children’s / ya

Beyond the Blue Border (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2021)

by Dorit Linke

How far would you go for freedom?

Hanna and Andreas have got to get out of East Germany. Stuck in dead-end factory jobs after being expelled from school for "agitating against the state," they've got no guarantee of safety and no chance at a better future.

The teens hatch a daring plan: swim over forty miles across the Baltic Sea from their hometown of Rostock to the West German town of Fehmarn. Their grueling twenty-five hour journey is unspeakably dangerous. Hypothermia, exhaustion, jellyfish, a violent summer storm, and the constant threat of being caught by Soviet patrols. Will they find the freedom they so desperately seek, or will the weight of their past drag them under?

Click here for a reading from Beyond the Blue Border.

★ STARRED REVIEW “A compelling look at Germany’s recent past.” – Kirkus Reviews

My Favorite Memories (Blue Dot Kids Press, 2020)

by Sepideh Sarihi, illustrated by Julie Völk

A young girl is moving to a new country, and there’s so much that she wants to bring. As she begins to pack her small suitcase, she comes to understand that while we cannot always carry things with us physically—maybe they can travel with us in other ways.

Click here for a short reading from My Favorite Memories.

Winner of BolognaRagazzi Award 2020 (German edition)

My Life as Lotta: How Lamb Is That? (Sterling Publishing, 2019)

by Alice Pantermüller, illustrated by Daniela Kohl

Lotta's life has been exciting since starting middle school—but the fun is just beginning!
It's official. Lotta and Cheyenne are surviving and maybe even thriving in middle school. Sure they have to deal with Bernadette, a snobby classmate who's formed the exclusive Glam Girls--a club that almost every girl in class has been asked to join, except Lotta and Cheyenne and a few others. The two bffs don't care all that much about the Lamb Girls (their code name for Bernadette's club). At least they've scored invitations to Bernadette's overnight birthday camping party! Maybe they can impress the Glam Girls with a few pranks.

So Light, So Heavy (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2018)

by Susanne Strasser

Elephant is so heavy, and all the other animals are so light. How will the seesaw ever go up and down?

Toddlers will be drawn in by repetition, opposites, humor, and an unexpected twist in this board book story about Elephant's quest to get the seesaw to teeter. A cast of friendly animals—who are all so light—try to help move the seesaw, but Elephant's side won't budge. He's so heavy. Then what happens when a child swoops in with other plans? Short, simple, and memorable, this board book offers a satisfying story arc.

★ STARRED REVIEW “Such a heavyweight for such a light little book—delightful.” – Kirkus Reviews

So Far Up (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2018)

by Susanne Strasser

Bear can't reach the cake he's after—it's so far up, and he's so far down!
Will his friends be able to help?

Toddlers will be drawn in by repetition, opposites, humor, and an unexpected twist in this board book story about Bear's quest to reach a cake on a windowsill that is so far up! A cast of friendly animals—who are all so far down—try to help bear reach the desired cake. But what happens when a child swoops in with other plans? Short, simple, and memorable, this board book offers a satisfying story arc.