are not always liked here. Our home country (never named in the story) and our new one have had difficulties. Later, when she puts a green apple into the cider press instead of a ripe red one as her classmates have done, they protest. But the cider from all their apples mixed together is delicious - a metaphor for the benefits of intermingling people who are different. Lewin's watercolors radiate sunlight and capture the gamut of emotions that Farah experiences on this challenging second day in her new school in the U.S. They show her downcast silence and sense of isolation because she can't speak the language, her shy smile when a classmate befriends her, and, finally, her triumphant smile as she speaks one of her first English words, App-ell. Read More 2012 Muslim and American: Two Perspectives My Name is Bilal Asma Mobin-Uddin Audience: Grades 2 - 6 From Booklist: Bilal and his sister, Ayesha, who are Muslim, start school in a new city. At first Bilal tries to blend into the largely non-Muslim environment, calling himself Bill and ducking out of sight when two boys try to pull off Ayesha's head scarf. Encouraged by a sympathetic teacher and his own faith, Bilal finds the courage to stand up with his sister the next time the boys tease her. Bilal and Ayesha point out to their adversaries that they too were born in America and that being American means that they can wear what they want. By standing up for his sister, Bilal earns the boys' respect and takes the first step toward a possible friendship. The story is told in picture-book format, though the text is longer than that of most picture books. In the illustrations, the students appear to be in middle school, but the book is accessible to younger children as well. Appearing on nearly every double-page spread, large-scale watercolor paintings clearly portray the actions and attitudes of the characters. A good starting place for discussions of cultural differences, prejudice, and respect for the beliefs of others. Read More 2012 Muslim and American: Two Perspectives Skunk Girl Sheba Karim Audience: Grades 7+ From a Kirkus Review -- "There are only two types of people who spend their Friday nights in high school at home - Pakistani Muslim girls and future serial killers." Although Nina Khan was born and raised in small-town Deer Hook, N.Y., and has never visited her parents' homeland, she must adhere to their rigid cultural and religious beliefs, including no sleepovers, alcohol or dating. With dark skin, a wide bottom and an overabundance of body hair that makes her a "skunk girl," what are her chances of dating in the predominantly fair-skinned, closed-minded town anyway? But when Italian Asher transfers to her high school, she dreams of romance for the first time. In this debut, episodic novel, rife with smart, self-deprecating humor and set in the 1990s just as a phenomenon known as e-mail is gaining interest, Nina searches for identity and emerging independence while accepting the reality of her home life. Read More 2011 Alabama Moon Watt Key Audience: Grades 4 - 8 After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless enemy, and finally a new life. Read More 2011 One Kathryn Otoshi Audience: Grades K - 3 Introduces young readers to numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors by offering the story of ill-tempered Red who got too powerful for his own good and had to be brought down to size by One--a single entity with the courage to stand up for what was right. Read More 2011 Pouch! David Ezra Stein Audience: Pre-K A baby kangaroo takes his first tentative hops outside of his mama's pouch, meeting other creatures and growing bolder each time. Read More 2010 Tops & Bottoms Adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens Audience: Ages 4 - 7 Large, dynamic double-page-spread paintings are only part of the charm of this very funny picture book. Easily recognizable as a trickster tale (Stevens' source note roots the story in European folktales and slave stories of the American South), this features appealing, contemporary cousins of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. Here, Bear and Hare are involved in a gardening partnership, with industrious, clever Hare reaping all the vegetable profits. As usual, Stevens' animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. Hare, decked out in a lively gardening shirt and surrounded by mischievous offspring, is the image of determination. It's Bear, however, who wins the personality prize: he snoozes away each planting season squashed in his favorite chair, changing positions with each flip of the page. It's all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing. Read More 2010 Carrot Soup John Segal Audience: Pre-K Rabbit, a very organized animal, loves carrot soup. He spends the long winter paging through carrot catalogs (a full-page spread shows the different colors, shapes, and sizes of eight kinds of carrots). Then he plows and plants, waters and weeds, and waits. Finally it's time to harvest, but when he goes to pick the carrots, they are all gone. He frantically questions all the animals he knows, but not one admits to liking carrots. "Discouraged and disappointed, Rabbit went home," where he discovered a wonderful surprise. Read More 2009 The Liberation of Gabriel King K.L. Going Audience: Grades 4 - 7 For grades 4-7, this is the story of two friends who overcome their fears - one of going to fifth grade and one of racial prejudice. "Full of humanity and humor, this well-paced novel offers a dollop of history with its setting in rural Georgia at the moment local boy Jimmy Carter's presidential bid is gaining momentum. The villains' credibility makes them scary, and both Gabe and Frita's refreshingly functional families are exquisitely drawn..." - Publisher's Weekly Gabriel King believes he was born chicken. He's afraid of spiders, corpses, loose cows, and just about everything related to the fifth grade. If it's a choice between graduating or staying in the fourth grade forever, he's going to stay put - only his best friend Frita Wilson won't hear of it. "Gabe," says Frita, "we gotta do something about you." When Frita makes up her mind she's like a locomotive - there's no stopping her. "First you're going to make a list. Write down everything you're afraid of." Gabe's list is a lot longer than he'd like Frita to know. Plus, he can't quite figure out how tackling his fears will make him brave. Surely jumping off the rope swing over the catfish pond can only lead to certain death...But maybe Frita knows what she's doing. It turns out she's got her own list, and while she's watching Gabe tackle each of his fears, she's avoiding the fear that scares her the most. With wisdom and clarity, K. L. Going explores the nature of fear in what should be an idyllic summer for two friends from different backgrounds. For them, living in a small town in Georgia with an active Ku Klux Klan, the summer of 1976 is a momentous one. Read More 2009 The Other Side Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis Audience: Grades K - 3 This beautifully illustrated picture book for grades K-3 tells a story of a friendship across race. "I wanted to write about how powerful kids can be. Clover and Annie fight against segregation by becoming friends. They don't believe in the ideas adults have about things so they do what they can to change the world. We all have this power." - Jacqueline Woodson From School Library Journal: Clover, the young African-American narrator, lives beside a fence that segregates her town. Her mother instructs her never to climb over to the other side because it isn't safe. But one summer morning, Clover notices a girl on the other side. Both children are curious about one another, and as the summer stretches on, Clover and Annie work up the nerve to introduce themselves. They dodge the injunction against crossing the fence by sitting on top of it together, and Clover pretends not to care when her friends react strangely at the sight of her sitting side by side with a white girl. Eventually, it's the fence that's out of place, not the friendship. Woodson's spare text is easy and unencumbered. Read More

2025Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a leading AI researcher, has been warning about the dangers of biased AI for years. Her groundbreaking work exposed racial and gender biases in AI systems from major tech companies. In her book, Unmasking AI, she discusses how these biases can harm marginalized groups. Buolamwini argues that we need to ensure AI is developed ethically and equitably for the benefit of everyone. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to advocate for algorithmic justice and prevent AI harms. < All Book Selections 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Unmasking AI (NF) Dr. Joy Buolamwini Audience: Adult Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a leading AI researcher, has been warning about the dangers of biased AI for years. Her groundbreaking work exposed racial and gender biases in AI systems from major tech companies. In her book, Unmasking AI, she discusses how these biases can harm marginalized groups. Buolamwini argues that we need to ensure AI is developed ethically and equitably for the benefit of everyone. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to advocate for algorithmic justice and prevent AI harms. About the Author Dr. Joy Buolamwini Author's website

2013When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero. There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together. Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad-Justin, Wolf, and Charlene-the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed. < All Book Selections 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Purple Heart Patricia McCormick Audience: Ages 14+ When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero. There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together. Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad-Justin, Wolf, and Charlene-the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed. About the Author Patricia McCormick is a former journalist, novelist and National Book Award Finalist. She has a B.S. from Rosemont College, an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and an M.F.A. from The New School. Her other books include Cut, Sold, My Brother's Keeper and Never Fall Down. She has received numerous awards for her writing. Patricia McCormick Author's website

Join engaging adult classes, talks, and activities that inspire learning and connection. Explore workshops, lectures, and creative programs designed for personal growth and community involvement. Adult Classes/Talks/Activities Thank You Neighbor: Community Multi-Language Video Project Thu, Jan 15 Online Video Project More info Details Toolkit for Parents/Teachers: Tools to Engage Young Readers! Thu, Jan 15 Online Toolkit More info Details Community Cookbook: Submit Your Recipes! Thu, Jan 15 Santa Clara County Residents Can Submit More info Details Build a Bridge of Belonging Across Silicon Valley: Paper Chain of Kindness Thu, Jan 15 Libraries Across the County More info Details Euphrat Museum of Art Exhibit: A Sense of Belonging Thu, Jan 15 Cupertino: De Anza College Campus More info Details Intro to Resin: Build a connection! Thu, Mar 12 Saratoga Library More info Details Virtual Author Talk, Kate Quinn Thu, Mar 12 Virtual Event More info Details Multiple Dates Watercolor Painting for Individuals with Disabilities Thu, Mar 12 Sunnyvale Community Center More info Details A Virtual Conversation with Clare Pooley, "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting" Sat, Mar 14 Virtual Event More info Details San Francisco Shakespeare Festival Presents: Julius Caesar Sat, Mar 14 Morgan Hill Library More info Details Celebrate Persian New Year: Read A-Louds, Presentation & Dance Performance Sun, Mar 15 Saratoga Library More info Details Adult Enrichment Storytime Mon, Mar 16 Santa Clara: Central Park Library More info Details Celebrate Persian New Year Mon, Mar 16 Cupertino Library More info Details Finding Belonging in Our Common Humanity Sat, Mar 21 Virtual Event More info Details Pokemon Go at the Library! Sat, Mar 21 Morgan Hill Library More info Details Celebrate Persian New Year Mon, Mar 23 Los Altos Library More info Details Finding Belonging in Our Common Humanity Tue, Mar 24 Online More info Details Sit & Be Fit! Thu, Mar 26 Gilroy Library More info Details Load More

2021Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society. But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together. The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future. Spend time each day with those you love. Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about. Focus on each other. Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening. Embrace solitude. The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy. Help and be helped. Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger. < All Book Selections 2021 Connecting Together Vivek H. Murthy, MD Audience: Adult Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society. But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together. The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future. Spend time each day with those you love. Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about. Focus on each other. Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening. Embrace solitude. The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy. Help and be helped. Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger. About the Author Dr. Vivek H. Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States from December 15, 2014 to April 21, 2017. As America’s Doctor, Dr. Murthy created initiatives to tackle our country’s most urgent public health issues. In 2017, Dr. Murthy focused his attention on chronic stress and isolation as prevalent problems that have profound implications for health, productivity, and happiness. Partnering with the Veterans Health Administration, he brought together leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners to identify scientifically proven ways we can cultivate emotional well-being and fitness to help us thrive among the most challenging circumstances. In addition to his role as America’s Doctor, as the Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations in over 800 locations domestically and abroad. He worked with thousands of Commissioned Corps officers to strengthen the Corps and protect the nation from Ebola and Zika and to respond to the Flint water crisis, major hurricanes, and frequent health care shortages in rural communities. Dr. Murthy’s commitment to medicine and health began early in life. The son of immigrants from India, he discovered the art of healing watching his parents - Hallegere and Myetriae Murthy - treat patients like family in his father’s medical clinic in Miami, Florida. Dr. Murthy received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard and his M.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Yale. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and later joined Harvard Medical School as faculty in internal medicine. Dr. Murthy resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Dr. Alice Chen, and their two young children. Vivek H. Murthy, MD Author's website

2025Local author and founder of Khan Academy, Salman Khan's latest book, Brave New Words, is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of education. Khan explores how AI and GPT technology will transform learning, offering a roadmap for teachers, parents, and students to navigate this exciting new world. Khan examines the benefits and challenges of AI in education, emphasizing the importance of human interaction while leveraging AI for personalized learning. He also delves into the ethical implications of AI, providing insights into how we can use these tools to build a more accessible and equitable education system. < All Book Selections 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Brave New Words (NF) Salman Khan Audience: Adult Local author and founder of Khan Academy, Salman Khan's latest book, Brave New Words, is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of education. Khan explores how AI and GPT technology will transform learning, offering a roadmap for teachers, parents, and students to navigate this exciting new world. Khan examines the benefits and challenges of AI in education, emphasizing the importance of human interaction while leveraging AI for personalized learning. He also delves into the ethical implications of AI, providing insights into how we can use these tools to build a more accessible and equitable education system. About the Author Salman Khan Author's website

2016The Dust Bowl is sweeping through 1937 Kansas, but 11-year-old Jack Clark still faces life's ordinary challenges: town bullies, a sister with an eye for trouble, and his father's failed expectations. With tensions flaring in the rising heat, Jack catches a glimpse of a sinister figure with a face like rain in a neighbor's abandoned barn. When it never rains, it's hard to trust what you see with your own eyes – and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. The Storm in the Barn is a graphic novel that has received numerous honors including the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and Kirk Reviews Best Children’s Book of the Year. < All Book Selections 2016 Chance of Rain? The Storm in the Barn Matt Phelan Audience: Ages 10+ The Dust Bowl is sweeping through 1937 Kansas, but 11-year-old Jack Clark still faces life's ordinary challenges: town bullies, a sister with an eye for trouble, and his father's failed expectations. With tensions flaring in the rising heat, Jack catches a glimpse of a sinister figure with a face like rain in a neighbor's abandoned barn. When it never rains, it's hard to trust what you see with your own eyes – and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. The Storm in the Barn is a graphic novel that has received numerous honors including the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and Kirk Reviews Best Children’s Book of the Year. About the Author Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including Flora’s Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, Always by Ann Stott, Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park, and The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal. He is the author/illustrator of the graphic novel The Storm in the Barn, which won the 2010 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. His second graphic novel Around the World received the 2012 Carolyn W.Field Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association and two Eisner Award nominations. His latest graphic novel, Bluffton, is about summertime, vaudeville, and the young Buster Keaton. It has been nominated for three Eisner Awards including Best Graphic Album. His first picture book, Druthers, was published in September 2014. In 2014, Matt was awarded the Free Library of Philadelphia/Drexel University Children's Literature Citation. Matt lives in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Matt Phelan Author's website

Resources Resources for parents and educators. A series of toolkits to support companion children & teen books featured by Silicon Valley Reads. Toolkits 2026 Tool Kit for Parents & Educators (TK-12) Welcome to the 2026 Silicon Valley Reads Reader Engagement Toolkit. This toolkit is designed to support you with engaging youth with this year’s children/teen companion books focused on “Bridges to Belonging.” For each book, you will find a brief summary of the text, potential discussion questions, tools to support literacy and interactive reading, social emotional resources as well as a focus on belonging. We hope this provides you with a robust set of tools to engage students in this year’s fantastic children & teen companion books. Past Toolkits 2025 Toolkit for Educators & Parents Toolkit for Reader Engagement: Use this tool to help engage youth in the Silicon Valley Reads book selections for 2025- Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World. 2024 Toolkit for Parents (TK-12) Toolkit for Family and Community Engagement (2024) 2024 Toolkit for Educators (TK-12) Educator Resources to support the 2024 Companion Children & Teen Books. Silicon Valley Reads book theme: A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today. 2023 Toolkit for Educators (TK-12) Educator Resources to support the 2023 Companion Children & Teen Books. Silicon Valley Reads book theme: Journey to New Beginnings. 2023 Toolkit for Parents (TK-12) Toolkit for Family Engagement (2023) 2022 Toolkit for Parents (TK-12) Toolkit for Family and Community Engagement (2022 The Power of Kindness, Resilience & Hope) Educator Resources Button This is a title. Click here to edit. Button This is a title. Click here to edit and add your own text. Button This is a title. Click here to edit and add your own text. Button This is an extra long title. Click here to edit and add your own text. It's easy. Parent Resources Button toolkit for 2023 Button This is a title. Click here to edit and add your own text. Button This is a title. Click here to edit and add your own text. Button This is an extra long title. Click here to edit and add your own text. It's easy. Button This is a title. Click here to edit. Button This is a title. Click here to edit and add your own text. Button This is a title. Click here to edit and add your own text. Button This is an extra long title. Click here to edit and add your own text. It's easy.

Learn about our accessibility programs that ensure inclusive experiences for all visitors. Discover services, resources, and accommodations designed to make events and activities accessible to everyone. Accessibility Programs Thank You, Neighbor StoryWalk® Tue, Jan 20 Multiple Local Parks More info Details Multiple Dates Watercolor Painting for Individuals with Disabilities Thu, Mar 12 Sunnyvale Community Center More info Details Adult Enrichment Storytime Mon, Mar 16 Santa Clara: Central Park Library More info Details Give Me a Sign Book Discussion & Author Visit Fri, Mar 20 Online More info Details Thank You, Neighbor- Storytime ASL Mon, Mar 23 Sunnyvale Library More info Details

2013When a soldier's work takes him halfway around the world, he enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son. Night Catch is a timeless story that connects families while they are apart and offers comforting hope for their reunion. The book has been endorsed by the Military Child Education Coalition, United Through Reading and Army Wife Network. < All Book Selections 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Night Catch Brenda Ehrmantraut Audience: Pre-K to Grade 2 When a soldier's work takes him halfway around the world, he enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son. Night Catch is a timeless story that connects families while they are apart and offers comforting hope for their reunion. The book has been endorsed by the Military Child Education Coalition, United Through Reading and Army Wife Network. About the Author Brenda lives in South Dakota where she is on the Aberdeen Area Arts Council. She is a graduate of North Dakota State University and Miami University (of Ohio). She has taught Language Arts and Reading at all levels 1-12 and is now president of Bubblegum Press, a publisher of children's books. She is also the author of I Want One Too! Brenda Ehrmantraut Author's website

2023Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story. < All Book Selections 2023 Journey to New Beginnings When Stars are Scattered Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed Audience: Grades 5-8 Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story. About the Author Victoria Jamieson Co-author/Illustrator Victoria Jamieson is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of books for children. Her graphic novel Roller Girl was awarded a 2016 Newbery Honor. When Stars Are Scattered, co-written with Omar Mohamed, was named a National Book Award Finalist in 2020. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania. Omar Mohamed Co-author Born in Somalia, at age 4, Omar fled to Dadaab Refugee Camp, and spent the next 15 years in the camp. Despite the difficulties of living in the refugee camp, Omar completed his primary and secondary school in Dadaab. He came to the U.S. in 2009 as a refugee, traveling with his younger brother who is mentality handicapped. In 2010 Omar became a US citizen and was also accepted into the University of Arizona where he completed his degree in International Development. Omar started Refugee Strong, a 501(C) (3) nonprofit organization committed to empowering refugee communities by providing support and hope through education. Having grown up in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Omar is a constant advocate for those who live there. Omar co-authored When Stars are Scattered based on his experience. Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed Author's website

2015Ten-year-old Darling and her friends navigate their shantytown with the exuberance and mischievous spirit of children everywhere. But they are shadowed by memories of Before -- before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the schools closed, before their fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad. When Darling escapes to suburban America, she finds that—far from the comforts of her childhood community—America’s abundance is hard to reach, and she reckons alone with the sacrifices and mixed rewards of assimilating. Channeling the rhythm and vibrancy of the storytellers who raised her in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo tells a potent story of displacement and arrival, at once disarmingly playful and devastatingly candid, with a power all its own. < All Book Selections 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo Audience: Adult Ten-year-old Darling and her friends navigate their shantytown with the exuberance and mischievous spirit of children everywhere. But they are shadowed by memories of Before -- before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the schools closed, before their fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad. When Darling escapes to suburban America, she finds that—far from the comforts of her childhood community—America’s abundance is hard to reach, and she reckons alone with the sacrifices and mixed rewards of assimilating. Channeling the rhythm and vibrancy of the storytellers who raised her in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo tells a potent story of displacement and arrival, at once disarmingly playful and devastatingly candid, with a power all its own. About the Author NoViolet Bulawayo is the author of We Need New Names (May 2013) which has been recognized with the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, the Pen/Hemingway Award, the Etisalat Prize for Literature, the Barnes and Noble Discover Award (second place), and the National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” Fiction Selection. We Need New Names was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award, and selected to the New York Times Notable Books of 2013 list, the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers list, and others. NoViolet’s story “Hitting Budapest” won the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing. NoViolet earned her MFA at Cornell University where she was a recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. She was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, where she now teaches as a Jones Lecturer in Fiction. NoViolet grew up in Zimbabwe. NoViolet Bulawayo Author's website

2016“We ask that you stay calm,” the mayor said. “We’re Portlanders, right? We have thrived in prosperity, and we can endure hardship. To those who may feel the need to secure quantities of water, by whatever means, I ask you to have trust. Trust in your government, trust in me. We will provide. We will help each other get through. No one will go thirsty.” In drought-stricken Portland, Oregon, a Robin Hood-esque water thief is caught on camera redistributing an illegal truckload of water to those in need. Nicknamed Maid Marian—real name: Renee, a 20-something barista and eternal part-time college student—she is an instant folk hero. Renee rides her swelling popularity and the public's disgust at how the city has abandoned its people, raises an army . . . and secedes a quarter of the city. Even as Maid Marian and her compatriots build their community one neighbor at a time, they are making powerful enemies amongst the city government and the National Guard. Sherwood is an idealistic dream too soon caught in a brutal fight for survival. Sherwood Nation is the story of the rise and fall of a micro-nation within a city. It is a love story, a war story, a grand social experiment, a treatise on hacking and remaking government, on freedom and necessity, on individualism and community. EDITORIAL REVIEWS "With climate change and ever-increasing consumption, running out of water is a danger we don’t readily acknowledge, yet Benjamin Parzybok’s Sherwood Nation makes that danger vividly real. . . . Here we see how people behave in crisis—some better and some worse—and how idealism, self-concerned realism, and the personal hang in a balance; friends, alliances, and enemies are made.” Library Journal “What makes Sherwood Nation so compelling and, frankly, often terrifying, is how close to home it lives. This Portland is totally familiar, invoking the attitudes and spirit of today’s residents and details from the recent political landscape. It feels like the place we know — until a nightly power blackout or parade of National Guard water distribution tankers jars us with a reminder that this is, thankfully, a work of very good fiction." Register Guard "Benjamin Parzybok has reached into the post-collapse era for a story vital to our here and now. Sherwood Nation is part political thriller, part social fable, and part manifesto, its every page brimming with gonzo exuberance." Jedediah Berry < All Book Selections 2016 Chance of Rain? Sherwood Nation Benjamin Parzybok Audience: Adult “We ask that you stay calm,” the mayor said. “We’re Portlanders, right? We have thrived in prosperity, and we can endure hardship. To those who may feel the need to secure quantities of water, by whatever means, I ask you to have trust. Trust in your government, trust in me. We will provide. We will help each other get through. No one will go thirsty.” In drought-stricken Portland, Oregon, a Robin Hood-esque water thief is caught on camera redistributing an illegal truckload of water to those in need. Nicknamed Maid Marian—real name: Renee, a 20-something barista and eternal part-time college student—she is an instant folk hero. Renee rides her swelling popularity and the public's disgust at how the city has abandoned its people, raises an army . . . and secedes a quarter of the city. Even as Maid Marian and her compatriots build their community one neighbor at a time, they are making powerful enemies amongst the city government and the National Guard. Sherwood is an idealistic dream too soon caught in a brutal fight for survival. Sherwood Nation is the story of the rise and fall of a micro-nation within a city. It is a love story, a war story, a grand social experiment, a treatise on hacking and remaking government, on freedom and necessity, on individualism and community. EDITORIAL REVIEWS "With climate change and ever-increasing consumption, running out of water is a danger we don’t readily acknowledge, yet Benjamin Parzybok’s Sherwood Nation makes that danger vividly real. . . . Here we see how people behave in crisis—some better and some worse—and how idealism, self-concerned realism, and the personal hang in a balance; friends, alliances, and enemies are made.” Library Journal “What makes Sherwood Nation so compelling and, frankly, often terrifying, is how close to home it lives. This Portland is totally familiar, invoking the attitudes and spirit of today’s residents and details from the recent political landscape. It feels like the place we know — until a nightly power blackout or parade of National Guard water distribution tankers jars us with a reminder that this is, thankfully, a work of very good fiction." Register Guard "Benjamin Parzybok has reached into the post-collapse era for a story vital to our here and now. Sherwood Nation is part political thriller, part social fable, and part manifesto, its every page brimming with gonzo exuberance." Jedediah Berry About the Author Benjamin Parzybok is the author of the novels Couch (two time Indie-Next pick) and Sherwood Nation. His short stories have appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed Magazine and West Branch. Among his other projects, he co-founded Gumball Poetry, a literary journal published in gumball capsule machines, co-ran Project Hamad, an effort to free a Guantanamo inmate Adel Hamad (who is now free) and co-runs “Black Magic Insurance Agency,” a one-night city-wide alternative reality game. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with the artist Laura Moulton. He also founded and is the current Chief Technology Officer of the startup Walker Tracker. levinofearth.com and @sparkwatson Benjamin Parzybok Author's website

2020The Tenth Muse is an exhilarating, moving novel about a trailblazing mathematician whose research unearths her own extraordinary family story and its roots in World War II From the days of her childhood in the 1950s Midwest, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem. As she matures from a girl of rare intelligence into an exceptional mathematician, traveling to Europe to further her studies, she must face the most human of problems—who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition? These questions grow ever more entangled as Katherine strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics and becomes involved with a brilliant and charismatic professor. When she embarks on a quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that may hold both the lock and the key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II. Forced to confront some of the most consequential events of the 20th century and rethink everything she knows of herself, she finds kinship in the stories of the women who came before her, and discovers how seemingly distant stories, lives, and ideas are inextricably linked to her own. < All Book Selections 2020 Women Making It Happen The Tenth Muse Catherine Chung Audience: Adult The Tenth Muse is an exhilarating, moving novel about a trailblazing mathematician whose research unearths her own extraordinary family story and its roots in World War II From the days of her childhood in the 1950s Midwest, Katherine knows she is different, and that her parents are not who they seem. As she matures from a girl of rare intelligence into an exceptional mathematician, traveling to Europe to further her studies, she must face the most human of problems—who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition? These questions grow ever more entangled as Katherine strives to take her place in the world of higher mathematics and becomes involved with a brilliant and charismatic professor. When she embarks on a quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that may hold both the lock and the key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II. Forced to confront some of the most consequential events of the 20th century and rethink everything she knows of herself, she finds kinship in the stories of the women who came before her, and discovers how seemingly distant stories, lives, and ideas are inextricably linked to her own. About the Author Catherine Chung is the author of The Tenth Muse and Forgotten Country, for which she won an Honorable Mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She has been a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, a Granta New Voice, a Director's Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the recipient of a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Prize in poetry. She has a degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago and worked at a think tank in Santa Monica before receiving her MFA from Cornell University. She has published work in The New York Times and Granta, among others. Catherine Chung Author's website A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR "I am so delighted that The Tenth Muse has been chosen for the Silicon Valley Reads program, with its focus this year on women breaking gender barriers. To the extent that I meant The Tenth Muse to be both a chronicle of such women in history (particularly those working in STEM) as well as a contribution to the collective imagination around such women, I feel it couldn't be a more perfect fit, and I am beyond excited to get to be part of your community to talk with you about these things." - Catherine Chung

2010Large, dynamic double-page-spread paintings are only part of the charm of this very funny picture book. Easily recognizable as a trickster tale (Stevens' source note roots the story in European folktales and slave stories of the American South), this features appealing, contemporary cousins of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. Here, Bear and Hare are involved in a gardening partnership, with industrious, clever Hare reaping all the vegetable profits. As usual, Stevens' animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. Hare, decked out in a lively gardening shirt and surrounded by mischievous offspring, is the image of determination. It's Bear, however, who wins the personality prize: he snoozes away each planting season squashed in his favorite chair, changing positions with each flip of the page. It's all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing. < All Book Selections 2010 Tops & Bottoms Adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens Audience: Ages 4 - 7 Large, dynamic double-page-spread paintings are only part of the charm of this very funny picture book. Easily recognizable as a trickster tale (Stevens' source note roots the story in European folktales and slave stories of the American South), this features appealing, contemporary cousins of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. Here, Bear and Hare are involved in a gardening partnership, with industrious, clever Hare reaping all the vegetable profits. As usual, Stevens' animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. Hare, decked out in a lively gardening shirt and surrounded by mischievous offspring, is the image of determination. It's Bear, however, who wins the personality prize: he snoozes away each planting season squashed in his favorite chair, changing positions with each flip of the page. It's all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing. About the Author Janet Stevens has been writing and or illustrating books for over 30 years. Her love of reading, art and children have combined to create the perfect career. Lately her collaboration with her sister, Susan Stevens Crummel have made the experience even more fun. Their titles include such favorites as Cook- a- Doodle-Doo, The Great Fuzz Frenzy, Help Me, Mr. Mutt and The Little Red Pen. Janet’s books have received numerous honors including, Time Magazine Best Books of the Year, ALA Notable books, Children’s Choice awards, Wanda Gag Book Best Read Aloud Award, New York Times Best Seller list and the Caldecott Honor for Tops and Bottoms. However, her most coveted awards are those voted on by young readers. She has won over 30 state book awards. Janet explains, “ When children read and love my books I feel as if I have done myjob. My greatest compliment is, read it again!” Adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens Author's website

2025Dr. Fei-Fei Li, the "Godmother of AI" according to Wired Magazine, has been a driving force behind recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Her creation of ImageNet, a massive dataset of images, has been instrumental in training deep learning models. Despite facing adversity early in life, Li’s passion for physics led her to pursue a career in computer science. Her work has positioned her at the forefront of AI research, where she has witnessed both the incredible potential and the significant risks of this technology. The Worlds I See offers a personal glimpse into her journey and a clear explanation of AI's development. < All Book Selections 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World The Worlds I See Dr. Fei-Fei Li Audience: Adult Dr. Fei-Fei Li, the "Godmother of AI" according to Wired Magazine, has been a driving force behind recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Her creation of ImageNet, a massive dataset of images, has been instrumental in training deep learning models. Despite facing adversity early in life, Li’s passion for physics led her to pursue a career in computer science. Her work has positioned her at the forefront of AI research, where she has witnessed both the incredible potential and the significant risks of this technology. The Worlds I See offers a personal glimpse into her journey and a clear explanation of AI's development. About the Author Dr. Fei-Fei Li is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, and Founding Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. She served as the Director of Stanford’s AI Lab from 2013 to 2018, and during her sabbatical from Stanford, she was Vice President at Google and served as Chief Scientist of AI/ML at Google Cloud. Dr. Li holds a B.A. in physics from Princeton, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Caltech, and an honorary doctorate from Harvey Mudd College. Her research focuses on cognitively inspired AI, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, robotic learning, and AI+healthcare. She has published over 300 scientific articles, and her groundbreaking work in creating ImageNet, the first big training and benchmarking dataset in AI, was instrumental in catalyzing the onset of modern AI. She is a leading advocate for diversity in STEM and AI, co-founding AI4ALL to promote inclusion in AI education. Dr. Fei-Fei Li Author's website

2025 Books Videos & Photos 2025 Videos 2025 Event Photos Featured Books for Adults The Worlds I See Dr. Fei-Fei Li, the "Godmother of AI" according to Wired Magazine, has been a driving force behind recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Her creation of ImageNet, a massive dataset of images, has been instrumental in training deep learning models. Despite facing adversity early in life, Li’s passion for physics led her to pursue a career in computer science. Her work has positioned her at the forefront of AI research, where she has witnessed both the incredible potential and the significant risks of this technology. The Worlds I See offers a personal glimpse into her journey and a clear explanation of AI's development. Read More Loneliness & Company In the near-future New York City, Lee, a promising graduate, finds herself unexpectedly assigned to a secretive government project. Her task: to train an AI named Vicky to be a friend. As Lee delves into the research, she uncovers a world where loneliness has been eradicated, and the government is desperate to maintain this illusion. With a determination to succeed, Lee embarks on a dangerous mission to gather data for Vicky, pushing the boundaries of her own understanding of friendship and the profound impact technology can have on human connection. Read More The Mountain in the Sea The Mountain in the Sea is a captivating novel set in a near-future world where the discovery of intelligent octopuses on a remote archipelago sparks a global race for technological dominance. A powerful tech corporation, DIANIMA, secures exclusive access to the islands, aiming to harness the octopuses' extraordinary intelligence for AI development. Dr. Ha Nguyen, a renowned marine biologist, joins DIANIMA's team to study these remarkable creatures and their unique language and culture. As research progresses, tensions escalate, and forces from around the world converge, each vying to control this extraordinary discovery. The novel delves into themes of consciousness, communication, and the ethical implications of human interaction with advanced alien intelligence. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the potential consequences of unchecked technological advancement and human exploitation of the natural world. Read More View All Book Selections Companion Books Someday, Maybe Someday, Maybe is a vibrant picture book that sparks imagination about the limitless possibilities of the future. Featuring futuristic jobs like intergalactic rock bands with riffing robots and doctors with X-ray glasses, the book encourages children to dream big and envision exciting careers that haven’t even been invented yet. With self-driving cars and commercial launches to space, the future has arrived, and the opportunities are endless. Join a group of intrepid young innovators as they explore the exciting possibilities that await them in this imaginative picture book. Read More ARTificial Intelligence Ever since he was a little chip, Robot knew he was ART-ificially different. A funny and heartfelt picture book exploring AI, art, and creativity, the story follows Robot as he tries to fit in at the warehouse. But when he’s sent off for reprogramming, he takes a wrong turn and discovers a world of music, dancing, and art. Struggling to understand and express himself through these creative outlets, Robot eventually discovers a unique ability: he can sense the emotions behind the music and the movements of the dancers. Inspired by this newfound understanding, Robot begins to experiment with his own artistic creations, combining his mechanical precision with his newfound appreciation for art. Soon, the warehouse, once a dull and monotonous place, is transformed by Robot’s artistic creations. The other robots, inspired by his passion, begin to experiment with their own forms of expression. Together, they create a vibrant and dynamic environment where technology and art coexist. Read More The Wild Robot The Wild Robot, a heartwarming and action-packed novel, now a DreamWorks movie, tells the story of Roz, a robot stranded on a remote island. As she battles the elements and learns to adapt to her wild surroundings, Roz forms unlikely friendships with the island’s animal inhabitants. But her mysterious past threatens to disrupt her newfound peace. From bestselling author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a captivating tale exploring the collision of nature and technology. Read More Farther than the Moon From award-winning author Lindsay Lackey, Farther Than the Moon is a heartfelt story about a thirteen-year-old boy named Houston who dreams of becoming an astronaut. When he’s accepted to a prestigious astronaut program, Houston faces a dilemma: his younger brother, Robbie, has disabilities that prevent him from attending. Despite the challenges, Houston is determined to honor Robbie’s dream of space exploration, even if it means making sacrifices. As Houston navigates the demands of the program and confronts the reality of his brother’s limitations, he discovers the true meaning of friendship, perseverance, and the power of hope. Read More View All Companion Books Recommended Reading Unmasking AI (NF) Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a leading AI researcher, has been warning about the dangers of biased AI for years. Her groundbreaking work exposed racial and gender biases in AI systems from major tech companies. In her book, Unmasking AI, she discusses how these biases can harm marginalized groups. Buolamwini argues that we need to ensure AI is developed ethically and equitably for the benefit of everyone. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to advocate for algorithmic justice and prevent AI harms. Brave New Words (NF) Local author and founder of Khan Academy, Salman Khan's latest book, Brave New Words, is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of education. Khan explores how AI and GPT technology will transform learning, offering a roadmap for teachers, parents, and students to navigate this exciting new world. Khan examines the benefits and challenges of AI in education, emphasizing the importance of human interaction while leveraging AI for personalized learning. He also delves into the ethical implications of AI, providing insights into how we can use these tools to build a more accessible and equitable education system. Breaking Through: My Life in Science (NF) Katalin Karikó, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, overcame countless obstacles to revolutionize medicine. Despite facing discrimination and skepticism, she persisted in her research on messenger RNA (mRNA). Her groundbreaking work led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, saving millions of lives. Karikó's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of pursuing scientific discovery, even in the face of adversity. The Verifiers (Fiction) Claudia Lin, a sharp-witted amateur sleuth, investigates a missing client while working for a unique online-dating detective agency. As she delves deeper, she uncovers a web of deceit and explores the complexities of love and technology in the digital age. This debut novel offers a clever and incisive examination of modern relationships and the impact of technology on our lives. Annie Bot (Fiction- Adult Content) Annie Bot, a female robot designed to be the perfect girlfriend, is learning and growing beyond her programmed role. As she becomes more self-aware, she challenges the boundaries of her relationship with her human owner, Doug. This provocative novel explores themes of power, autonomy, and the complexities of human-AI relationships in a world where creations may surpass their creators. Recommended Reading

2012Since 9/11, stories about Muslims and the Islamic world have flooded headlines, politics, and water-cooler conversations all across the country. And, although Americans hear about Islam on a daily basis, there remains no clear explanation of Islam or its people. The Muslim Next Door offers easy-to-understand yet academically sound answers to these questions while also dispelling commonly held misconceptions. Written from the point of view of an American Muslim, the book addresses what readers in the Western world are most curious about, beginning with the basics of Islam and how Muslims practice their religion before easing into more complicated issues like jihad, Islamic fundamentalism, and the status of women in Islam. Author Sumbul Ali-Karamali's vivid anecdotes about growing up Muslim and female in the West, along with her sensitive, scholarly overview of Islam, combine for a uniquely insightful look at the world's fastest growing religion. < All Book Selections 2012 Muslim and American: Two Perspectives The Muslim Next Door Sumbul Ali-Karamali Audience: Adult Since 9/11, stories about Muslims and the Islamic world have flooded headlines, politics, and water-cooler conversations all across the country. And, although Americans hear about Islam on a daily basis, there remains no clear explanation of Islam or its people. The Muslim Next Door offers easy-to-understand yet academically sound answers to these questions while also dispelling commonly held misconceptions. Written from the point of view of an American Muslim, the book addresses what readers in the Western world are most curious about, beginning with the basics of Islam and how Muslims practice their religion before easing into more complicated issues like jihad, Islamic fundamentalism, and the status of women in Islam. Author Sumbul Ali-Karamali's vivid anecdotes about growing up Muslim and female in the West, along with her sensitive, scholarly overview of Islam, combine for a uniquely insightful look at the world's fastest growing religion. About the Author Sumbul Ali-Karamali grew up in California, balancing her South Asian, Muslim, and American identities. Often the only Muslim her acquaintances knew, she had ample practice answering questions about Islam and Muslims. ("What do you mean you can't go to the prom because of your religion?") While working as a corporate lawyer, she was repeatedly asked to recommend books on Islam, so she decided to write a book that was both academically reliable and entertaining to read. Consequently, she moved to London and earned her L.L.M. in Islamic Law from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. She served as a teaching assistant in Islamic Law at SOAS and a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law in London, and then she wrote The Muslim Next Door for everyone who ever asked - or wanted to ask - a question about Islam. To learn more about Sumbul, visit her website muslimnextdoor.com Sumbul Ali-Karamali Author's website REVIEW FROM BLOGCRITICS MAGAZINE "Sumbul Ali-Karamali's exceptional The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the Media, and That Veil Thing is a conversational piece of work that illuminates numerous facets of the Muslim faith in terms and language that the average reader can understand. Ali-Karamali's book illuminates what it means to be a Muslim and what it means to live with honour and dignity. She is academic, yet never exclusive, in her approach to the subject matter. Always kind and credible, Ali-Karamali delivers point after point of intelligibility and authority.... Sumbul Ali-Karamali's The Muslim Next Door should be required reading (along with a Qur'an) for anyone interested in the subject of Islam and its many misconceptions among Westerners. While we aim for a future in which harmony prevails and justice and compassion are tantamount, we must remember to combat the most portentous demon of them all: misinformation. Ali-Karamali's book does that beautifully." DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (THE MUSLIM NEXT DOOR) What is religion? What is the purpose of religion? What is the difference between religious doctrine and what religionists do in practice? What is culture? How is it intertwined with religion? Is it so intertwined in the United States? Why or why not? What was your perception of Islam before reading this book and has it been transformed or confirmed after reading The Muslim Next Door? In what ways, if any, has it transformed? What information or argument or perspective in the book did you find especially surprising or compelling? Did this book inspire you to read more about the history of Islam and Muslims? Is there anything you learned about this history that you wish to investigate further? Samuel Huntingdon and others insist that a "clash of civilizations" is inevitable. What do you think? Do you adhere to a religion that has a religious text? If so, how old is that text? Do you know what every word means? Would you take every word literally? If not, why not? The author claims that we in the United States grow up with the white, Western viewpoint. Do you agree? Give examples supporting your view. Why does the Muslim head covering provoke such reflexive reactions in many non-Muslims? Is it different from nuns' habits? Jewish orthodox head coverings? What are the issues involved in religious dress? What are the parameters of dress and modesty in our own world, religious or non-religious? Are the words "objective," "apologist," and "biased," appropriate to a discussion of religion? How are they used in the public discourse? Is there an objective view or only different points of view? Can you think of aspects of your own traditions or cultures or religions that could be misunderstood or that other people could point to in a negative light?

2011A baby kangaroo takes his first tentative hops outside of his mama's pouch, meeting other creatures and growing bolder each time. < All Book Selections 2011 Pouch! David Ezra Stein Audience: Pre-K A baby kangaroo takes his first tentative hops outside of his mama's pouch, meeting other creatures and growing bolder each time. About the Author Award-winning children's author and illustrator David Ezra Stein was born in Brooklyn, NY. By the time he was three, he was asking adults, "Wanna come to my room? Read books?" This love of reading grew into a love of telling stories, and then, writing. David Ezra Stein’s Interrupting Chicken was awarded a 2011 Caldecott Honor, as well as many state awards. His picture book Leaves won the Ezra Jack Keats award and was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice, and a School Library Journal Best Book. Booklist called his book Monster Hug! “a cousin to Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.” Pouch! (Putnam), was a 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book. His books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Catalan, Dutch, French, and Finnish David Ezra Stein Author's website "With each vivacious bounce, a baby kangaroo seeks independence-bit by bit. Ready, more or less, to venture forth from his mama's pouch, this tenacious tyke now explores the world around him. With a few hops, Joey greets each creature he meets with a forceful, "who are you?" Their one-word responses alarm him; Joey quickly cries "Pouch!" as he returns to his mother's side. When Joey meets another joey, though, he gains courage with his newfound friend. Punchy dialogue zings during the kangaroo's brief interactions, and repetition successfully accelerates the story. Succinct phrases maintain playful pacing and provide a fluid read-aloud. The bold, white hand-lettered dialogue predominately placed against the vignettes expresses the toddler's fledgling growth. Rich colors, mostly in orangey-browns, golden yellows and rustic greens, evoke an earthy atmosphere. The background surroundings seamlessly blend, maintaining focus on the central characters, and soft curves convey maternal love as Joey's mother supports his maturity. Warm and inviting, this buoyant tale is hopping good fun." —Kirkus Reviews

Recommended Reading Silicon Valley Reads is pleased to provide a curated list of recommended reading for our Bridges to Belonging theme. 2026 Bridges to Belonging What it Takes to Save a Life: A Veterinarian's Quest of Healing and Hope Dr. Kwane Stewart Audience: Adult Dr. Kwane Stewart, founder of Project Street Vet and CNN's 2023 Hero of the Year, was a struggling veterinarian on the brink of burnout when a single, spontaneous act of kindness changed everything: offering free treatment to a homeless man's dog. This powerful, honest memoir takes you onto the streets of California and beyond, revealing the extraordinary bonds of unconditional love between unhoused individuals and their animal companions. For people facing extreme loneliness and invisibility, a pet is their only family, their lifeline, and their bridge to stability. In What It Takes to Save a Life, Kwane Stewart shows how healing these animals is a crucial step in recognizing the humanity of their owners. His journey is a profound reminder that we are all part of a wider community, and by extending compassion to our most vulnerable neighbors—and their beloved pets—we can save not just an animal, but a human soul. 2026 Bridges to Belonging Connecting Dots Joshua A. Miele Audience: Adult The memoir of MacArthur "Genius" award winner Dr. Joshua A. Miele is a powerful testament to finding connection and building a life of purpose in a world not built for you. Badly burned and blinded at age four, Miele refused to be a victim. Instead, his natural curiosity and problem-solving skills led him to the heart of the tech industry—from working at NASA to pioneering revolutionary accessibility technologies like screen readers and tactile maps. Connecting Dots is an unforgettable, funny, and deeply honest journey of a blind scientist who channels his experiences into creations that connect the disabled community to the world. Miele’s life demonstrates that the ingenuity spurred by necessity creates the strongest bridges to belonging, allowing millions to fully participate in a society designed for the sighted. 2026 Bridges to Belonging Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting Clare Pooley Audience: Adult Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley is a heartwarming story that proves the most rigid social contract—never talk to strangers—is meant to be broken. Iona Iverson, an eccentric advice columnist, lives by an ironclad rule: ignore everyone on her daily train ride, whom she knows only by self-assigned nicknames like "Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader." But when a fellow commuter suddenly chokes, a single, life-saving act of intervention shatters Iona's carefully constructed isolation. Watch as this unlikely cast of characters—each dealing with their own private struggles with loneliness, aging, and career anxiety—evolves from anonymous passengers into a found family. This story explores how breaking down barriers of judgment and embracing vulnerability can lead to unexpected, life-altering connections, transforming a train car of strangers into a true community. More Books for Adults If you'd like to continue viewing a list of adult recommended reading from past years, scroll down to the "Previous Years' Recommended Reading" section below. Otherwise, select the button below to view a complete list of books that have been featured by Silicon Valley Reads. All Book Selections Over 150 Events Author talks, book clubs, community events and more! Please join us for many more events celebrating Bridges to Belonging! 2026 Calendar of Events Previous Years' Recommended Reading Selections Explore past adult Recommended Reading titles, arranged by featured year and theme. 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Unmasking AI (NF) Dr. Joy Buolamwini Audience: Adult Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a leading AI researcher, has been warning about the dangers of biased AI for years. Her groundbreaking work exposed racial and gender biases in AI systems from major tech companies. In her book, Unmasking AI, she discusses how these biases can harm marginalized groups. Buolamwini argues that we need to ensure AI is developed ethically and equitably for the benefit of everyone. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to advocate for algorithmic justice and prevent AI harms. 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Brave New Words (NF) Salman Khan Audience: Adult Local author and founder of Khan Academy, Salman Khan's latest book, Brave New Words, is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of education. Khan explores how AI and GPT technology will transform learning, offering a roadmap for teachers, parents, and students to navigate this exciting new world. Khan examines the benefits and challenges of AI in education, emphasizing the importance of human interaction while leveraging AI for personalized learning. He also delves into the ethical implications of AI, providing insights into how we can use these tools to build a more accessible and equitable education system. 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Breaking Through: My Life in Science (NF) Katalin Karikó Audience: Adult Katalin Karikó, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, overcame countless obstacles to revolutionize medicine. Despite facing discrimination and skepticism, she persisted in her research on messenger RNA (mRNA). Her groundbreaking work led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, saving millions of lives. Karikó's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of pursuing scientific discovery, even in the face of adversity. 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World The Verifiers (Fiction) Jane Pek Audience: Adult Claudia Lin, a sharp-witted amateur sleuth, investigates a missing client while working for a unique online-dating detective agency. As she delves deeper, she uncovers a web of deceit and explores the complexities of love and technology in the digital age. This debut novel offers a clever and incisive examination of modern relationships and the impact of technology on our lives. 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World Annie Bot (Fiction- Adult Content) Sierra Greer Audience: Adult Annie Bot, a female robot designed to be the perfect girlfriend, is learning and growing beyond her programmed role. As she becomes more self-aware, she challenges the boundaries of her relationship with her human owner, Doug. This provocative novel explores themes of power, autonomy, and the complexities of human-AI relationships in a world where creations may surpass their creators. 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Under a White Sky: The Nature of The Future Elizabeth Kolbert Audience: Adult Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert (Pulitzer Prize winning journalist) takes the reader through various fields of study, speaking to experts on ways they are assisting environments, flora, and fauna that are affected by climate change. The intimate nature of the prose makes the reader feel like they're tagging along with a friend. Exploration is conducted on: the impacts of the Asian carp in the rivers of Chicago, the receding coastline of Louisiana, a pond in the middle of Death Valley with a unique species of fish, to name a few. Kolbert is frank about the reality of the situation, but because of her curious and questioning tone, the subject matter doesn't feel overwhelming. 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Working to Restore: Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Business to Heal the World Esha Chhabra Audience: Adult Working to Restore examines revolutionary approaches in agriculture, waste, supply chain, inclusivity for the collective good, women in the workforce, travel, health, energy, and finance. The companies profiled are solving global issues, promoting responsible production and consumption, creating equitable opportunities for all, encouraging climate action, and more. Chhabra highlights how their work moves beyond the greenwashed idea of “sustainability” into a new era of regeneration and restoration across industries and geographies—to paint a broader picture of a global movement through a journalistic lens. 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire Clare Frank Audience: Adult Burnt is Clare Frank’s inspiring, richly detailed, and open-hearted account of an extraordinary life in fire. It chronicles the transformation of a young adult determined to prove her mettle into a scarred and sensitive veteran, grappling with the weight of her duties as chief of fire protection—one of the highest-ranking women in Cal Fire history—while record-setting fires engulf her home state. 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Damnation Spring (Fiction) Ash Davidson Audience: Adult Damnation Spring beautifully captures a sense of time and place in 1970s Arcata, California. What sets it apart is its unique take on the traditional conservation narrative. For generations, the community has lived and breathed timber; now that way of life is threatened. Amidst the backdrop of environmental concerns, Damnation Spring introduces an intriguing juxtaposition. The loggers share an intimate bond with the forest that outsiders, advocating for its preservation through protected parklands, can never fully comprehend. This novel opens a new perspective on environmentalism, exploring the intricate relationship between humanity and nature.

2025The Wild Robot, a heartwarming and action-packed novel, now a DreamWorks movie, tells the story of Roz, a robot stranded on a remote island. As she battles the elements and learns to adapt to her wild surroundings, Roz forms unlikely friendships with the island’s animal inhabitants. But her mysterious past threatens to disrupt her newfound peace. From bestselling author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a captivating tale exploring the collision of nature and technology. < All Book Selections 2025 Empowering Humanity: Technology for a Better World The Wild Robot Peter Brown Audience: Upper Elementary The Wild Robot, a heartwarming and action-packed novel, now a DreamWorks movie, tells the story of Roz, a robot stranded on a remote island. As she battles the elements and learns to adapt to her wild surroundings, Roz forms unlikely friendships with the island’s animal inhabitants. But her mysterious past threatens to disrupt her newfound peace. From bestselling author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a captivating tale exploring the collision of nature and technology. About the Author Peter Brown writes and illustrates books for children. His picture books include The Curious Garden, Children Make Terrible Pets, and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. His work has earned numerous honors, including a Horn Book Award, a Children’s Choice Illustrator of the Year Award, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and a Caldecott Honor. Peter’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel for children, The Wild Robot, was the inspiration for The Wild Robot animated film from DreamWorks. He lives in Maine with his wife, X. Fang, who is also an author and illustrator. Peter Brown Author's website

2010 Books Play video on YouTube In Defense of Food Michael Pollan Audience: Adult Real food -- the kind of food your great-grandmother would recognize as food - is being undermined by science on one side and the food industry on the other, both of whom want us focus on nutrients, good and bad, rather than actual plants, animals and fungi. According to author Michael Pollan, the rise of "nutritionism" has vastly complicated the lives of American eaters without doing anything for our health, except possibly to make it worse. Nutritionism arose to deal with a genuine problem -- the fact that the modern American diet is responsible for an epidemic of chronic diseases, from obesity and type II diabetes to heart disease and many cancers -- but it has obscured the real roots of that problem and stood in the way of a solution. In 200 pages, Pollan outlines the challenge and offers a straightforward manifesto -- "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." -- as well as practical advice on how to accomplish these deceptively simple goals. Read More SeedFolks Paul Fleischman Audience: Young Adult Nine-year-old Kim plants lima beans in an empty, trash-filled lot as a memorial to her Vietnamese father. Her planting is discovered by Anna, a Rumanian immigrant who has lived on Gibbs Street in Cleveland for 70 years. This discovery leads to the clearing of the lot and the beginning of a community garden, which grows both plants and relationships. The immigrant families of Gibbs Street are living in the isolation caused by poverty and escalated by cultural and language differences. Through the voices and dialects of 13 of the gardeners, we learn about the day-to-day life of the inner-city poor. The walls of isolation break down among the community members as they discuss gardening, assist each other in transporting water, and watch over each others' precious crops. Fleischman has carefully woven the lives of the characters with the common thread of the garden. His succinct use of language creates physical and personality images of each character. Children and adults will enjoy his short book. Teachers will delight in the first-person narratives as a beginning point for writing assignments. The book could be read aloud to classes as a starting point for research on the problems in big cities or on the building of communities. It will be used by social studies teachers, writing teachers, and teachers of literature. Read More Tops & Bottoms Adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens Audience: Ages 4 - 7 Large, dynamic double-page-spread paintings are only part of the charm of this very funny picture book. Easily recognizable as a trickster tale (Stevens' source note roots the story in European folktales and slave stories of the American South), this features appealing, contemporary cousins of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. Here, Bear and Hare are involved in a gardening partnership, with industrious, clever Hare reaping all the vegetable profits. As usual, Stevens' animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. Hare, decked out in a lively gardening shirt and surrounded by mischievous offspring, is the image of determination. It's Bear, however, who wins the personality prize: he snoozes away each planting season squashed in his favorite chair, changing positions with each flip of the page. It's all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing. Read More Carrot Soup John Segal Audience: Pre-K Rabbit, a very organized animal, loves carrot soup. He spends the long winter paging through carrot catalogs (a full-page spread shows the different colors, shapes, and sizes of eight kinds of carrots). Then he plows and plants, waters and weeds, and waits. Finally it's time to harvest, but when he goes to pick the carrots, they are all gone. He frantically questions all the animals he knows, but not one admits to liking carrots. "Discouraged and disappointed, Rabbit went home," where he discovered a wonderful surprise. Read More

2024It's been five years since a hurricane ravaged Eliza Marino's life and home in her quiet town on the Jersey shore. Now a senior in high school, Eliza is passionate about fighting climate change-starting with saving Clam Cove Reserve, an area of marshland that is scheduled to be turned into buildable lots. Protecting the island helps Eliza deal with her lingering trauma from the storm, but she still can't shake the fear that something will come along and wash out her life once again. When Eliza meets Milo Harris at a party, she tries to hate him. Milo is one of the rich tourists who flock to the island every summer. But after Eliza reluctantly agrees to give Milo surfing lessons, she can't help falling for him. Still, Eliza's not sure if she's ready to risk letting an outsider into the life she's rebuilt. Especially once she discovers that Milo is keeping a devastating secret. < All Book Selections 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today Don't Call Me a Hurricane (High School/Young Adult) Ellen Hagan Audience: High School/Young Adult It's been five years since a hurricane ravaged Eliza Marino's life and home in her quiet town on the Jersey shore. Now a senior in high school, Eliza is passionate about fighting climate change-starting with saving Clam Cove Reserve, an area of marshland that is scheduled to be turned into buildable lots. Protecting the island helps Eliza deal with her lingering trauma from the storm, but she still can't shake the fear that something will come along and wash out her life once again. When Eliza meets Milo Harris at a party, she tries to hate him. Milo is one of the rich tourists who flock to the island every summer. But after Eliza reluctantly agrees to give Milo surfing lessons, she can't help falling for him. Still, Eliza's not sure if she's ready to risk letting an outsider into the life she's rebuilt. Especially once she discovers that Milo is keeping a devastating secret. About the Author Ellen Hagan is a writer, performer, and educator. Her books include: Crowned, Hemisphere, Watch Us Rise, a YA collaboration with Renée Watson, Blooming Fiascoes, Reckless, Glorious, Girl and Don’t Call Me a Hurricane (YA novel in verse). Ellen is Head of the Poetry & Theatre Departments at the DreamYard Project and directs their International Poetry Exchange Program with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. She is on faculty in the low residency MFA program at Spalding University and co-leads the Alice Hoffman Young Writer's Retreat at Adelphi University. A proud Kentucky writer, Ellen is a member of the Affrilachian Poets, Conjure Women, and is co-founder of the girlstory collective. She lives with her partner and children in New York City. Ellen Hagan Author's website

2024Climate issues and the resulting eco-anxiety is the biggest challenge of our time. The anxiety that comes with worrying about how environmental harm will impact our—and our children’s—lives can be overwhelming. Learn how to balance practicing daily sustainability actions while caring for your own eco-anxiety in this revolutionary book from noted environmentalist Heather White. In  One Green Thing , White shows you how to contribute to the climate movement through self-discovery and self-care. < All Book Selections 2024 A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today One Green Thing Heather White Audience: Adult Climate issues and the resulting eco-anxiety is the biggest challenge of our time. The anxiety that comes with worrying about how environmental harm will impact our—and our children’s—lives can be overwhelming. Learn how to balance practicing daily sustainability actions while caring for your own eco-anxiety in this revolutionary book from noted environmentalist Heather White. In One Green Thing , White shows you how to contribute to the climate movement through self-discovery and self-care. About the Author Heather White is a nationally recognized conservation and environmental policy expert and a frequent spokesperson in national media on climate, energy, and conservation issues. Heather is the founder & CEO of the nonprofit, OneGreenThing.org , and author of One Green Thing: Discover Your Hidden Power to Help Save the Planet (Harper Collins, 2022). OneGreenThing is a nonprofit that tackles eco-anxiety through joyful daily action, inspiring culture change for policy solutions. Her twenty-plus years experience of service including working as a litigator at a prominent Nashville law firm, a campaign staffer and recount attorney for Al Gore's presidential campaign, the energy and environmental policy legislative counsel for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, and adjunct law professor at Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Tennessee College of Law. White directed environmental education advocacy at the nation's largest conservation organization, ran an environmental health watchdog in Washington, DC, and led the nonprofit partner to Yellowstone National Park. Heather was named one of the "Top 20 Women Leaders in Sustainability" by Green Building & Design magazine and "100 Women to Watch in Wellness" by MindBodyGreen. Heather has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS News, MSNBC, KTLA5, ACB7 in San Francisco, WGN in Chicago, and quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Teen Vogue. Heather White Author's website

2014“I wrote this book because it’s the one I wanted to read, and I tried to pack it full of the things I love: books and bookstores; design and typography; Silicon Valley and San Francisco; fantasy and science fiction; quests and projects. If you love those things too, I hope and believe you will enjoy a visit to the tall skinny bookstore next to the strip club.” Robin Sloan Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore has been described as a gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life—mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore. With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day. < All Book Selections 2014 Books & Technology: Friends or Foes? Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore Robin Sloan Audience: Adult “I wrote this book because it’s the one I wanted to read, and I tried to pack it full of the things I love: books and bookstores; design and typography; Silicon Valley and San Francisco; fantasy and science fiction; quests and projects. If you love those things too, I hope and believe you will enjoy a visit to the tall skinny bookstore next to the strip club.” Robin Sloan Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore has been described as a gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life—mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore. With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day. About the Author Robin Sloan grew up near Detroit and now splits his time between Berkeley and the internet. He graduated from Michigan State with a degree in economics and, from 2002 to 2012, worked at Poynter, Current TV, and finally at Twitter in San Francisco, where he worked on media partnerships. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is his first novel. Ajax Penumbra 1969 , a short prequel, was released in September. Robin Sloan Author's website

2013Rachel "Brownie" Browning is thirteen when her father comes back from the war in Iraq. Of course she understands that he has been injured and that he will be a little different, at least for a while. But Brownie doesn't even know the man with a prosthetic arm and leg who sits in the living room day after day. He's certainly not the father who helped her build a fort in her backyard, or played basketball with her sister, or hauled her little brother around like a sack of potatoes. Brownie's mother says that because of his traumatic brain injury, their father needs their affection and patience. In time, he'll be better - Dad will be back. But Dad doesn't seem to be making much progress, or much effort. He doesn't smile. He doesn't talk. He won't even get out of his wheelchair, even though the doctors have taught him how and say that walking is essential to his recovery. And Brownie begins to wonder, will her family ever be able to return to the way life was before the war? A story about an ordinary family forced to deal with an extraordinary loss, Back Home tells the tale of families scarred and the battle just beginning when their wounded loved ones return home. < All Book Selections 2013 Invisible Wounds of War Back Home Julia Keller Audience: Grades 5 - 8 Rachel "Brownie" Browning is thirteen when her father comes back from the war in Iraq. Of course she understands that he has been injured and that he will be a little different, at least for a while. But Brownie doesn't even know the man with a prosthetic arm and leg who sits in the living room day after day. He's certainly not the father who helped her build a fort in her backyard, or played basketball with her sister, or hauled her little brother around like a sack of potatoes. Brownie's mother says that because of his traumatic brain injury, their father needs their affection and patience. In time, he'll be better - Dad will be back. But Dad doesn't seem to be making much progress, or much effort. He doesn't smile. He doesn't talk. He won't even get out of his wheelchair, even though the doctors have taught him how and say that walking is essential to his recovery. And Brownie begins to wonder, will her family ever be able to return to the way life was before the war? A story about an ordinary family forced to deal with an extraordinary loss, Back Home tells the tale of families scarred and the battle just beginning when their wounded loved ones return home. About the Author Julia Keller was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. Her father was a mathematics professor and her mother was a high-school English teacher. Julia has taught at Ohio State and Princeton universities and the University of Notre Dame. She won a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for her work at the Chicago Tribune. She is also the author of Mr. Gatling's Terrible Marvel and a recently-published murder mystery, A Killing in the Hills. Julia Keller Author's website

2021Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading - anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father - by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. < All Book Selections 2021 Connecting Garvey’s Choice Nikki Grimes Audience: Grades 4 - 8 Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading - anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father - by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. About the Author New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature, the 2017 Children's Literature Legacy Award, the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the much-honored books Garvey's Choice, ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, Words with Wings, and The Road to Paris. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California. Nikki Grimes Author's website

2019Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined. Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan. When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed façade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him. < All Book Selections 2019 Finding Identity in Family History Picture Us In The Light Kelly Loy Gilbert Audience: Grades 8+ Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined. Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan. When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed façade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him. About the Author Kelly Loy Gilbert is the author of Conviction, which was a William C. Morris Award Finalist, and the recently-released Picture Us In The Light, which is set in Cupertino, and explores family bonds, guilt, art, the Asian American experience and life at a competitive Bay Area high school. Kelly believes deeply in the power of stories to illuminate a shared humanity and give voice to complex, broken people. Aside from writing novels, she teaches fiction writing in various capacities. She is a nearly-lifelong Bay Area resident. Kelly Loy Gilbert Author's website

2015In this timely tale of immigration, two cousins learn the importance of family and friendship. Mexico may be her parents’ home, but it’s certainly not Margie’s. She has finally convinced the other kids at school she is 100% American—just like them. But when her Mexican cousin Lupe visits, the image she’s created for herself crumbles. Things aren’t easy for Lupe, either. Mexico hadn’t felt like home since her father went North to find work. Lupe’s hope of seeing him in the United States comforts her some, but learning a new language in a new school is tough. Lupe, as much as Margie, is in need of a friend. Little by little, the girls’ individual steps find the rhythm of one shared dance, and they learn what “home” really means. In the tradition of My Name is Maria Isabel—and simultaneously published in English and in Spanish—Alma Flor Ada and her son Gabriel M. Zubizarreta offer an honest story of family, friendship, and the classic immigrant experience: becoming part of something new, while straying true to who you are. < All Book Selections 2015 Homeland & Home: The Immigrant Experience Dancing Home Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel Zubizaretta Audience: Ages 8 - 12 In this timely tale of immigration, two cousins learn the importance of family and friendship. Mexico may be her parents’ home, but it’s certainly not Margie’s. She has finally convinced the other kids at school she is 100% American—just like them. But when her Mexican cousin Lupe visits, the image she’s created for herself crumbles. Things aren’t easy for Lupe, either. Mexico hadn’t felt like home since her father went North to find work. Lupe’s hope of seeing him in the United States comforts her some, but learning a new language in a new school is tough. Lupe, as much as Margie, is in need of a friend. Little by little, the girls’ individual steps find the rhythm of one shared dance, and they learn what “home” really means. In the tradition of My Name is Maria Isabel—and simultaneously published in English and in Spanish—Alma Flor Ada and her son Gabriel M. Zubizarreta offer an honest story of family, friendship, and the classic immigrant experience: becoming part of something new, while straying true to who you are. Available in Spanish About the Author Alma Flor Ada, Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, has devoted her life to advocacy for peace by promoting a pedagogy oriented to personal realization and social justice. A former Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard University and Fulbright Research Scholar she is an internationally re-known speaker. Her professional books for educators, include A Magical Encounter: Latino Children’s Literature in the Classroom, and Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Processco-authored with F. Isabel Campoy, about their work promoting authorship in students, teachers, and parents. Alma Flor’s numerous children’s books of poetry, narrative, folklore and non fiction have received prestigious awards including: Christopher Medal (The Gold Coin), Pura Belpré Medal (Under the Royal Palms), Once Upon a World (Gathering the Sun), Parents’ Choice Honor (Dear Peter Rabbit), NCSS and CBC Notable Book (My Name is María Isabel), Marta Salotti Gold Medal (Encaje de piedra). In 2012 she received the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award in recognition of her body of work for children. Gabriel Zubizaretta has co-authored two children’s books with his mother, Alma Flor Ada – Dancing Home and Love, Amalia. He is CEO, Financial Effectiveness & Transformation Leader for Silicon Valley Accountants. He holds a B.S.A. degree from University of San Francisco. Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel Zubizaretta Author's website

2021When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald’s transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn’t just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen - one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl’s imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book. Parker Looks Up follows Parker, along with her baby sister and her mother, and her best friend Gia and Gia’s mother, as they walk the halls of a museum, seeing paintings of everyone and everything from George Washington Carver to Frida Kahlo, exotic flowers to graceful ballerinas. Then, Parker walks by Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama…and almost passes it. But she stops...and looks up! Parker saw the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in this powerful painting of Michelle Obama. An everyday moment became an extraordinary one…that continues to resonate its power, inspiration, and indelible impact. Because, as Jessica Curry said, “anything is possible regardless of race, class, or gender.” < All Book Selections 2021 Connecting Parker Looks Up Jessica Curry and Parker Curry Audience: Picture Book When Parker Curry came face-to-face with Amy Sherald’s transcendent portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery, she didn’t just see the First Lady of the United States. She saw a queen - one with dynamic self-assurance, regality, beauty, and truth who captured this young girl’s imagination. When a nearby museum-goer snapped a photo of a mesmerized Parker, it became an internet sensation. Inspired by this visit, Parker, and her mother, Jessica Curry, tell the story of a young girl and her family, whose trip to a museum becomes an extraordinary moment, in a moving picture book. Parker Looks Up follows Parker, along with her baby sister and her mother, and her best friend Gia and Gia’s mother, as they walk the halls of a museum, seeing paintings of everyone and everything from George Washington Carver to Frida Kahlo, exotic flowers to graceful ballerinas. Then, Parker walks by Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama…and almost passes it. But she stops...and looks up! Parker saw the possibility and promise, the hopes and dreams of herself in this powerful painting of Michelle Obama. An everyday moment became an extraordinary one…that continues to resonate its power, inspiration, and indelible impact. Because, as Jessica Curry said, “anything is possible regardless of race, class, or gender.” About the Author ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Jessica Curry and Parker Curry Author's website Photograph © Christa Houser, CALH Photography