Imagine having an animal that you look at with admiration and love, but almost everyone around you thinks of the animal as a horrible beast that can destroy everything. This is how Willodeen from Willodeen by Katherine Applegate feels. Throughout her entire life, Willodeen has had a special connection to unloved pests called screechers. Screechers are known to attack humans and have a disgusting smell, but Willodeen believes they need to be protected to preserve the web of nature. Besides screechers, Willodeen has a special spot in her heart for Hummingbears after her family took in an injured one named Duuzuu. Hummingbears are usually a source of tourists and wealth for Willodeen’s village, but recently there have been a great deal of problems surrounding nature, including horrific fires and an abrupt halt to the annual migration of hummingbears in Willodeen’s village. When hunters start to kill the screechers and the hummingbears begin to disappear, Willodeen starts to be pushed by loved ones to get out of her comfort zone and stand up for the animals she loves. However, Willodeen has always struggled with public speaking and social skills, which makes it hard for her to gain the courage to speak up. With the help of her new friend and close family, Willodeen will have to learn to use her voice and stand up for the creatures that she loves. Will Willodeen be able to protect the screeches from hunters, or will they disappear right before her eyes? Also, will Willodeen’s town be able to successfully bring back their famous Hummingbears after all of the nature problems they’ve faced? Read Willodeen by Katherine Applegate to find out!

If you like books like Willodeen by: Katherine Applegate, you may also enjoy Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek. Like Willodeen, Marvel from Better with Butter is also trying to protect an animal that she is passionate about. Marvel has severe anxiety that can make it a struggle to make new friends, just like Willodeen struggles with social connections. When she finds a small fainting goat named Butter on a soccer field, Marvel knows she is meant to care for her even if it means facing tough challenges to keep her. Eventually, Marvel realizes she can register Butter as an emotional support animal to protect her from anxiety and bullies in school, and she finally feels like she can be happy in school. Will Marvel be able to keep Butter at home, or will people in her life prevent her from keeping the little goat? Also, will Marvel be able to overcome her powerful anxiety with Butter’s help? Read Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek to find out, and also make sure you read Willodeen by Katherine Applegate! 

Candy wrappers. Rubber bands. Milk cartons. These items may seem ordinary, but to Maggie from Give and Take by Elly Swartz, they all have a special connection to her past life. Maggie is a trap shooter who competes in tournaments on an all-girl trapshooting squad and is scored by the accuracy of her shots. Recently, a new trap shooter named Mason has joined her squad, pushing one of Maggie’s best friends to another squad and breaking her community of girls apart. Maggie’s family has also started to take on huge changes that cause sad moments and lots of anxiety for her. For example, Maggie’s grandmother has recently passed away after losing her memory to dementia. After this, her parents make the decision to become a short-term foster family to an infant named Izzie. The process of fostering Izzie includes eventually letting go of her when she gets adopted, causing Maggie to feel miserable. When Maggie becomes stressed about all of these changes in her life, she starts developing unhealthy ways to deal with them, including hoarding objects, such as gum wrappers from her first trapshooting practice and one of Izzie’s baby socks. Maggie is motivated to keep all of these things that are usually considered trash because she is afraid of losing her core memories forever. As Maggie’s connections and love for Izzie become deeper, she realizes that professional help with her hoarding is necessary. With help, Maggie comes to learn that the most important part of memories are the actual moment, not the things that come from it. Will Maggie be able to deal with her hoard of objects? Also, will Maggie be able to let go of Izzie and the happiness that comes with fostering her? Read Give and Take By: Elly Swartz to find out! 

If you enjoyed reading Give and Take by Elly Swartz, you may also like Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz. Molly, the main character in Finding Perfect, is facing a family struggle, just like Maggie. Molly’s mom has taken a job in a faraway city, which causes her anxious feelings and questions if her mom will keep her promise to return in a year. Maggie and Molly both have strong anxiety, but they also have different ways of dealing with it. Molly puts her anxiety towards cleaning, organizing, and counting habits to cope with her problems. Will Molly be able to get help with her anxiety, like Maggie does? Will her mom keep her promise to return soon? Read Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz to find out, and also make sure you read Give and Take by Elly Swartz!

After Japan tragically bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, several Japanese-Americans were taken to prison camps in rural California. The story Paper Wishes By: Lois Sepahban follows Manami, a ten year old girl who is shipped off to one of these extremely isolated prison camps along with her friends and family. However, when Manami gets to the camp, she realizes something is very wrong. Her beloved dog, Yujiin, has been taken by the American Government since dogs are prohibited from the prison camps. Eventually, Manami becomes so heartbroken because of the changes in her life that she completely stops talking. Though her new teacher, best friend Kimmi and family are able to help and guide Manami towards happiness, she’s still devastated by the loss of her dog. This causes her to start drawing pictures of Yujiin and writing well wishes on little slips of paper and later releasing them into the wind in hopes of them leading her back to Yujiin. Will Manami find Yujiin, or will she find herself living without her special friend? Will Manami’s community of Japanese-Americans return home, or will they remain in this locked prison forever? To find out, read Paper Wishes By: Lois Sepahban! 

If you enjoyed reading Paper Wishes By: Lois Sepahban, you may also like Rain Reign By: Ann M. Martin. Rose, the main character of Rain Reign, has a dog who has run away from home. Like Manami, Rose has a strong emotional connection to her dog. This creates a huge search party. Will Rose find her dog, Rain, through all of her searches? Will she be left heartbroken without her? Read Rain Reign By: Ann M. Martin to find out, and also make sure you read Paper Wishes By: Lois Sepahban!