Helen Plum Library

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is publishing a monthly series of e-only essays to correspond with Katherine Paterson's two-year term as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The subjects of the essays include: writing and literature for young people, the wonder and imagination found within great books, common questions novice writers ask, and Katherine's own personal experiences throughout her historic career.

Every generation inherits the problems created by the ones before them, but no generation will inherit as many problems--as many crises--as the current generation of young people. From the devastations of climate change to the horrors of gun violence, from rampant transphobia to the widening wealth gap, from the lack of health care to the lack of housing, the challenges facing the next generation can feel insurmountable. But change, even revolution,...

"This nonfiction book for teen readers is a guide to understanding mental health and coping with mental illness, trauma and recovery. It features real-life stories of resilient teens and highlights innovative approaches to mental-health challenges."-- Mental health is a complex issue. It affects everything that we do, but can be hard to talk about. Siebert shines a light on the troubled history of thinking about and treating mental illness. She tells...

Connected Lives, a contemporary nonfiction series for teens, features the fascinating life stories of popular artists. Each book presents two singers in a similar musical genre who have lived extraordinary lives, exploring how their lives interconnect and how they are different. As similar as these artists may seem, their rise to fame may have been very different. Multiple musical genres are represented across the series, including pop, hip-hop, jazz,...

This is an epub picture sound book for teenage children. It is for learning the written Chinese characters, pronunciation and pinyin of the commonly-used Chinese words related to the topic of Body actions and tools Volume 2. Each page in the book groups together a written Chinese word, its English translation, pinyin, sound clip and a picture which is carefully chosen to illustrate the word. The sound clip helps a learner pronounce the Chinese word...

This is an epub picture sound book for teenage children. It is for learning the written Chinese characters, pronunciation and pinyin of the commonly-used Chinese words related to the topic of Things in a city Volume 3. Each page in the book groups together a written Chinese word, its English translation, pinyin, sound clip and a picture which is carefully chosen to illustrate the word. The sound clip helps a learner pronounce the Chinese word correctly...

Six million Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust. Children were not spared. But some managed to survive. Large numbers were sent to concentration camps. Others were hidden by friends and neighbors. Some were smuggled across borders. Many lost their families. Still, they did not give up. These are their stories of survival. Take a look inside White Lightning Nonfiction, a hi-lo nonfiction series for students in the middle grades. Mature, high-interest...

"Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer's best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass is adapted for a young adult audience by children's author Monique Gray Smith, bringing Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation"--

This book is a fictionalized non-fiction novel exposing the story of an artist and how he relates to the last draft lottery (Vietnam War Era) of the United States. It depicts real accounts of true-life experiences coming from the San Joaquin Valley of California to the Monterey Peninsula along the West coast of the old Fort Ord Military facility, California, which is currently now the California State University of Monterey Peninsula. The Iron Grains...

Essays, profiles, and interviews about issues in social and political action, including climate change, immigration, gender and sexual orientation, racism, women's rights, religious freedom, and intersectionality. Also includes practical information about tools for effecting change "Walk the walk, talk the talk-- change the world! Are you the type of person who doesn't accept "it is what it is"? Are you wondering what you can do to make the world...