I always have a really hard time answering the "favorite book" question as a librarian because it is so hard to choose!
So while I don't have one favorite This One Summer is a book I enjoyed reading a few years back and was surprised to find it had been banned as it is a Printz Honor book! This one summer is a coming-of-age tale about a girl named Rose and it's a very relatable and truthful book about family, growing up, and loss; after all so much can happen in one summer.
Books are there for us when we need an escape but they are also there when we need to relate and know things will be okay too. They let us know about the human experience and help us process what we are going through or give us insight into what someone else is going through. Books teach us empathy in this way and help unite us with shared feelings, ideas, experiences, or understanding. The more we understand and empathize with others the more united we can be.