Please click here for our current 2022-23 SJF booklist.

Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story

Reem Faruqi

Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs. This gentle, moving story from first-time author Reem Faruqi comes to life in Lea Lyon's vibrant illustrations. Lyon uses decorative arabesque borders on intermittent spreads to contrast the ordered patterns of Islamic observances with the unbounded rhythms of American school days.

Please click here for a video linked to the story. Thank you.

Please click here for more information and to purchase the book.

The Goldfish Boy

Lisa Thompson

A story about finding friendship when you're lonely and hope when all you feel is fear.

Twelve-year-old Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by crippling OCD, spending most of his time staring out of his window as the inhabitants of Chestnut Close go about their business.

That is, until the day he is the last person to see his next door neighbour's toddler, Teddy, before he goes missing.

Now Matthew must turn detective and unravel the mystery of Teddy's disappearance – with a little help from a surprising and brilliant cast of supporting characters.

Full of heart and a genuine and honest confrontation of some of the ways in which life can be hard to handle, this is a story about the courage it takes to face your fears and learn to live with them. Page-turning and heart-breaking, but ultimately life-affirming, this story is perfect for fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and Wonder.

It is a book that will make you think about everything there is to discover, just waiting beyond your front door.

Please click here for more information and to purchase the book.