Interest Level: 5-8

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Do you have a dream of what you want to be when you grow up? Amal sure did... she wanted to become a teacher. Has something happened to make that dream seem like it will never happen? That is exactly what happened to Amal. Amal lives in Pakistan and she loves going to school. She wants to be just like her teacher, Miss Sadia. Things seem to be on track for her until her mom has her fifth child, another girl, and she goes into a deep depression. Since Amal is the oldest child she has to quit going to school to help take care of the baby and the household. She thinks this is unfair but her father reminds her that life is unfair. Amal doesn't have a choice but to do what her mom should be doing. After a month of taking care of three younger sisters, taking care of the house, doing all of the shopping, and having to skip school has made Amal a little snippy. One day she decides to just go to the market by herself so that she can have a break from it all. As she is walking through the market a large black car hits her and the man that gets out is not nice and tries to take away her only pomegranate.  She is already in a bad mood so she snaps at him and refuses to give him the pomegranate. Little does Amal know that this is Jawad Sahib, the evil son of Khan Sahib, who owns almost everyone and everything in the village. Amal has no choice but to work off her indiscretion at Jawad's mansion. She is now taken from her family and forced to work as a servant. Will Amal ever get to see her friends and family again? Will she ever get to go home or is her dream of becoming a teacher gone because she is forced to work as a servant for the rest of her life?

Amal Unbound is one of the best books I have read! Aisha Saeed does a fantastic job of turning the reader into the main character so that we feel her happiness, her excitement, her pain, and her dejection. This is a book that you will not be able to put down once you start. This book will also make a great read-aloud and prompt great classroom discussion. Don't let this one pass you by!

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 5.8

What if you went from hero to zero in your high school overnight? What if you went from the most popular kid to the most hated kid overnight? This is exactly what happened to Noah. He was the popular quarterback who won state championships and everyone loved him. That is until the night before the championship game in which his mom made a very bad decision and changed his life forever. Now Noah is living with his mom's boyfriend and Noah knows that as soon as his mom gets out of jail, he will be kicked out.  Not only did his mom make a very bad decision, Noah made a very bad decision in the championship game that cost his school their football team. But just when Noah thinks he is as low as he can go, he spots a bear at the edge of the football field that has a bucket stuck on it's head; a bucket that was discarded from a fundraiser to bring back football. Noah can't help but feel guilty for this too because as time passes the bear is slowly dying. Will Noah ever have a friend again? Will his former friends ever forgive him? Will the town ever forgive him? Will Noah find a way to save this bear or will it die just like his friendships and his reputation? Read this incredible book to find out all of these answers. Trust me, you want to know how this ends!!

I cannot describe how amazing this book is. It touches on so many aspects that kids go through in school and gives them hope that things can look up if they just give it time.  I am a slow reader but I read this book in one day. Don't miss out on this one!!

Interest Level 3-6; Reading Level: 4.0

5 out of 5 Stars!!!!!!

I don't even know where to start with this one! This book is so full of raw emotion that it will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. This is the story of Evie, a 12-year-old girl growing up in a very strict Catholic home. When her sister is sent away to live with their distant aunt because she got pregnant at sixteen, all Evie can do is write her letters.  As Evie writes to her sister, Cilla, she tells her everything that is going on in her life.  Evie has two best friends but when she meets June, things begin to shift and Evie has to try to sort though these new feelings. This is a story of lies, deception, finding yourself and having the courage to be yourself, friendship, love and so much more! Will Evie have the courage to expose her family secrets, find her sister, and become the person she thinks she is becoming. Read this book to find out what happens to Evie, June, Cilla, and the rest of her family.
I am giving you fair warning that when you get to about the last 100 pages of this book you will not be able to put it down. Jen Petro-Roy's debut book is a winner and I cannot wait to read future books!

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

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