The Academy by T. Z. Layton, 2022

Leo is a soccer player with big dreams. A professional scout offers him a tryout for the London Dragons youth squad, known as the Academy. Soon Leo is off to a brand new country, facing grueling competition, bullies, and a terrifying camp director. Can Leo overcome his self-doubt and lack of formal training to succeed and make the team?

Heroes of the Water Monster by Brian Young, 2023

Edward and Nathan, two Navajo stepbrothers, work with a young water monster named Dew to confront their past and save the world from a monstrous, enormous Enemy that is stealing water from all of the Navajo Nation.

Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla, 2024

Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness. At school, there's a new girl who is immediately popular, but she's also not very nice to one person--Isabel. Isabel has never felt more invisible.

Lasagna Means I Love You by Kate O'Shaughnessy, 2023

When eleven-year-old foster kid Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else's family recipes, she collects the stories behind them and builds a website to share them, secretly hoping a long-lost relative will find her and give her a family recipe all her own.

Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes by Matt Eicheldinger, 2024

Eleven-year-old Matt Sprouts is in big trouble. He didn't mean to hurt his neighbor Jenna with that awesome martial arts move; it just happened! Blame it on morning cartoons or Jenna's lack of coordination. Anyway, getting grounded is the worst thing that could happen, right? Wrong. Matt Sprouts thinks he has the 'Curse,' a hometown myth that ruins middle schoolers' lives. To defeat the Curse, Matt has to solve the mystery, and fast.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martin, 2023

Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this . . . graphic memoir.

Miracle by Karen S. Chow, 2023

Amie has spent her life perfectly in tune with Ba-ba, her father--she plays the violin, his favorite instrument; she loves all his favorite foods, even if he can't eat them during his cancer treatments; and they talk about books, including Amie's favorite series, Harry Potter. But after Ba-ba dies, Amie feels distanced from everyone close to her, like her mother and her best friends, Rio and Bella.

My Name is Hamburger by Jacqueline Jules, 2022

Told in verse, fourth grader Trudie Hamburger feels out of place in 1964 America due to her immigrant father and Jewish identity, until a new classmate and an accident help her embrace her differences.

Not An Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles, 2023

Nothing has gone right for twelve-year-old year old Lawrence since his Pop went away. After getting expelled from school for fighting, he discovers the world of chess and things begin to change.

A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga, 2022

Built to explore Mars, Resilience begins to develop human-like feelings as he learns from the NASA scientists who assembled him, and as he blasts off and explores Mars, Resilience must overcome different obstacles as he explores the red planet.