Wonder World Book Cafe'

Inspired by a true story in the 1970s. A group of high school girls just wanted to play basketball, like the boys. There is no funding and no fans in the stands, no uniforms, no coach at first, and no bus for their away games. With plenty of determination, the "Lady Bears" show how a small group of young people can make a big difference. Transcript here

In Whale Eyes, author James Robinson and illustrator Brian Rea collaborate to provide readers with an interactive experience--inviting them to experience how James' "Whale Eyes" work. Robinson empowers readers to appreciate the impact of words, helps them confront the discomfort of recognizing disability, and ultimately fosters meaningful human connections.

A prime suspect for burning down the house of a long-time bully, Ezra find comfort in learning his Ojibwe ancestral traditions of hunting and trapping in the wilderness. There is plenty of action, mystery, and suspense to keep YA readers turning pages. Transcript here

Discover a simple, special method to recommend books that requires NO time on your part while making a significant impact on readers' next book choices! Transcript here Spark Creativity Podcast interview with Betsy and Spark Creativity on InstagramCurrent top pick for a novel in verse: Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi podcast

It's 1913. Teen Matilda Young wonders if she's brave enough to join the many suffragists fighting for something so simple: women's right to vote in the U.S. The work is difficult, exhausting, and exhilarating. While we know the final outcome (ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920), Matilda serves as a reminder: take action for what matters. Transcript here

8th grader Ajay is navigating being the only Sri Lankan in his new community. He has numerous family rules to uphold, and now he's stolen a candy bar that makes him a millionaire. He has to tell one lie after another in attempts to not disappoint his parents, deal with a bully, make friends, and possibly claim the life-changing prize money. Transcript here

7th grader Vale is THE best athlete in her gym. After a devastating accident, Vale is determined to come back stronger than ever as she strives to realize her dream of being a pro international fencer. Transcript here

Surrounded by her supportive family, ten-year old Cooper is growing up in 1963, a time marked by the Civil Rights Movement. She's dealing with issues close to home like a bully and racism plus tragic events in the U.S. like JFK's assassination and the bombing at a Black church in Alabama. Cooper's story resonates with the past and the present. 

On 13 year old Sage's birthday, her best friend was hit and killed by a speeding driver as she crossed the street. . . on her way to Sage's. Now, Sage is filled with grief and guilt. This emotionally resonant novel, written in verse, is an honest and raw telling of living with the rollercoaster of grief. Transcript here

In this middle grade graphic memoir, Jay Jay has grown up with an incarcerated dad, and now he's home. Dad is a program developer and wants to use technology to connect kids with incarcerated parents. When stumped by a programming problem, he turns to his brilliant, math loving daughter, Jay Jay, for help. Transcript here

Sena's life on his farm in Ghana is difficult, and he'd do anything to help his family. A story of survival, human trafficking (a world-wide crisis), filled with adventure and anguish, heartbreak, and hope. Transcript here

 Geetha's important story will be loved by middle grade readers with its relatable topics such as immigrating to a new and very different country (from India to the U.S.), bullying, friendship, music, the healing power of nature, and young people who strive to make an incredible difference in their community.  Transcript here

Celebrating 100 episodes with Alice Hoffman's When We Flew Away A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary. In this fictional account grounded in historical accuracy, middle grade readers meet Anne, a bright, hopeful young girl living freely in a world without fear, before the world starts to unravel, urgently. Start with this novel, then read The Diary of Anne Frank. Transcript here

Rex Ogle's memoir, Free Lunch, is his first of three. Here, as a sixth grader, Rex endures domestic abuse. School is safer, yet not without the struggles that come from living in poverty. Rex's honest account of tough topics with glimmers of hope make this a favorite of many readers. Transcript here

12 year-old Effie is deaf and uses ASL (American Sign Language), but nobody in her family knows ASL, nor do they care to learn. Effie is courageous and through trusted people, friendship, poetry, and deer, she comes to know herself. Transcript here

Best friends, Ariel and Tomah, live in intertribal housing in the heart of a city. Ariel's auntie becomes an all too common, devastating statistic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Their powerful story, written in verse, is one of tradition and healing. Transcript here

This middle grade novel, Popcorn, bring readers preteen, Andrew who suffers from serious anxiety and OCD. These serious topics are combined with plenty of doses of relatable mishaps and hilarious moments! Quick moving with plenty of illustrations throughout. Transcript here

Through the eyes of 12 year old cousins enjoying summertime fun on a Cree Reservation in Northern Alberta, Canada, middle grade readers learn about the atrocities of Indian Residential Schools, history not widely known in Canada and the United States. Transcript here

An unlikely friendship between 12 year old Alex and 107 year old Josey. Alex has done something terrible. Josey has lived through the Holocaust. How can these two possibly support each other? Storytelling at its finest! Transcript here

12 year-old Valeria (AKA Magic) plays soccer on an elite all-boys team. On the field she's strong, rebellious even, and the top-scorer. When the coach (her grumpy abuelo) cuts her from the team, she has tough decisions to make. The Beautiful Game addresses topics so relatable for middle school students: family drama, young crushes, social media issues, sports' team parties, and females navigating their maturing bodies. Transcript here

A foster family welcomes 8th grader, Joseph into their family despite knowing he was incarcerated and has an infant daughter he's never met and longs to know. When readers request a "shorter book" this is a GO TO! Plus, the sequel is now out!! Pair Orbiting Jupiter with Jupiter Rising! Transcript here

2016. 7th grader Kareem is a Muslim, Syrian American desperate to be on the football team. He's caught between his faith, language, culture, and having integrity OR being on the team. Kareem and his family are sidelined when his mama and ill grandfather are stranded in Syria. Kareem is sure he's 100% responsible. Transcript here

Malcolm is a first generation Hmong living in Minnesota longing for a sense of safety, a stronger sense of his identity, and a connection with his ancestors. This middle grade novel is storytelling at its finest. Transcript here

I'm From Here Too brings us a middle grade story of friendship, prejudice, senseless bullying, hope, and Anoop, a first generation American Indian Sikh. Transcript here

Break to You  is set in a juvenile detention facility, and is told from alternating teen perspectives: Adriana's and Jon's. The authors hope to shed light on the often overlooked world of juvenile detention institutions. Transcript here

Release date 10/8/24. Jakob, 19, works the night shift at Bletchley, near London, with other brilliant minds and complex machines all working toward deciphering German messages during WWII. While his sister, Lizzie, 14, is deciphering messages potentially written by their mother proving Lizzie's belief that their mother is still alive despite being told she died in a bomb blast. Timing is everything. Plenty of suspense with relatable sibling banter and serious riddles and puzzles will keep readers involved. Transcript here

Hello! With season six on the way, here I reintroduce myself as Wonder World Book Cafe's podcast host! You can look forward to episode 87 in the very (very) near future!

Joe Oak can rely on math and his grandmum; both are consistent. He cannot rely on food or his mom; both are inconsistent. Joe knows and experiences things kids shouldn't have to, yet being a survivor is his superpower. Transcript here

The deep devotion and respect Syrians have for their ancestral homeland is deeply moving and so beautiful. This is a story of history and hope, dreams and believing in a different future. Transcript here

Jude, her parents, and her favorite person in the whole world–her older brother–are  living in Syria. With political unrest and safety concerns, Jude's parents decide it's time for Jude and her expectant mother to move to the United States. (One of my favorites from 2019 and still so relevant today.) Transcript here

In and out of foster care, twelve-year old Kita's story is heavy and hopeful. It won't take but a few pages before readers become Kita's biggest supporter.  

In this graphic memoir, Pan lives with what he calls “The Puzzle.” This unwelcome, relentless Puzzle impacts nearly every part of his life. After nearly a decade, Pan finally discovers he has OCD and candidly explains living with and treatment for this condition. Transcript here

13 year-old Jake needs to quiet his inner-bully, the voice in his head so he can begin recovering from disordered eating. Based on the author's own experiences, this story is raw, honest, and necessary. Transcript here

Mia Tang is back in book 5 of the Front Desk Series. Readers will enjoy Mia at 13 years old while she explores San Francisco's Chinatown and attends journalism camp. Transcript here

What does it mean to win? Explore this with Grace and Jonah, two highly competitive students, on their way to high school. Keeping Pace has plenty of relatable woes and joys, and heartbreaks and happinesses when it comes to friendships and first love.

Join 13 year-old Pandita as she adapts to MANY changes while honoring her ma's memory and attempting to right a wrong in her community. Set in the 1980s in California's Silicon Valley, a community is divided over affordable housing. Transcript here

Seventh-grader Mimi loves living on a beautiful island in Florida, but is appalled at all the plastic and styrofoam she finds on the beach. Inspired by the true story of the Wijsen Sisters of Bali (Bye Bye Plastic Bags), Mimi is determined to ban plastic bags in her community, but frustratingly discovers how many people, locally and online, don't support her. Transcript here

✨✨Welcome to Season 5! ✨✨ Written with so much heart, this middle grade novel, Across So Many Seas, spans more than 500 years and follows four girls from generations of Sephardic Jewish families. Incredibly woven together, each girl's story is part of hundreds of years of family history, heartbreak, and so, so much love. Transcript here

YA. Written in verse. Persian American, Omid, speaks Farsi and English and LOVES words, but he can't seem to find the right ones when he needs them, yet. A new found interest in listening to and writing Rap music (with a little help from Shakespeare) makes it possible for Omid to talk about his first crush, communicate with his Iranian grandparents, and share what it's like living in Arizona right after 9/11. YA fans of poetry, rap, Shakespeare, and stories written in verse, here's to you! Transcript here

YA. Narrative nonfiction. Unputdownable. There are plenty of WWII and Holocaust stories for teens, though none quite like Impossible Escape. This is the true story of two men who survived an escape from Birkenau concentration camp intent on sharing with the world the atrocities of concentration camps. In doing so, Rudi Vrba and Adolph Wetzler saved 200,000 lives. Transcript here

1948. Historical fiction. Twelve-year old Amil and his family are settling into their new and hopefully safer home in Bombay, India after fleeing their homeland, just after India's Partition. Riots continue. Gandhi is assassinated. Amil is dealing with quite a lot on top of everything else. His relationship with his papa is strained, school is difficult, and he'd love to have a friend. Come along on Amil's journey in this companion story to The Night Diary. Transcript here

It seems 13 year-old Ruby has lost or is losing everything she has loved: her Ye-Ye, the beloved neighborhood bakery, her friends, and now her summer freedom. Set in San Francisco's Chinatown, Ruby is navigating a whole lot of change in her young life. Multigenerational love wrapped around these pages. (Transcript unavailable)

1989 Dan's first year of high school is a few short months away, and he's about to embark on the biggest “out of his comfort zone” experience of his life, a 3 week study abroad program in Europe. Mix tapes, Kodak cameras, first love...come along with Dan Santat in his graphic novel memoir. This is one for all-ages. Transcript here

YA memoir written in verse. Raw. Honest. Real. A gift to readers. Jiordan is looking toward her first high school year, while trying to understand the crime her dad committed: googling money-laundering, defraud, schemed, and "how to survive prison." Transcript here

Tempers flare. Social media posts fly. Friendships severed. Cleverly crafted, Mascot follows a group of six diverse students through their 8th grade year in a town near Washington D.C. as they along with their community hotly debate a controversial, long-standing tradition. Transcript here

What can ten-year old Amelia, her twenty-one year old chinchilla, Calvin, and a sugar apple tree possibly have in common? Turns out, quite a bit. Join Amelia as she navigates her life: desperate to find Calvin and deal with a friend who's turned her world topsy-turvy.  Transcript here

What can 12 year-old Josh do after his middle school is stained with freshly painted swastikas and antisemitic messages especially given that he doesn't want to reveal his Jewish identify? The Do More Club is fast-paced, written in verse with not only hate, but courage and kindness. Transcript here

Step into the life of twelve-year old Tuesday Beals whose story is nearly a love letter to Zion National Park, located in Utah, and her beloved sky. Transcript here

Featuring two graphic fictionalized memoirs. Huda, a freshman and new to her high school, is a riot. She will have you laughing out loud while tugging at your heart as she grows up and navigates her place in the world, defining herself as a Muslim Arab American. Transcript here

2020: A Zelda loving 13 year old boy and his 100 year old great grandmother living in New Jersey during the pandemic 1930's: A deadly famine in Ukraine, a privileged Communist girl living in Kyiv, and a girl from Brooklyn, New York Masterfully written, these intertwining stories all come together.  Based on a true historical event and the author's own family.  Transcript here

Cuba, 2018. Soleida, 16, is growing up in a place where art is illegal and sea levels are rising. Her family of artists hides their sculpture garden, but it's discovered during a hurricane which leads to the arrest of her parents leaving Soleida on her own. She ends up in a Costa Rican refugee camp where she meets Dariel, a Californian, who endures all too frequent wildfires. Together they want to find her parents, protect the environment, and explore the budding romance, until Soleida discovers he's a rich boy with famous parents who will never understand a girl like her. Transcript here