CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.

< Back to booklist

The House That Lou Built

by Mae Respicio

CCBC Review:

Lucinda (Lou) Bulosan-Nelson is good with her hands. She loves her woodworking class at school, and she has a dream: to build her own tiny house on the plot of land left to her by her white father, who died before Lou was born. When Lou’s mom considers taking a nursing job in Washington State, Lou panics. She doesn’t want to leave San Francisco, her friends, or her extended family and Filipino community. And what about her tiny house? She’s been collecting materials. She has a blueprint. She knows that building this house will help her feel more connected to the father she never knew. Then, worse news arrives: Unless Lou’s mom resumes tax payments on Lou’s land, the county will auction it off. Lou decides to take matters into her own hands (literally) and get started on that tiny house. Lou is resourceful, highly creative, and determined to learn and to find solutions—and she’s also smart enough to know how to ask for help when a project becomes too difficult. STEM themes abound, but Lou’s story is built on a foundation of family, friends, and community support. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-13
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Building/Construction Filipinos and Filipino Americans Friendship Multiracial Characters/Families
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklist: Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin

Publishers: Random House, Wendy Lamb Books
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 231
ISBN: 9781524717940
CCBC Location: Fiction, Respicio

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.