Why am I passionate about this?

When I worked as a middle school teacher, I surveyed more than 200 students how they felt about books that included sadness and grief. The overwhelming answer from the students was that while adults too often minimize their feelings and dismiss the validity of their heartache, books do not. Many young readers want books that are honest and raw enough not to shield them from the world, but to pay enough attention to its pain to light a path, knowing that they can keep moving forward in the dark when they feel less alone and less afraid.


I wrote

Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse

By Dana VanderLugt,

Book cover of Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse

What is my book about?

Set against the backdrop of WWII, Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse is an achingly…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Small as an Elephant

Dana VanderLugt Why did I love this book?

Small as an Elephant is a book that I read aloud to my sons, but I needed as much as they did.

This story of 11-year-old Jack who is abandoned by his bipolar single mother and left to fend for himself in Acadia National Park is totally accessible and captivates young readers because of its emphasis on survival, but also delves into hard issues like mental illness and abandonment. I first learned about the book during a middle school English teachers’ discussion of “favorite books ever.”

By Jennifer Richard Jacobson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Small as an Elephant as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

"A deeply perceptive look at the universal fear of abandonment." — Booklist (starred review)

Ever since Jack can remember, his mom has been unpredictable, sometimes loving and fun, other times caught in a whirlwind of energy and “spinning” wildly until it’s over. But now she is gone, leaving him all alone on a campsite in Maine. Can he find his way back to Boston before the authorities realize what happened? With nothing but a small toy elephant to keep him company, Jack begins a journey that will test his wits and his loyalties — and his trust that he may…


Book cover of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Dana VanderLugt Why did I love this book?

I adored every single character in this book. Dan Gemeinhart is a master at pulling readers in by creating characters you want to spend time with and miss when you turn to its final page.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is a joyful journey of grief. Coyote and her dad have been traveling the American countryside in a refurbished school bus far from the tragedy of a car accident that killed Coyote's mother and two sisters. Expect to learn about resilience, bravery, and the necessity of facing hard emotions we’d rather outrun.

By Dan Gemeinhart,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Five years. That's how long twelve-year-old Coyote and her dad, River, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters.

Coyote hasn't been home since, but when she learns that the park in her old neighbourhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mum, and her sisters buried a memory box - she devises a plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state.

On the way, they'll pick up an eclectic group of folks. Lester…


Book cover of The Red Pencil

Dana VanderLugt Why did I love this book?

The Red Pencil is a beautifully written novel in verse that gives readers a heartbreaking view into the life of Amira, a twelve-year-old Sudanese girl whose life is turned upside down when her village is destroyed by the Janjaweed and she is forced into a refugee camp.

This story of trauma and loss also contains hope as Amira is given a pencil and notebook, which serve to remind her of dreams that extend beyond the grief and loss she is enduring. I believe novels in verse are a powerful vehicle for telling powerful, hard stories, and Pickney’s verse provides literal and figurative beauty while revealing the ugly reality of the Civil War in Darfur.

By Andrea Davis Pinkney, Shane W. Evans (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Red Pencil as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Life in Amira's peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey on foot to safety at a refugee camp. She begins to lose hope, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind -- and all kinds of possibilities.


Book cover of Road to Tater Hill

Dana VanderLugt Why did I love this book?

While adults are sometimes accused of forgetting what it feels like to be young, that cannot be said of Edith Hemingway, who so vividly captures the grief of 11-year-old Annie in Road to Tater Hill.

While Annie’s dad is across the ocean serving in the Air Force, Annie’s day-old baby sister dies, leaving her mother distant and depressed. Annie, who spends the summer at her grandparents’ mountain home, finds an unexpected friendship to be part of her journey to healing.

It’s a powerful book with vivid scenes that have stayed with me years after reading it.

By Edith M. Hemingway,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Road to Tater Hill as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Annie can always count on spending summers at her grandparents'. This summer should be even better because Mama is going to have a baby soon. Before Daddy leaves for his Air Force assignment, he gives Annie a journal for summer memories. But now Annie is grieving over the death of her newborn sister. How can she tell Daddy that ever since the baby died, Mama has been slipping away? If Annie wrote those words, Mama might stay that way forever. The only comfort Annie finds is in holding a stone she calls her "rock baby."  Then Annie secretly befriends a…


Book cover of Red, White, and Whole

Dana VanderLugt Why did I love this book?

Another novel in verse, I loved Rajani LaRocca’s Red, White, and Whole for its emotional complexity.

Though a work of fiction, LaRocca has said that many of the aspects of the book are based on her own experience growing up as an Indian American in the 1980s. In the story, thirteen-year-old Reha straddles two worlds: expected to honor Indian traditions and expectations at home, while fitting into the life of an American teenager at school.

But when Reha’s mother is diagnosed with cancer, Reha must confront more than just her fear of blood. I love this book for the mirrors and windows it provides readers of all ages.

By Rajani LaRocca,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Red, White, and Whole as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Newbery Honor Book! A heartbreakingly hopeful novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia.

* Walter Award Winner * New England Book Award Winner * An NCTE Notable Verse Novel * Golden Kite Award Winner * Goodreads Choice Nominee * A Washington Post Best Children's Book of the Year * An SLJ Best Book of the Year * A BookPage Best Book of the Year * An NYPL Best Book of the Year * A Mighty Girl's Best Book of the Year * An ILA Notable Book…


Explore my book 😀

Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse

By Dana VanderLugt,

Book cover of Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse

What is my book about?

Set against the backdrop of WWII, Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse is an achingly beautiful middle grade novel based on a little-known aspect of American history. Featuring the dual perspectives of Claire, a Midwestern girl who longs to enter high school and become a nurse even as she worries for her soldier brother, and Karl, a German POW who’s processing the war as he works on Claire’s family farm, this poignant and moving story of an unlikely connection will stay with readers long after the final page.

Book cover of Small as an Elephant
Book cover of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Book cover of The Red Pencil

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The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

By Matt Forrest Esenwine, Sonia Maria Luce Possentini (illustrator),

Book cover of The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

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Matt Forrest Esenwine Author Of Once Upon Another Time

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Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since my parents gave me a copy of Dorothy Aldis’ The Secret Place and Other Poems, I have enjoyed a lifelong love of poetry. Now, as a traditionally-published children’s author, I have had numerous books and poems published over the years, including books that began as poems, like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) and Once Upon Another Time (Beaming Books, 2021). My poems can be found in various anthologies including The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry (N.G. Children’s Books, 2015) and Construction People (Wordsong, 2020) as well as Highlights for Children magazine.

Matt's book list on children’s poetry collections about animals

What is my book about?

What is the most important thing to remember about stargazing? When to do it, who to do it with, what to look for? It’s none of those! This picture book’s spare, lyrical text offers many suggestions for enjoying stargazing – but there’s really only ONE thing you need to remember, which is saved for the end.

Magical illustrations show kids and animals enjoying the night sky, and back matter about constellations completes this bedtime story with its underlying message of being in the moment.

The Thing to Remember about Stargazing

By Matt Forrest Esenwine, Sonia Maria Luce Possentini (illustrator),

What is this book about?

What is the most important thing to remember about stargazing? When to do it, who to do it with, what to look for? It's none of those! This picture book's spare, lyrical text offers many possible ways to do stargazing: with a friend, with family or alone; on a moonless night, or with a full moon, or even with some clouds; on the beach, lying in the grass or standing on a snowy hill. There is only one rule of stargazing, which is saved for the end, and that is just to do it! Magical illustrations show polar bears, whales…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in grief, survival, and Sudan?

Grief 91 books
Survival 203 books
Sudan 24 books