During Ellie’s 5th birthday party, her whale swimsuit and pool antics resulted in a cruel nickname: Splash. Since then, she – now almost 12 – has been ruthlessly bullied about her weight.

Just as Jezebel Turner and her family reel from the loss of Gran, they face a number of other conflicts that threaten not only their place on their South Carolina island but also their lives.

Jet Baranov is the son of the tech genius Vlad Baranov. Jet also happens to be a spoiled brat, willing to do anything that will get the attention of his busy parents. When one of Jet’s stunts finally crosses the line for his father, Vlad sends him to a wellness retreat in Arkansas, the Oasis.

On September 11, 2001, Brandon joins his father at his job in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Suddenly, an airplane hits the building, forever changing Brandon’s life, his father’s life, the thousands of lives of the people working in the skyscraper, and the world.

The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas by María García Esperón – BOOK REVIEW

The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas tells the sacred stories of the First Nations of North and South America. Spanning across two continents, author María García Esperón, illustrator Amanda Mijangos, and translator David Bowles, tap into the power and beauty First Nations saw in their world and the awe they expressed through their storytelling.

The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar – BOOK REVIEW

Betita’s father has told her the story many times before. Their people came from Aztlán, land of the cranes, a sanctuary somewhere in the present-day Southwest United States. Even though the people left the place of the cranes to establish a city, Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City), their people will one day return to Aztlán and live with the cranes once more.