Published in 2019, Roll with It is a middle-grade novel by Jamie Sumner, who is also an adult nonfiction author. Like the protagonist, Ellie Cowan, Sumner’s son has cerebral palsy (CP). Sumner’s experience and advocacy for those living with this disability is genuine. She lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee which appears as an important setting in this novel. Roll with It focuses on central issues of disability, diversity in the disability community, inclusivity... Read Roll With It Summary

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is the fourth of the Bridgerton books, part of a historical romance series written by New York Times best-selling author Julia Quinn and first published by Avon Books in 2002. The series, already popular among fans of historical fiction, garnered broader interest after being adapted into a Netflix series helmed by veteran showrunner Shonda Rhimes. Set in Regency London, the books describe the courtship and marriage of the eight siblings of the... Read Romancing Mister Bridgerton Summary

Room to Dream by Kelly Yang is the third book in her award-winning Front Desk series. The book follows 12-year-old Mia as she travels back to China for the first time since leaving for the United States four years ago. The book tackles important issues such as gentrification, racism, sexism, and xenophobia. It takes place in the 1990s, in Anaheim, California, and Beijing, China, and highlights some of the significant changes that took place in... Read Room to Dream Summary

Root Magic is a 2022 historical fiction novel by Eden Royce. It is Royce’s first children’s novel, though she has published several collections of short fiction, many of which center on Black gothic horror, including Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror (2015), Spook Lights II: Southern Gothic Horror (2017), and Who Lost, I Found (2023). Originally from South Carolina, Royce’s works incorporate her Gullah Geechee culture. Root Magic draws from these origins, discussing rootworking practices in... Read Root Magic Summary

Roots is a 1976 historical fiction novel by Alex Haley. Haley served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and as a military journalist after the war. Prior to writing Roots, Haley interviewed famous Black Americans and ghostwrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which has remained a bestselling work since its publication in 1965. In Roots, Haley combines his journalistic experience with Black America and his family’s oral history, bolstered with research... Read Roots Summary

Nikki Giovanni’s “Rosa Parks,” part of her 2002 collection Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, is an important poem written by one of the most accomplished, celebrated, and recognizable living poets in the United States.“Rosa Parks,” named for famed the civil rights icon, takes readers through the creation of the first all-Black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), in 1925. The porters’ union was an important precursor to the civil rights movement of the... Read Rosa Parks Summary

Ruby Holler (2002) is a middle grade novel by Sharon Creech. It tells the story of twins, a brother and sister, who are orphaned and live at a children’s home. Their lives change unexpectedly when they are given the opportunity to travel with an elderly couple during their summer vacation.The author of 21 books, Creech was awarded the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons (1994) and received a Newbery honor for The Wanderer (2000). Ruby... Read Ruby Holler Summary

Rules was the first novel published by Cynthia Lord. Rules is a book for middle-grade readers that has remained popular and in print from the time of its initial publication. The Scholastic paperback version summarized here first appeared in 2018. For a debut novel, Rules was immediately accepted by young readers and by the literary community. The book won a prestigious Newberry Honor Book award and received the Schneider Family Book Award. It was named... Read Rules Summary

Rules Of The Road is a contemporary young adult novel by established author Joan Bauer, first published in 1998. It is the first book in the Rules of the Road series. The second book, Best Foot Forward, was published in 2005. Joan Bauer’s own complicated childhood with an alcohol-addicted father inspired Rules of the Road, which was met with critical acclaim. It won both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Golden Kite Award... Read Rules of the Road Summary

Run (2007) is the fifth novel by award-winning writer Ann Patchett. Run is a fictional story about family, politics, and love. It is set in Cambridge and the West End of Boston in the United States, areas with which Patchett is familiar. This guide refers to the Harper Collins 2007 paperback edition of the novel.Content Warning: This novel contains descriptions of drug abuse.Plot SummaryThe novel opens with a capsule story that is set concurrently in... Read Run Summary

Harlan Coben’s Run Away (2019) is a standalone domestic thriller from the internationally best-selling author. A #1 New York Times bestseller, the novel follows Simon Greene, an affluent New York City financial advisor whose carefully constructed life is shattered after searching for his estranged daughter, Paige, who is unhoused and has a drug addiction. Simon’s desperate attempt to bring her home results in a violent confrontation with her abusive boyfriend in Central Park. The incident... Read Run Away Summary

Runaway Ralph is the second book in the trilogy of Ralph S. Mouse stories by Beverly Cleary. Cleary wrote over 40 books for children and won numerous awards, including the Newbery medal for three different books. Originally published in 1970, Runaway Ralph won the Nene Award from the Hawaii Library Association in 1972. In 1988, a two-part miniseries of the book aired on ABC, earning Emmy nominations. Runaway Ralph features Ralph S. Mouse, the protagonist... Read Runaway Ralph Summary

Runaway: Stories (2004) by Alice Munro is a collection of eight short stories that explore the inner lives of women caught between desire and duty, leading to personal transformation. A winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Munro was famous for the short story form. Many of the stories were published in magazines such as The New Yorker before being published in this collection. The recurring presence of abuse, however, received context following the posthumous... Read Runaway: Stories Summary

Kevin Wilson’s 2025 domestic fiction novel, Run for the Hills, follows 32-year-old Madeline “Mad” Hill, whose quiet life running a successful organic farm in Tennessee is upended by the arrival of Reuben “Rube” Hill. Rube reveals he is her older half-brother, abandoned by the same father who disappeared from Mad’s life decades earlier. This discovery launches the pair on a cross-country road trip to find their serially reinventing father and the other siblings he left... Read Run for the Hills Summary

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs was first published in 2002 as a memoir. After several of the figures it features sued for defamation and dishonesty of its claims, however, it was recategorized as a book. It can also be classified as a bildungsroman since it follows the adolescent growth of its narrator and protagonist. Running with Scissors was adapted into a feature film in 2006.Other works by this author include Dry and A Wolf... Read Running With Scissors Summary

Runt by American author Marion Dane Bauer is a children’s fantasy novel that explores the dynamics of a wolf pack and a runt cub’s journey toward finding his purpose and place. Runt was the recipient of Children’s Choice Awards in Georgia and Minnesota, and the book received a generally positive reception, including a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, for its swift plotting and immersive storytelling. Bauer has written over 100 books for young readers, including... Read Runt Summary

Originally published in 1977, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a middle-grade historical fiction novel written by Eleanor Coerr based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl living in Hiroshima, Japan, when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. At age 12, Sadako is diagnosed with leukemia, often called “the atom bomb disease.” Inspired by a Japanese legend, Sadako sets out to fold 1,000 origami cranes, hoping she will be granted... Read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Summary

Published in 2009, Sag Harbor is the fourth novel by Colson Whitehead. Whitehead refers to this novel as “my autobiographical fourth novel,” as he used some of his childhood summer experiences at Sag Harbor, New York, to write this story. Sag Harbor was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Whitehead is also the author of The Underground Railroad, which won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as The Nickel Boys, The... Read Sag Harbor Summary

Written by S.K. Ali, Saints and Misfits is young-adult novel that delves into the complex world of Janna Yusuf, a Muslim American teenager grappling with identity, faith, and the challenges of being a misfit in her community. This coming-of-age story takes readers on a poignant journey as Janna navigates the multiple intersections of her cultural heritage, personal experiences, and societal expectations. Through her authentic voice and compelling narrative, S.K. Ali explores themes of self-discovery, friendship... Read Saints and Misfits Summary

Carlos Hernandez, a first-generation Cuban American author, published Sal and Gabi Break the Universe in 2019 to critical acclaim. A sequel, Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe, was published in 2020. It won the Pura Belpré award in 2020 for portraying and celebrating the Latino cultural experience in children’s literature. The story follows the adventures of Sal Vidón as he navigates a new school and the ability to manipulate the multiverse. Sal’s exploits explore the... Read Sal and Gabi Break the Universe Summary