Jackpot by Nic Stone

Rico works at the local gas station, looks after her brother, and does her best in her high school classes. There is never enough money in her life. When she sells a winning lottery ticket that goes unclaimed, she develops a plan to track down the winner and possibly share the wealth. She is aided by an unlikely partner. Zan, her opposite in many ways, has plenty of money, but he goes all in to help Rico on her quest. Can two teens from different social classes understand each other? Can Rico let Zan help her out and can Zan win Rico's affection? It's a story about money and class and friendship. All of Nic Stone's books are dynamite. Recommended for all teens 8th grade-up. 

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

This story about two sisters who flee an abusive home and live on the streets in a city in India will be eye-opening and hopeful for young readers. Viji and Rukku are the sisters, and although Rukku is a year older, Viji has always watched over her due to her developmental disability. The girls find a home on a bridge with two boys and the four children become a family. They pick through garbage dumps, adopt a dog, run from threatening people, and face illness and despair. The book is written in second person--as a letter from Viji to Rukku. Highly recommended for readers from 4th-7th grades and for anyone teaching about human rights and global perspectives.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Bri's dream is to be a famous rapper--and the book opens with her competing in "the ring" and coming out the winner. Her Aunt Pooh, who doubles as her manager, says she is "on the come up" and Bri, still in high school, is willing to do what it takes to have the career that her father never had. Like many characters in a recent string of YA books, Bri lives in a rough neighborhood (the same one as Starr from The Hate U Give), but attends school in a more affluent neighborhood where she is a minority. At her school for the arts she is frequently reprimanded for being hot tempered, rolling her eyes, or defying authority. She's not really a trouble-maker, but the perception is that the school administration comes down hard on students of color. Bri deals with a lot of stresses, including her mom's unemployment, her aunt's drug dealing, and the dangers of offending various gang members. She records an original song that goes viral on YouTube, and some say her lyrics means things she never intended. Can she put out inflammatory words in the name of art or should she temper her message to portray who she really is? That is just one of many great questions this book brings up. As with The Hate U Give, this book will have students reading, discussing, and relating to a complex, believable, and very likable character whose story is never predictable or trite. The book contains language and situations that make it most appropriate for 8th grade-up, but younger kids will be clamoring to read it as well.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders is a story that is almost universally loved by generations of young teenagers. I hadn't read it since my own childhood--probably when I was in middle school in the 1980s. so I decided to read it again for a middle school book club. It is the story of three brothers who live in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1960s. Their parents have died and the oldest brother, who is only about 20 years old, is the guardian of his younger brothers. The main character is Pony Boy, only 14 and a quiet, sensitive boy who misses his parents and adores his brother, Soda Pop. In this town there are rich kids called "socs" who drive fancy cars and there are "greasers" who wear leather jackets and smoke cigarettes and get in fights with the socs. Because this story is told from the point of view of a member of the greasers, readers empathize with the greasers, who by and large aren't bad kids, just kids who happen to have less money and less access to power in their community. They get their power from their gang and from fighting with the socs, who like to come to their side of town and torment greasers. Pony Boy is almost strangled in a fight, and his friend Johnny stabs a soc in the process of saving Pony Boy's life. They know that their story won't be believed so they go into hiding in a deserted rural church. S.E. Hinton gives us fully fleshed out characters in Pony Boy, Johnny, and the other greasers. They all have their life stories, their disadvantages, and the traits that make them unique and worthwhile. They become real people to the readers, and for 50 years kids have empathized with their situation and how they are treated by the socs. When tragedy strikes the greasers (in several forms), kids feel their pain and recognize the injustice they face. They say that reading fiction can enhance emotional intelligence, and I believe this book has stood the test of time because of its ability to draw kids into an emotional connection with complicated characters.

The Vine Basket by Josanne La Valley

Mehrigul is a 14-year-old girl who belongs to a group of people living in East Turkestan. Her language and people are called Uyghur, but the Chinese have invaded their land and control everything. Mehrigul longs to stay in school, but her father wants her to work on their farm, and her mother is depressed and unable to speak up for her. So she works the land and lives in fear that her father will send her to work in a Chinese factory far away. On market day, things change for Mehrigul. She encounters an American woman who pays her a huge amount of money for a decorative basket made of vines that Mehrigul has made. The woman says she will return in three weeks to buy more of the baskets. Mehrigul begins to dream of being an artisan and helping her family with the money, but her father, who gambles and drinks, has other plans for her.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

There's a quote on the back of this book from John Green (author of The Fault in Our Stars and other great YA books) that sums it up. "Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book." I read a lot of books for kids and teens, and I often find myself mildly interested (or sometimes not interested at all). That was not the case with Eleanor & Park. From the very beginning I was drawn into their interesting, intelligent, and unlikely romance. I cared about both of these misfit characters and I loved how their relationship slowly built up bus ride by bus ride. This book is all about the characters and those small details that are so important when you are young and in love. I also liked the time period of this book (the 1980s) and that these characters weren't the popular kids. If you want to curl up with a romance this is the book to read. Definitely for high school, though!

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis

Valli spends her days picking up coal in her home town of Jharia, India. It is a dirty and dangerous job and she would much rather be in school learning to read. On the other side of the train tracks she sees the "monsters"—a community of people with leprosy who are feared and abused by the coal-picking children. When Valli discovers that the people she lives with are not actually her biological family, she hops on a coal truck and escapes to Kolkata where she is homeless but surviving day-to-day. In a chance encounter with a doctor she discovers that she herself has leprosy and she must decide whether to accept help or remain on the run. This slim book paints a picture of the life of the poor in India that is not often found in children's books. Intermediate and middle school children could learn a lot from Valli's story and it would make a good introduction into a discussion of poverty, human rights, and global issues.