National Network for Equitable Library Service

During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished teenage girls are sent to a villa to be trained as potential courtesans for the King. Beautiful and canny Veronique arrives at the school of mirrors and quickly becomes a favorite of the King. But when she discovers her lover's true identity, she is whisked away, sent to give birth to a daughter in secret.

After an entire young life of enslavement, twelve-year-old Homer escapes Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, leaving his beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there's no turning back.

It is 1938 in China and, as a young wife, Meilin's future is bright. But with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home. Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom, they must travel through a ravaged country, seeking refuge. Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood.

With her two best friends, Margaret Beck decides to start knitting socks for the boys at the front. When Margaret slips a note into her first pair of socks, she forms a connection that will forever change her life.

A young couple confronts the start of Argentina's Dirty War in the 1970s, and a daughter searches for truth twenty years later.

In 1783 France, ten-year-old Emilie works as Benjamin Franklin's caretaker, but after he finds himself in the middle of a sinister plot, he helps France's undercover guardians, a sheep, a roster and a duck save the world.

Told through three unique interwoven narratives, this novel reimagines a chapter in the life of Sylvia Plath, telling the story behind the creation of her classic, semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar.

Racial tensions are at their peak in Los Angeles after the beating of Rodney King and the shooting of Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner. As tensions escalate, Jordan's father leaves to check on the family store, spurring Jordan and his friends to embark on a dangerous journey to help him, and come to terms with the racism within their community.

Australia, 1960s. For thirteen years Odette raised her fair-skinned granddaughter Sissy without drawing notice from the authorities who remove fair-skinned Aboriginal children from their families. But the arrival of a new policeman with cruel eyes and a rigid by-the-book attitude throws their lives off-kilter. It will take all of Odette's courage and cunning to save Sissy from the authorities.

Myra is a portrait artist whose paintings alter people's bodies. It's a secret she's kept well hidden until the governor's wife discovers the truth and orders her to complete a portrait that resurrects her dead son.