PublisherPenguin Random HouseImprintNancy PaulsenISBN
9780399252525
Awards and Honors2019 YouPer Award Honor
ALSC Notable Children's Books - 2019 CCBC Choices 2019 Choice: Fiction for Children
ILA Teachers' Choices - 2019
CSMCL Best Books - 2018 Kirkus Best Books, Middle-Grade - 2018 School Library Journal Best Books - 2018
It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat—by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering them—everything from Esteban’s father’s deportation and Haley’s father’s incarceration to Amari’s fears of racial profiling and Ashton’s adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
Your pre-teen and teen readers won't be able to get enough of these selections. The 12 books here are a bit longer than our B category titles, with more challenging storylines and a wealth of thought-provoking nonfiction.