Kids and Teens
My Little Cities: San Francisco
By Jennifer Adams
The My Little Cities board book series teaches the aspiring “globe-toddler” all about significant cities around the world, including Paris, New York and London. Colorful illustrations showcase important landmarks, with the final pages providing more detailed information. (ages 2-5)
Hey Black Child
By Useni Eugene Perkins
Illustrated poem tells black children that they can be, do or learn anything if they try. Although the poem is written specifically for black children, it resonates with all children and adults with the message that if you become what you want to be, the world you live in will follow. (ages 4-8)
Malala’s Magic Pencil
By Malala Yousafzai
Malala’s story may be familiar to many, but this book is unique in that it is tailored to young children and written by Malala herself. Simple sentences convey fear without lingering on violence. A good introductory book to life under the Taliban and why the freedoms we take for granted are so important. (ages 5-9)
The War I Finally Won
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
In this sequel to The War That Saved My Life, Ada has surgery to repair her club foot, and with the help of her legal guardian, Susan, works to overcome years of emotional abuse at the hands of her birth mother. Against the backdrop of World War II, Ada deals with death, scarce resources, classism and prejudice as she fights to win the war for her own life and happiness. This is children’s historical fiction at its best and should be read sequentially. (ages 9-12)
Scythe
By Neal Shusterman
Imagine a future in which all diseases have been cured, including mortality. With people no longer dying of natural causes, something must be done to control the population. Scythes randomly select members of the population to kill, or “glean,” to mimic natural death. Teenagers Rowan and Citra have just been unwillingly apprenticed to a Scythe and now must master the art of killing, or be killed themselves. Keep an eye out for the second book coming soon. (ages 13 and up)
Adults
Educated: A Memoir
By Tara Westover
Raised by fundamentalist Mormon parents in Idaho, first-time author Westover was denied any formal education. From age 11, she worked in her family’s scrap yard with no knowledge of popular culture or even historic events such as the Holocaust. Despite an abusive brother and uninterested parents, the author eventually made her way to Brigham Young University and –with the support of faculty – to Harvard and Cambridge. A heartbreaking, yet ultimately encouraging story of a woman who knows what education she wants and deserves.
The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux
By Cathy N. Davidson
Currently, colleges and universities rely on a 19th-century pedagogical model, in which rote memorization and passive lectures are the norm. Davidson believes curriculum reform that forces students to become active learners encourages reflection and the integration of knowledge, and will better prepare them for the job market and life. Support services for nontraditional students and flexible learning methods are key to reaching as many students as possible to connect them to the cultural, physical and economic world in which they live.
