First Partner’s Summer Book Club 2024

Amara is hosting a potluck for friends on her farm, and her snacks won't be complete without pumpkins. She's searched and searched, but she's grown so many plants that she needs help finding them. What do we know about pumpkins? They're large, round, and orange--and, wait a minute, is that a pumpkin? No, that's an apple. Where, oh, where could those pumpkins be?

While camping, Nana encourages her grandchildren to slow down to enjoy nature's wonders and look out for the discoveries and new adventures that await around every corner.

"In her debut picture book, professional Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud tells the true story of her path to dance and how it helped her take pride in her Native American heritage"--

"Stories of American woman Olympians who persisted and succeeded against the odds" --

A girl and her community celebrate the arrival of the water man when he comes on his weekly visit to distribute water to a Cuban village. Includes author's note.

Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir.

Sonia and her friends plant a garden, and each one contributes in his or her own special way, in a book that celebrates the many differences among humans. In this warm and inclusive story by U.S. Supreme Justice Sonia Sotomayor, inspired by her own childhood diagnosis of diabetes, readers join along as differently abled kids use their strengths to work together and learn about each other.

Twelve-year-old Natalia's dream of becoming a synchronized swimmer is in jeopardy when her parents decide they are against a sport that emphasizes looks, but Nat is determined to change their minds.

"This collection features 25 inspiring tales of proud members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Read about how these women, girls, and nonbinary people broke down barriers, honored their identities, and lived authentically no matter what anyone else said. Find your voice with Janelle Monae. Play for equality with Billie Jean King. Protect your community with Marcia P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. And organize joyful celebrations with Dr. Lady Phyll and Molly...

"On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person....