Books by Teens Series

Ernie and Sal are best friends. Ernie is a multi-lingual llama, and Sal, a color-changing frog. When aliens kidnap Ernie to help them fly their spaceship–they need a translator!–what will Sal do? Join teen authors Joshua, Za’Metria, Dana, and Kyare on this fantastical voyage through the jungle to outer space and back. Thou

Khalil is tired of hearing his parents fight. As they scream, he retreats to his closet and writes a letter to himself, dreaming of escape. To his surprise, his future self - called Bruh - shows up to provide support. Together, they visit a fantastical place called Swagtown and learn how families can communicate better. The authors of th

A young boy struggles with the effects of cancer and dreams of a more normal life. These are the simple components of the emotional story written by teen authors Marc, Sasha, Angelo, and Sean. Experienced in working with young people, these teens uncovered the most important aspect of childhood: play. Their young main character, stuck inside due

Meet Princess McKenzie as she shows you around her castle, the Fort Hill Homeless Shelter. McKenzie shows the power of imagination in overcoming difficult circumstances. Missing her mom, Princess McKenzie leaves the shelter in search of the queen and finds something far more important. The authors of this story are part of an innovative

Cabbage and Spice are two caterpillars who become friends but are forced into different schools and lifestyles when one grows up to be a moth and the other a butterfly. In their insect world, butterflies and moths are taught to hate each other-- butterflies are “spectacular” and loved by humans, while moths are seen as pests. Will th

Mariah really wants to take over her parents' fruit shop one day, but they don't think she can do it. Why? Because she's blind. When her parents leave on vacation, Mariah gets her hands on the keys to the store. With the help of her parrot sidekick, Blue, Mariah must find a way to get the job done. The authors of this story a

Da'Monte walks home deflated after watching a friend get bullied. Afraid, he did nothing. Wishing he was braver, he confided in his grandmother, who provided a powerful surprise. With a magical hoodie provided by the family matriarch, Da'Monte becomes brave and bold. The bullies better watch out. The authors of this story are par

Jealousy. Envy. Loneliness. We’ve all felt these emotions. In this story of frustration and friendship, teen authors Jordan, Rico, and Brandon share the silly things we do when feeling bad about ourselves. Bobby, the editor of the school newspaper at REACH Middle School, is jealous of a popular threesome. His plan: break up the trio. Does

How often do our stories for children explore sadness, loneliness, and disruption? While these children’s books are rare, the reality is all too present for many of our young people. Teen authors Rashaan, Sejal, DaQuan, and Zorita took on this challenging topic through the eyes of Larry, the lonely camel. Swept away from his home in Egypt,

Max is a supervillain growing up in a supervillain family-- his mom controls fire and his dad is like a tornado. Max has the power of invisibility, which he uses to wreak havoc and go unseen. Or so he thinks. But Max goes to school with Ronnie, the son of superheroes and a champion of justice who can see in others what no one else can see--even

Jasmine wants to make a difference in her community, but sometimes she feels like a little girl in a big, big world. She feels helpless in the face of the problems she sees around her, like homelessness and kids skipping school. But when she begins taking small steps to solve these problems, and recognizes the power of her BIG personality, the i

Closing Day is coming to the animal shelter, and “All Dogs Must Go.” Spanky, who was born with just three legs, is both excited and terrified: Does this mean he will finally be adopted? Spanky’s abandonment as a pup have left him with a deep desire to be loved, and his worries sometimes make him feel hopeless. While Pepper the

An elementary school is moved to a new planet while Earth is under construction. But even their cool new home might not be enough to make up for their awful second grade teacher, Ms. Moody. The students will have to be inventive and work together to stop Ms. Moody and salvage their second grade year-- and learn something about each other in

Kendra the Kangaroo is getting ready for her hockey team’s big game against their rival. The only problem? Her team doesn’t think that kangaroos belong in hockey. And even worse, Kendra is afraid they’ll kick her off the team if they find out that she has asthma. So she keeps a big secret, and tries to prove that she belongs on

Lately, Deena has been getting angry. A lot. She acts out in school and keeps getting in trouble. Everyone is surprised because she used to be very calm, but that was before her mother went to jail. Her dad, her grandma, and her best friend Josey all do their best to help her out, but Deena doesn’t want to talk about it. Will a day at the

Lions rule the savanna kingdom and are taught to hate hyenas, who compete for the same resources. Then Mya the Lion and Asia the Hyena both get caught by a trapper and have to work together to escape. When they return home, they have to deal with protests and a face-off between their two species, and Mya has to make a tough decision: Should

Sherbert is a little sherbet with big problems: he has serious anger management issues, and whenever he gets mad he starts to melt. His friends are getting tired of dealing with his tantrums, and the other treats in the candy shop are worried that his melting will attract unwanted attention from the store’s owner. When Sherbert’s bes

Every year on the first day of school, Carla’s friends show up wearing the coolest new shoes. But not Carla -- her mom always buys her the Same Lame Boring Plain sneakers. And this year is no different. This time, though, Carla won’t settle for more of the same. With a little advice from her older cousin Josh, a few experiments, and

It’s Amaya’s first month at a new school in a new state, and she's too scared to speak. Amaya has a stutter. At her old school she got bullied for how she talked, but she had finally just started making friends. And then her mom got a new job and moved them to DC, where she had to start all over again! Now Amaya is mad at her mom

Madison is a first-grader who can’t sit still. She wants to make her teacher like her, but she also wants to jump and scream and play tag with her imaginary best friend, Alex. When Madison accidentally lets her class pet bunny out of its cage during recess, she will have to get creative and form unlikely friendships - and not just imaginar

Tyrell loves his neighborhood -- the park with the swingset, the library with the puppet shows, the restaurant with the star-shaped spaghetti. But the neighborhood has been changing a lot lately, and one day Tyrell comes home to learn that his building has been bought and everyone must move. It seems like the worst news ever, but Tyrell’s

Where can you go to grill half-smokes, captain pirate ships, shoot hoops, feed ducks, and watch the sun set magnificently over the river? Welcome to historic Anacostia Park, in Southeast Washington, D.C. Join us on an adventure through this local landmark through the eyes of D.C.'s youngest residents, and feel the ordinary become extraordinary.<

Rahim loves his dog Mumbo, and Mumbo loves himself some Mumbo sauce. The two are best friends, but lately Rahim has been getting frustrated by all the chores that come along with taking care of a dog -- especially the ones that get in the way of him playing basketball. On the day before his big tournament, Rahim's dad makes him take Mumbo out, b

Georgia is having a hard time. A really hard time. Her best friend, Sienna, has passed away. She's shutting down in school, ignoring texts from her friends, and won't even eat her Chicken Alfredo (her favorite!) for dinner. Her mother knows she's hurting and takes her to an overnight at the zoo to cheer her up. That night, the zoo animals visit

Aaron is outgoing and funny and a whiz at kickball. He's also compassionate and kind, reading books at the old folks home down H street. Basically, he's pretty great. But he's got a problem: everyone calls him a Crybaby. When his friends cheat at Forknife, he cries out of anger. When he sees his friend Tayshawn hurt a neighborh

Every day, Tiffany hears that her smile is so bright it lights up the room. But on the morning of her ballet recital, something goes very wrong: Tiffany's two front teeth fall out. Tiffany doesn't want anyone to laugh at her new crazy smile or make fun of her lisp. But how can she avoid attention on the day she's on stage in the spotlight?

Camal, Japan, and Dameona are good kids, but struggling students. They've decided homework is pointless, and they'd rather just play their video game. One night when the kids refuse to stop playing, they are sucked into the world of The Pharaohs, where now they must complete challenges in their weakest subjects in school to make it out. Characte

Shayla loves to draw and be creative. But during the shutdown, she's having a hard time finding a place to do what she loves. Her big, multigenerational family seems to always be in the way. Mom and dad are video-chatting. Her brothers and sisters are doing schoolwork. And her little cousins a

Diarou is starting her first week in a new school, in a new country, speaking a new language... and she feels completely alone. She moved to the U.S. from Guinea over the summer and is determined to make friends, but with her limited English, she's having trouble communicating with her classmates. Just when she thinks she might be on her own, sh