The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

  • Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 11-year-old Parvana has been forced to stay indoors. However, when the Taliban arrests her father, Parvana disguises herself as a boy so that she can provide for her family.

Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry

  • Mafatu is the son of the village chief on the Polynesian island of Hikueru, but he fears the ocean. Mafatu embarks on a quest to conquer his fear and make his father proud, and learns about courage–and himself–along the way. 

The Case of the Missing Marquess (book 1 in the Enola Holmes Mystery Series) by Nancy Springer

  • Enola Holmes, the younger sister of famous detective Sherlock Holmes, finds a mystery of her own when her mother disappears leaving only a coded message as a clue. Fourteen-year-old Enola strikes out on her own in search of her mother, only to get entwined in the kidnapping of the young Marquess of Basilweather. Filled with action and mystery, this novel is the first in a six-book series. 

Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani

  • Two pen pals–a Kentucky coal miner’s son and an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City–find common ground as they correspond in letters to one another. Despite their cultural differences and the miles between them, they form a friendship and learn the values of bravery, family, and open-mindedness. 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

  • When her parents die of cholera, Mary Lennox leaves her home in India to live with her uncle in England. At her uncle’s estate, Misselthwaite Manor, Mary does not attempt to conceal her rude and spoiled personality. However, she soon finds joy in wandering the manor grounds and discovers a walled garden, long neglected and locked away. As she unravels the mystery of the garden, she undergoes a personal transformation.