Recommendations based on Milkweedby Jerry Spinelli

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Maniac Magee

    by Jerry Spinelli
    A young orphan boy, Jeffrey Lionel Magee, becomes a legend in a racially divided town by bringing people together through his incredible feats of athleticism and kindness.

    Jeffrey Lionel Magee's parents were killed in a trolley accident when a drunk driver crashed and sunk it into the river in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania , orphaning him at age three. After living with his ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

    by Christopher Paul Curtis
    The Watson family travels from Michigan to Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, experiencing racism and tragedy.

    The Newbery Honor-winning American classic, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 , celebrates 20 years with this anniversary edition featuring a special letter from Christopher Paul Curtis and an ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Midwife's Apprentice

    by Karen Cushman
    A young girl's journey from poverty to independence as she learns the craft of midwifery.

    In medieval Europe, a homeless orphan girl who has no name, and can recall being named Brat, attempts to nestle in a warm dung heap on a cold night. She wakes up to the taunts of village boys, and ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Weight of Silence

    by Heather Gudenkauf
    Two young girls go missing in the woods, and their families must confront their secrets and fears to find them.

    When two little girls disappear in the night, the truth about what happened lies in the words they cannot speak.,As dawn’s shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families wake to find ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. The Adoration of Jenna Fox

    by Mary E. Pearson
    A young girl's struggle to uncover her past and find her identity amidst a future of genetic engineering.

    Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. Gossamer

    by Lois Lowry
    A young girl's journey to discover the power of hope in her world of sorrow and despair.

    The book's omniscient point of view, Littlest One, affectionately called Littlest, is out on a dark night. As she and her mentor, Fastidious, stealthily sneak into a woman and her dog's home and ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Flipped

    by Wendelin Van Draanen
    A boy and girl's perspectives on their relationship change as they grow up.

    Julianna 'Juli' Baker meets Bryce Loski two weeks before the beginning of second grade. Though Juli believes she’s in love, Bryce is annoyed by her constant and persistent attention. In elementary ... (Wikipedia)

  8. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

    by Audrey Wood
    A whimsical story of a king who refuses to leave his bathtub and the hijinks that ensue.

    In this raucous tale, the Knight, the Duke, the Queen–and eventually the whole court--all try to lure King Bidgood from his cozy bathtub, but he won't get out! Will anyone be able to solve this ... (Goodreads)

  9. Out of My Mind

    by Sharon M. Draper
    A young girl with cerebral palsy struggles to overcome obstacles and prove her ability.

    Melody Brooks is a girl who was born with cerebral palsy . Also, who is ten years old. Her parents have done everything they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often frustrating for ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

    by Alison Goodman
    A young apprentice learns to wield the power of dragons and save the kingdom from destruction.

    Also Known As: Two Pearls of Wisdom, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye, and Eon (All the same book just published with different publishers) Swordplay, dragon magic–and a hero with a desperate secret ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Darkest Part of the Forest

    by Holly Black
    A thrilling fantasy adventure full of magical creatures and hidden secrets.

    Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a ... (Goodreads)

  12. Brian's Winter

    by Gary Paulsen
    A retelling of the classic novel, "Hatchet", from the perspective of a young boy struggling to survive in the frozen wilderness.

    The story deals with Brian, still stranded at the L-shaped lake during the fall and winter, constructing a winter shelter, building snow shoes , being confronted by a bear , befriending and naming a ... (Wikipedia)

  13. King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian

    by Marguerite Henry
    A horse's journey of survival, finding friendship and loyalty along the way.

    The story starts in Morocco, as the fast of Ramadan is ending. Agba, a mute slave boy, tends to his favorite Arabian mare, who gives birth that night. The colt has a white spot on his hind heel, ... (Wikipedia)

  14. A Virtuous Woman

    by Kaye Gibbons
    A woman's struggle to overcome poverty and take control of her own destiny.

    When Blinking Jack Stokes met Ruby Pitt Woodrow, she was twenty and he was forty. She was the carefully raised daughter of Carolina gentry and he was a skinny tenant farmer who had never owned ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Young Elites

    by Marie Lu
    A girl with extraordinary powers joins a group of other gifted individuals to overthrow a corrupt government. But power comes with a price.

    It follows the story of Adelina Amouteru. A decade after the blood fever swept through the nation, most survivors—all of whom were children—gained strange markings during their time of illness. Those ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Peter and the Starcatchers

    by Dave Barry
    A prequel to Peter Pan, following Peter and Molly as they protect a magical substance from pirates.

    In 19th century London, an orphaned boy named Peter and fellow orphans James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted are shipped out on the decrepit Never Land , under the command of First Mate Slank and ... (Wikipedia)

  17. The Sweet Far Thing

    by Libba Bray
    Gemma Doyle navigates the magical realms of the Victorian era, facing challenges and betrayals in her quest for power and freedom.

    The prologue begins with two men who are searching a river in London (three years before the events of the book) for dead bodies to fence any jewelry or money left upon them. They come across the ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Crossed

    by Ally Condie
    A dystopian tale of love, courage, and sacrifice in a world where freedom is forbidden.

    The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Ky and Cassia. The outer provinces are filled with male "aberrations," including Ky and his new friend Vick who are moved around from village to ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Thirteenth Tale

    by Diane Setterfield
    A mysterious storyteller reveals a dark family secret, transforming the lives of those around her.

    Vida Winter, a famous novelist in England, has evaded journalists' questions about her past, refusing to answer their inquiries and spinning elaborate tales that they later discover to be false. Her ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Summer I Turned Pretty

    by Jenny Han
    A teenage girl's summer of self-discovery and first love.

    Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

    by Jacqueline Kelly
    A young girl in rural Texas discovers her passion for science and nature.

    In the summer of 1899, Calpurnia Virginia Tate is about to turn twelve and worries about the adult responsibilities that loom on the horizon. She would much rather swim in the river near her family's ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Elegance of the Hedgehog

    by Muriel Barbery
    A story of two unlikely outcasts who find solace and comfort in each other's company.

    The story revolves mainly around the characters of Renée Michel and Paloma Josse, residents of an upper-middle class Left Bank apartment building at 7 Rue de Grenelle – one of the most elegant ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Cask of Amontillado - an Edgar Allan Poe Short Story

    by Edgar Allan Poe
    A tale of revenge and retribution, forcibly trapping a foe in a ghoulish crypt.

    The story's narrator, Montresor, tells an unspecified person, who knows him very well, of the day he took his revenge on Fortunato (Italian for "the fortunate one"), a fellow nobleman. Angry over ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Moon Over Manifest

    by Clare Vanderpool
    A young girl's adventure through 1920s America, uncovering family secrets and finding her identity.

    The main character in the book is Abilene Tucker, a nice, adventurous girl from 1936. Her father sent her to a small town called Manifest, Kansas while he worked a railroad job somewhere else. She ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Still Alice

    by Lisa Genova
    A woman's struggle to hold on to her identity in the face of a devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

    Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Devil's Arithmetic

    by Jane Yolen
    A young girl travels back in time to experience the horrors of the Holocaust.

    Hannah Stern is a Jewish preteen girl living in the present day. She is bored by her relative's stories about the past, is not looking forward to the Passover Seder , and is tired of her religion. ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Rebel Angels

    by Libba Bray
    Teen girl investigates mysterious history of her family, uncovering dark secrets and uncovering her own powers.

    The story picks up two months after the events in the first book. The opening chapter is narrated by Kartik, who has been brought before a council of the Rakshana. He is told that by destroying the ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Screwtape Letters

    by C.S. Lewis
    A series of letters between two devils, providing a window into human nature and morality.

    The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis is a classic masterpiece of religious satire that entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of ... (Goodreads)

  29. Out of the Dust

    by Karen Hesse
    A poetic story of a young girl's endurance through a time of great hardship.

    When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it ... (Goodreads)

  30. Life As We Knew It

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer
    A teenage girl's struggle to survive an apocalyptic disaster, relying on her resilience and resourcefulness.

    Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, ... (Goodreads)