Fallon is one strong 13 year-old girl dealing with a heavy past, family secrets, and events that will impact her for a lifetime. Yet, there are some comical moments, along with healing, and an ending that will 100% impact you! Transcript here
124 Yasha's Amazin' Bar Mitzvah Margaret Gurevich
2026/03/08 | 6 mins.
If you've ever felt like you didn't fit in, or like you were losing yourself trying to be someone else, this book is for you. Yasha is dealing with a new home, new so-called friends, and his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. The only thing that seems to be going well is his continued love of baseball, but even this is getting messy. Transcript here
123. A Year Without Home V.T. Bidania
2026/02/15 | 7 mins.
In this novel written in verse, Gao and her family make a harrowing escape from her beloved country, Laos, after the Vietnam War. Ending up in a Thai refugee camp, a reminder that refugees are not just headlines. They’re kids who miss their pets, families who tell jokes even when they’re scared, and people who want and deserve to be safe. Transcript here
122. The Amazing Generation Haidt & Price
2026/01/25 | 6 mins.
Hey Gen Alpha. You're the first kids who’ve always had social media and are super tech‑savvy. That’s a major strength, and lots of screen time can make it harder to focus and hang out with friends in person. Break up with your phone? Probably not. You can make decisions to "use technology as a tool and not let technology use you." Transcript here
121. Hail Mariam Huda Al-Marashi
2026/01/04 | 7 mins.
Meet Mariam. She’s in sixth grade and starting at a new school in a small California farm town. It’s a Catholic school, and Mariam’s Muslim. Her mom thinks it’s fine, even helpful, to learn about a different religion. Mariam? Well, she’s not so sure. Transcript here
In this cafe, I serve up books written mostly for middle school students and young adults. I'll provide enough information to help you decide if a story is right for the young readers you serve, but I won't give away all of the details just in case you want to read it, too. And, I sure hope you do.
South Africa