Warriors Don't Cry, Melba Patillo Beals
Warriors Don't Cry is about Melba Patillo, a 16 year old girl, who signs up to take part in the integration of Little Rock Arkansas' Central High School. Her mother and grandmother tell her that she should be brave, that integration is what god wanted her to do, but Melba is afraid. The family gets threatened and Melba gets attacked at school every day, but her Grandma India tells her that she is a warrior, and warriors don't cry. Melba and the other eight students integrating with her have to face extreme discrimination, but Melba forces herself to be brave. This nonfiction book is about 220 pages long, and it is very good. It has a few inappropriate words and is very sad at parts, but I still definitely recommend Warriors Don't Cry!
To Be Read
1. Dorothy Must Die (from Sofie)
2. I am the Messenger
3. My Mother the Cheerleader
4. The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil

Cuba 15, Nancy Osa

Cuba 15 is about a girl named Violet who turns fifteen. She is Cuban and Polish, and her family wants to throw her a quinceanero, a traditional party. But Violet hates traditional Cuban things, because her family keeps everything about Cuba a secret. Meanwhile, Violet deals with dating a boy at her school, and her two crazy friends, Leda and Janell. Cuba 15 is 275 pages long. It is fairly appropriate, although there are a few mature topics. It was a pretty good book!

To Be Read
1. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
2. Warriors Don't Cry
3. My Mother the Cheerleader (Sofie recommended this)

To Be Read
1. My Mother the Cheerleader
2. 13 Little Blue Envelopes
3. Forgive me, Leonard Peacock
4. Going Bovine

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
This book is about a girl named Lily who thinks she shot her mother. Events involving her maid Rosaleen cause her to break Rosaleen out of jail and flee to Tiburon, South Carolina, where she thinks she may find evidence of her mother. She meets three sisters named May, August, and June. They become friends, and Lily is much happier than she was at her home and she finds out about her Mom. This is a great book, but it does involve some troubling themes and mature language.

5 Books I Want to Read
1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette
2. Eleanor and Park
3. Outliers
4. The Summer of Letting Go
5. Out of the Easy

Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Historical Fiction
 Thomas Jefferson had three sons and one daughter with his slave Sally Hemings. Although the children get special privileges they are still slaves. Beverly knows that he can grow up to pass as  a white man, but he doesn't want to. Maddy, on the other hand, is too dark skinned to pass as a white man, although he would like to. The book follows the sons and daughters in their interesting childhoods. This was the best book I read last summer, I enjoyed that it told me things about history while being a spectacular story. The book has sad aspects, but it is completely appropriate.