Together Through Books: Calming Escape

Reading offers students a healthy escape from daily stress while also helping them better understand themselves and others. Through stories, students can see their own experiences reflected, feel less alone, and gain new perspectives on challenges they may be facing. Novels, memoirs, or even poetry can foster empathy, emotional awareness, and resilience. Additionally, the physical act of reading can be calming so I encourage everyone– parents, students, and teachers to find a few minutes each day to escape by reading to help reset and recharge. 

Here are a some great new books  to check out:

The Dream & the Hope: The Historic Rise of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Nation’s Highest Court by Garen Thomas and Lori Rozsa, grades 4-8 

This powerful biography for middle grade readers tells the story of the first Black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.  Learn about the influence of her parents and her determination that allowed her to both open doors and found them closed to her.  It is a powerful story that shows how dreams can come true. 

Legendary Frybread Drive In: Intertribal Stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kate Hart, Eric Gansworth, Marcella Bell, Darcie Little Badger, Karina Iceberg, Kaua Mahoe Adams, Cheryl Isaacs, Andrea L. Rogers, Christine Hartman Derr, Brian Young, K. A. Cobell, Jen Ferguson, A. J. Eversole, Byron Graves, Angeline Boulley, David A. Robertson, high school and adult readers

This book brings alive indigenous voices in a collection of interconnected stories where the characters share laughter, love, Native pride and the world’s best fry bread.  This anthology weaves themes of displacement and loneliness as well as connection and authenticity making it ideal for any reader who longs for connection or authenticity.