LIFT by Minh Lê

Iris loves to push the elevator buttons in her apartment building, but when it's time to share the fun with a new member of the family, she's pretty put out. That is, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious new button opens up entire realms of possibility, places where she can escape and explore on her own. But when she's forced to choose between going at it alone or letting her little brother tag along, Iris finds that sharing a discovery with the people you love can be the most wonderful experience of all.

Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goertz

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When is an outdoor basketball court like the great detective Sherlock Holmes’ London address? When new found friends Jamila and Shirley try to save their summer vacation! 10-year-olds Jamila Waheed and Shirley Bones realize they have the same dilemma: a boring summer spent at camps chosen by their mothers. Undaunted, the two form a plan: as long as they're together at the nearby basketball court, basketball enthusiast Jamila can shoot hoops unsupervised while Shirley dabbles in strange undertakings and receives visits from neighborhood kids. When a frantic boy asks Shirley to find a missing gecko, it turns out that Shirley has actual kid detective skills. Her motto is solving "problems that adults can't or won't." And Jamila can't stand by when someone needs help, so they leave the court and the game's afoot (as that other skilled detective used to say). With an inclusive cast of dynamic characters, this expressive, heartwarming whodunit is, at its core, a story about friendship.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone or Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation.

Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall

From the Great Depression through the post-World War II years, Joseph "Ziggy" Johnson has been the pulse of Detroit's famous Black Bottom. A celebrated gossip columnist for the city's African-American newspaper, the Michigan Chronicle, he is also the emcee of one of the hottest night clubs, where he's rubbed elbows with the legendary black artists of the era, including Ethel Waters, Billy Eckstein, and Count Basie. Ziggy is also the founder and dean of the Ziggy Johnson School of Theater. But now the doyen of Black Bottom is ready to hang up his many dapper hats. As he lays dying in the black-owned-and-operated Kirkwood Hospital, Ziggy reflects on his life, the community that was the center of his world, and the remarkable people who helped shape it.

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A soulful tour of Palestinian cooking today from the Ottolenghi restaurants' executive chef and partner. The 120 recipes in this book were shaped by his personal story, as well as the history of Palestine.

She Proclaims: Our Declaration of Independence from a Man’s World by Jennifer Palmieri

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Palmieri, communications director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, offers a spirited and accessible manifesto for women seeking to combat the patriarchy through both personal and collective action. This book gives readers the advice they need to step out of a man's world and into their own. Inspired by the Declaration of Sentiments drafted by organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, Palmieri rallies feminists and urges women to "refuse to allow scare tactics to control or silence us." She encourages women to educate themselves on historical examples of female empowerment, and to demand that large corporations do more to close the wage gap than the token gesture of promoting just one or two women to positions of leadership. She believes that every woman has "power to change the world by changing the way she behaves in it." Prioritizing optimism and support over anger and frustration, Palmieri reaches out to women of diverse backgrounds. Feminists will be heartened by this inspirational guide to fighting for gender equality.