ISS Best Books of 2022

Meghan Kennedy Columbus School for Girls Jennifer Chan is Not Alone by Tae Keller - middle grade, realistic fiction - A heartbreaking look at bullying and its impact through a unique POV--the bully. Provides a really realistic, nuanced look, and every character is treated with compassion while still letting anyone off the hook for their actions. One of my favorite lines: “Maybe it’s more complicated than knowing the right thing. Maybe people are just trying to balance helping other people and keeping themselves safe.”

Rebecca Moore The Overlake School, Redmond, WA
Jennifer Chan is Not Alone (Tae Keller). Realistic; grades 5-7. Tae Keller has her finger on the pulse of middle school power dynamics, driven by her need to understand her own experiences being bullied in middle school. What drives a bully? Why would someone do something they know is wrong? It's all caught up in the friend and school power dynamics, as well as the individuals' characters. Mallory has to answer a lot of really tough questions about herself, her friends, their friendships, and their actions. The parents in this were not perfect, either, but they were trying and in most cases, supported their kids. Jennifer's character stands out for her sticking to her guns in the face of enormous pressure to conform, but she does pay a stiff, middle school price for that--and then, so do those who exacted that price. I think this will make a lot of kids think about how they interact with people who don't quite fit in, and question the ethics of trying to force them to conform or at least "know their place."

Kate Reid St. Bernard's School
"The Ogress and the Orphans" by Kelly Barnhill - masterful narrative voice, gorgeously told allegory. Allegory/fantasy - middle grade


Maria Touet Malden Catholic High School
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill, ;ages 10 +. Beautiful story about belonging and kindness, it's both heartbreaking and hearthealing.

Jill Hanson The Paideia School
The Ogress and the Orphans, by Kelly Barnhill, fantasy, middle grade (grades 3 up). Beautifully written story that reinforces the importance of community and taking care of our neighbors.

Julie Bell Mercersburg Academy

Remarkably Bright Creatures / Shelby van Pelt, fiction, YA-adult. Must read: A humorous, poignant, gentle, entertaining tale, from various points of view; excellent character development and observations about relationships and compassion.

Shelagh Straughan Trinity College School
"Remarkably Bright Creatures (9-12)
Remarkably bright and remarkable! Wonderful for lovers of aquatic life (one of narrators is an octopus), this novel explores connection between humans, and between humans and animals with a heart-rending mystery at its core"

Mary G. Fraser Germantown Academy
Lessons in Chemistry: Historical/realistic fiction / Perhaps upper-school students, but mostly faculty and parents / Elizabeth Zott's experiences and voice live on long after one finishes reading this excellent first novel. Her story is engaging, frustrating, disturbing, and bittersweet a must read for the year!

Kate Lewallen Webb School of Knoxville
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - adult and teen/historical fiction, great historical fiction about women in science with a quirky main, take no crap main character