3-5 Books | University of Central Florida

This collection contains materials from the DIVerse Families bibliography organized by Grades 3-5.

DIVerse Families is a comprehensive bibliography that demonstrates the growing diversity of families in the United States. This type of bibliography provides teachers, librarians, counselors, adoption agencies, children/young adults, and especially parents and grandparents needing to empower their children with materials that reflect their families.

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Itch

Michelle D. Kwasney

In 1968, after the death of her beloved Gramps, Delores "Itch" Colchester and her grandmother move from Florida to an Ohio trailer park, where she meets new people and, when she learns that a friend is being abused by her mother, tries her best to emulate her plain-spoken grandfather.
It's Not the End of the World

Judy Blume

A young girl tries to restore order to her family life by preventing her parents from going through with their divorce.
It's So Amazing!: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families

Robbie H. Harris

Uses bird and bee cartoon characters to present straightforward explanations of topics related to sexual development, love, reproduction, adoption, sexually transmitted diseases, and more.
It's Test Day, Tiger Turcotte

Pansie Hart Flood

Already so worried about the big second grade test that his stomach is upset, seven-year-old Tiger Turcotte, whose parents are Black, Meherrin Indian, and Hispanic, gets stuck on the question about race.
Jakeman

Deborah Ellis

Jake and his older sister, Shoshonna, along with a busload of kids, visit their mother in prison regularly. But this time the journey turns into a series of misadventures, and the kids find themselves on their own, hatching a plan to find the Governor and plead with him to pardon their moms.
Jazz Jennings: Voice for LGBTQ Youth

Ellen Rodger

A groundbreaking advocate for transgender youth and LGBTQ rights, Jazz Jennings is one of the first youth to speak publicly about her experiences as a transgender individual. A spokesperson, writer, and public figure, Jazz inspires all people to embrace themselves and be accepting of all people. Overcoming incredible struggles as a young transgender person, Jazz now uses her platform to make a difference in the LGBTQ community. A vocal advocate for equal rights, she co-founded the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation-all before the age of 15.
Jerome by Heart

Thomas Scotto

This story follows a little boy named Raphael, whose daily rhythm is steeped in his immense affection for his friend Jerome. The two boys share jokes and snacks and plan future adventures to the Himalayas. Even when Raphael’s constant talk of Jerome is driving his parents crazy, he remains steadfast: “Raphael loves Jerome. I can say it. It’s easy.” And the truth is, when he’s with Jerome, Raphael feels happy, liked, and understood― even special.
Jim's Lion

Russel Hoban

Asleep in his hospital bed, Jim dreams of a great lion with white teeth and amber eyes. This lion is Jim’s finder. According to Nurse Bami, everyone has a finder, a creature who comes looking for us when we are lost. But when the time comes for Jim’s operation, will his lion be able to find him and bring him safely home?
Jodie's Journey

Colin Thiele

Twelve-year-old Jodie, disabled by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and no longer able to ride her beloved horse Monarch, faces a crisis when the two of them are alone at her remote Australia home and a devastating fire approaches.
Jo Makes a Friend

Susan Beth Pfeffer

At the request of her great-aunt, ten-year-old Jo tries to befriend a sad and lonely blind girl who is visiting the neighborhood. Exuberant Jo March never sits still. Whether she's racing against boys or scribbling and acting in her latest play, Jo is always active and creative. So when Aunt March asks her to befriend Pauline Wheeler, Jo can't believe that the girl spends every day cooped up in her bedroom. True, Pauline is blind and utterly dependent on her governess, but her fear of life exhausts Jo's patience. The two girls simply have nothing in common--until they're caught in a snow squall that changes their lives.
Journey

Patricia MacLachlan

Left by their mother with their grandparents, two children feel as if their past has been erased until Grandfather finds a way to restore it to them.
Joy of Apex

Napatsi Folger

Joy is ten years old, living in Apex, Nunavut - a suburb of Iqaluit. Her perfect life is shattered by her parent's separation.
Kimchi & Calamari

Rose Kent

Teenaged Joseph Calderaro, who was adopted from Korea by Italian parents, begins to make important self-discoveries about race and family after his social studies teacher assigns an essay on cultural heritage and tracing the past.
Kinda Like Brothers

Coe Booth

When his mother takes in a twelve-year-old foster boy, Jarrett is forced to share his room and his friends with the new boy.
Kyle's Island

Sally Derby

For as far back as Kyle can remember, he spent summers at Gram's cottage on the lake—fishing all day, and hanging out with the whole family. But this year is different. His father has moved out, his grandmother has died, and his mother is selling the cottage because they can't afford the upkeep. Sally Derby takes readers to a small lake in 1970s Michigan, where thirteen-year-old Kyle comes to understand that loss isn't forever, and that people are more complicated than they seem.
Lady Daisy

Dick King-Smith

Ned's disappointment turns into shock when the doll his grandmother has given him speaks to him, and together the two of them share stories of their very different worlds.
Lailah's Lunchbox

Reem Faruqi

Now that she is ten, Lailah is delighted that she can fast during the month of Ramadan like her family and her friends in Abu Dhabi, but finding a way to explain to her teacher and classmates in Atlanta is a challenge until she gets some good advice from the librarian, Mrs. Carman.
Laurie Tells

Linda Lowery

When her mother doesn't believe her, eleven-year-old Laurie tells a supportive aunt that she is being sexually abused by her father
Laverne Cox

Erin Staley

Highlights the struggles and achievements of Laverne Cox, an American actress, who became the first openly transgender person to win numerous awards and have a wax work in Madame Tussauds.
Leading Ladies

Marlee Matlin and Doug Cooney

A deaf fourth-grader finds her true calling when she is cast as Dorothy in a school production of "The Wizard of Oz."
Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part One

Michael Dante DiMartino

Relishing their newfound feelings for each other, Korra and Asami leave the Spirit World, but find nothing in Republic City but political hijinks and human vs. spirit conflict. A pompous developer plans to turn the new spirit portal into an amusement park, potentially severing an already tumultuous connection with the spirits. What's more, the triads have realigned and are in a brutal all-out brawl at the city's borders--where hundreds of evacuees have relocated! In order to get through it all, Korra and Asami vow to look out for each other--but first, they've got to get better at being a team and a couple!
Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part Three

Michael Dante DiMartino

When Asami is kidnapped, Korra sets out to the Spirit Wilds to find her. Now teeming with dark spirits influenced by the half spirit-half human Tokuga, the landscape is more dangerous than ever before. The two women must trust in each other and work together if they are to make it out alive.
Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part Two

Dante DiMartino

Recovering from the fight and furious for revenge, Triple Threats member Tokuga solidifies his ties with the duplicitous Wonyong. Meanwhile, when Republic City's housing crisis reaches its peak, Zhu Li sets her sights on the biggest public figure in the city--President Raiko--in a bid for the presidency! With her friend's success, the future of the spirit portal, and the wellbeing of Republic City's citizens at stake, can Korra remain neutral and fulfill her duties as the Avatar?
Leonardo's Hand

Warwick Downing

Finally in a foster home with a caring family, Nard, a thirteen-year-old orphan with only one hand, invents a human-powered flying machine with the assistance of the 500-year-old hand of Leonardo da Vinci.
Let's Get This Straight: The Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents

Tina Fakhrid-Deen

Offers children, teens, and adults with one or more gay, bisexual, or transgender parents advice on how they can deal with the challenges they might face, build healthy relationships with their parents, address discrimination, build a strong sense of self-esteem, and reduce the isolation and shame they might feel.