Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

Aven was born with no arms, but that doesn't stop her from eating lunch, buttoning her own jeans, and playing guitar. She's a capable, well-adjusted 13-year-old, but when her parents move to the Arizona desert it throws her for a loop. For the first time in her life, she's the new girl at school and kids stare at her and treat her like she is disabled. She ends up making friend with a boy who has Tourette's Syndrome and together they navigate their challenges and support each other. There's also a bit of a mystery to be solved at the run down theme park her parents are managing, but the main story centers around Aven and her adjustment to new possibilities in her new town. I think kids will love her friend Connor (whose tics include barking at inappropriate times) and gain some empathy by walking in these kids' shoes.

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

This National Book Award Winner about three young people affected by adoption is a lovely story with complex relationships and diverse characters. The protagonists are three biological siblings who find each other as teenagers and forget relationships at a time in their lives when they need each other for different reasons. Grace has recently given up her own baby for adoption and is grieving the loss, Maya has a family that loves her but her mom is dealing with alcoholism, and Joaquin has been a foster child for 18 years and can't bring himself to trust that his current foster parents really will stay with him permanently. The book explores these three teens and how they navigate their adoptive families, their bio siblings, and the issue of looking for their biological mother. It's a rich story, recommended for high school libraries.

Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata

Jaden was adopted from Romania at the age of 8. He is now 12 years old and he still remember how it felt to be abandoned by his birth mother. His parents in the United States have loved him and cared for him, but he has trouble connecting with them or anyone else. In this book, Jaden and his parents travel to Kazakhstan to adopt a new baby. Jaden doesn't expect to care about a new sibling, and he certainly doesn't expect to feel attached to a special-needs toddler at the orphanage. Jaden has deep-seated problems for which there are no easy solutions, but this is a story about the power of love and the ability of people to change and grow. I enjoyed this book as an adult reader and I think students will also empathize with Jaden's complicated emotions.