Posts Tagged «multicultural»
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
by Gloria Whelan, 209 pages, Grades 6 and up
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Rosalind, an English girl growing up in India, prefers to spend her days exploring the city streets and bazaar with her friend Isha, but her parents don’t know that. Her father is away at war and her mother is still grieving over Rosalind’s brother who died while he was away at school in England. It is her brother’s death that made it possible for Rosalind to remain in India – her mother cannot bare to part with her only child now even though most British children are educated in England – but her father is becoming concerned about Rosalind’s education and behavior; her disobedient, unconventional ways might get her sent to England after all, and just as she is becoming interested in Indian politics, in particular a dynamic leader working for India’s independence through peaceful protest named Ghandi.
If you enjoy this book you may also like other titles by Gloria Whelan including: Parade of Shadows, Homeless Bird, or Angel on the Square. They are all historical fiction novels with strong female characters.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: coming of age, families, historical fiction, multicultural, prejudices, race relations
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Thursday, January 5th, 2012
by Linda Sue Park, 120 pages, Grades 5-8
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Salva is at school when they attack. The teacher sends the boys running out the back door and into the forest to get away from the invading rebel soldiers.
This is the beginning of Salva’s journey through southern Sudan into Ethiopia on the run from the war sweeping his country, and he is on his own; he was separated from his family when their village was attacked.
This novel is based on the true life of Salva Dut who now lives in the United States and has started an organization that digs wells to help people in the country where he grew up.
Tags: adventure, families, historical fiction, multicultural, realistic fiction, survival, war
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Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Christopher Paul Curtis, 341 pages, Grades 6-8
Elijah wishes he was not quite so fragile. He can take off running when he sees a snake, or might feel like crying when someone tells the sad story of escaping from slavery in America. His parents worry that his fragile nature might make his life difficult, but it is that very nature that turns him into a hero.
Buxton was a real town established in 1849 by an American abolitionist who hoped to give people escaping American slavery a place to live as free human beings. The story of Elijah is fictional, but things that happen are realistic for the time and place.
Even though his family thinks he is a delicate soul, Elijah finds courage deep inside himself and takes a lot of risks to do the right thing. It is a dangerous time to be African American; Elijah’s adventure is truly heroic.
Connections: Christopher Paul Curtis is gifted at creating exciting stories that happen to be set in realistic times in history. If you like Elijah of Buxton, you might also like Bud Not Buddy, or The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, both by Curtis as well.
Tags: African Americans, coming of age, families, historical fiction, identity, multicultural
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Thursday, April 29th, 2010
by Rita Williams-Garcia p. 218 Grades: 5-8
It’s the summer of 1968, and eleven-year-old Delphine flies from New York to Oakland with her two younger sisters to spend the summer, uninvited, with the mother who walked out on them when Delphine was seven and Fern was just a few days old. Her father feels the girls need to get to know their mother, but that does not make Cecile any more welcoming. In fact, she won’t even let the girls into her kitchen. Dinners are take-out food on the living room floor and breakfast is at the Black Panther summer camp. The girls are on their own, but each comes into her own that summer. Told from Delphine’s perspective, this is a lively, often humorous, story of resilience with characters you will come to know and love.
Connections: A novel about the Black Panther Party for older readers is The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon. Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers is set during the Harlem Renaissance, another significant period in African American history, and tells the story of another crazy summer.
Tags: 1968, African Americans, Black Panther Party, Black Panthers, California, Civil Rights Movement, historical fiction, mothers and daughters, multicultural, Oakland, poets, summer camps
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Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
By James Howe, 189 pages Grades 6-8
<!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–>“Being who you are isn’t a choice.” Although he had always lived this life lesson, it wasn’t until his favorite aunt gave him a button printed with these words that thirteen, year-old Joe really thought about what it meant for him, as a gay 7th grader, as well as for his schoolmates. Joe’s family and friends have always encouraged him to be himself (including dressing-up in dresses, playing with Barbies and cooking in an Easy-Bake oven) and he has always embraced his originality even when it led to teasing. Through an alphabiography project for his teacher, Joe shares his growing awareness of himself and his friends.
Connection: Joe and the other characters were first introduced in Howe’s novel, The Misfits. For other stories where characters share their life experiences through school writing assignments, try reading Love That Dog or Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech, Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge, or Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls.
Tags: coming of age, family life, friendship, homosexuality, middle school, multicultural, realistic fiction, schools
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010
By Lynda Durrant p. 171 Grades 5-8
What is perfection? When Rosemary Elizabeth arrives at the Shaker community of Pleasant Hill, she has plenty of delicious food to eat, spotlessly clean, white clothes to wear and beautiful surroundings. She also gets to leave her drunk, abusive father and knows that her younger brother and sister are safe, too. But, can Rosemary Elizabeth live up to the Shaker ideal of perfection with all of the rules about eating, sleeping, dressing, working, praying and talking? Even if she can, does she want to?
Connections – Other stories that depict the impact of the Civil War on the youth is Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick.
Tags: abandoned children, brothers and sisters, Civil War, coming of age, community life, historical fiction, Kentucky, multicultural, self-reliance, Shakers
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Friday, January 22nd, 2010
by Sherri L. Smith p. 271 Grades 6-8
It’s World War II, and the Japanese and Germans aren’t the only enemies. On the homefront, Ida Mae Jones is fighting racism and sexism. All she wants to do is become a pilot and to help in the war effort. The U.S. government has formed the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), but they won’t accept African Americans (“colored”) into what was still the segregated armed services. Risking her life and disappointing her family, Ida Mae decides to pass for white by joining up and reporting for training in Texas, where enforcement of Jim Crow laws was especially harsh. To avoid the constant threat of danger, Ida Mae must skillfully maneuver not only her airplane but also her relationships so that her true identity is not discovered.
Connections: To learn more about women pilots in World War II, read Yankee Doodle Gals: Women Pilots of World War II by Amy Nathan.
Tags: African Americans, flying, historical fiction, multicultural, pilots, racism, WASP, women, women's rights, World War II
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Friday, January 22nd, 2010
by Kashmira Sheth p. 272 Grades: 6-8
Twelve-year-old Leela, betrothed at age two and married at age nine, suddenly becomes a widow when the husband whom she’s never lived with dies in a tragic accident.
It’s 1918 in Gujarat, India, and widows are not allowed to remarry nor to participate in community celebrations or activities. They are viewed as bad luck and must shave their heads and spend the first year in their parents’ home “keeping corner.” Life seems over for Leela until a tutor arrives to help her get an education. Gandhi is not only working toward freeing India from British rule but also for women’s rights, especially rights for young widows. This compelling story shows a young, self-absorbed girl growing into an accomplished, confident young woman against the backdrop of India’s independence movement.
Connections: Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelen also tells the story of a teenage widow, but in contemporary India. Neela by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tells the story of Gandhi and the Independence Movement. Kashmira Sheth’s other novels are also excellent: Blue Jasmine and Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet.
Tags: family life, Gandhi, girls, historical fiction, history, India, multicultural, widows, women's rights
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Sunday, September 20th, 2009
by Siobhan Dowd, p. 323 Grades 5-8
Ted loves the weather, listening to forecasts and tracking changes, but he wasn’t sure that he was going to like having his aunt (called Hurricane Glo by his father) and his cousin come for a visit. When Ted’s cousin, Salim, disappeared from the ferris wheel-like London Eye, Ted initially came up with 8 theories about what could have happened to him, including the more mundane, we missed him getting out, to the outrageous possibilities of a time-warp or Salim spontaneously combusting (Ted’s favorite). Salim’s mother and Ted’s parents are frantic with worry, and don’t listen to Ted’s ideas about where he could have gone. His older sister, Kat, does listen, and together they try to use the available clues (pictures in Salim’s camera and a souvenir photo) to solve the mystery.
Connections: Other books that have characters with Asperger’s syndrome or Autism include: Rules by Cynthia Lord, The Very ordered existence of Merilee Marvelous by Suzanne Crowley, and Al Capone does my shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.
Tags: Asperger's syndrom, brothers and sisters, cousins, first person narrative, London, meteorology, missing children, multicultural, mystery, self-awareness, Siobhan Dowd, urban adventure
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Thursday, August 27th, 2009
by M. J. Auch p. 246 Grades: 5-8
The summer before sixth grade, Norm loses his left hand when it gets caught in a meat grinder. Poor kid! His mom’s not cutting him any slack, and his dreams of making the baseball team seem hopeless–until he hears about a one-handed major league baseball player and a customer gives him a right-handed baseball mitt. Now it’s up to Norm.
Connections: Here’s some other great baseball fiction: Hang Tough Paul Mather by Alfred Slote; Some Kind of Pride by Maria Testa; Choosing Up Sides by John Ritter; High Heat by Carl Deuker; and Hard Ball byWill Weaver. Browse 796.357 for baseball nonfiction and search baseball biography in the catalog for famous players.
Tags: baseball, cooking, determination, disabilities, friendship, historical fiction, humor, multicultural, post-World War II, resilience
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Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
by Shenaaz Nanji, p. 210 Grades: 7-10
What do you do when your whole world seems to be falling down around you? Do you deny that it is happening? In 1972, when President Idi Amin of Uganda gave all foreign Indians 90 days to leave the country, fifteen year-old Sabine didn’t think that included her family, as they were all Ugandan citizens. When her uncle disappears mysteriously, she convinces herself that he will turn up soon. When her best friend, Zena turns against her, Sabine hopes she will come around eventually. But, when the soldiers come looking for her father . . .
Connections: Some other stories that deal with conflict between different groups within one country include Girl of Kosovo by Alice Mead, Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, or Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
Tags: ethnic relations, family life, forced migration, friendship, historical fiction, Idi Amin, multicultural, prejudices, race relations, Shenaaz Nanji, Uganda, Young Adult
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Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
by Jordan Sonnenblick. p. 264 Grades 6-8
It’s tough being the new kid especially in January of the eighth grade. San Lee has moved around and changed schools a lot, and this time it’s because his dad has gone to prison for fraud. His mom’s short on money because of his dad’s legal fees, and even though it’s the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania, San heads off for his new middle school in sandals and the light windbreaker that were fine in Texas. Adopted from China as a baby, San is the only Asian American at his new school. When he discovers that his social studies class is studying Buddhism, which he studied last year, he pretends to be a Zen master. This deception wins him the attention of a beautiful girl but spins out of control in both serious and comical ways as more and more kids believe he’s the real thing.
Connections: Books where a new kid makes a big impact on the other students in a school are Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Gypsies Never Came by Stephen Roos, Schooled by Gordon Korman and, for mature readers, Jake Reinvented by Gordon Korman as well as Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner. If you’d like to know more about Zen Buddhism, try browsing the 294.3 section of the library.
Tags: Chinese Americans, humor, love stories, middle school, multicultural, new kid, outsiders, romance, teens, Zen Buddhism
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
By Nora Raleigh Baskin, p. 195 – Grades 4-7
Twelve year-old Jason, a creative writing whiz, is easily able to point out the differences between his “neurotypical” peers and autistic self but struggles with filtering out the noises, sensations and smells that distract him and make it hard to behave the way people expect him to. He is most comfortable when logged into his favorite story sharing website, Storyboard. Through the site, Jason starts a friendship with a girl, Rebecca, who admired one of his stories. He even goes so far as to describe her as his girlfriend. Jason gets the opportunity of a lifetime when his father offers to take him to the Storyboard conference but panics when he realizes that he might meet Rebecca in person.
Connection: For other stories with a protagonists on the autism spectrum, try reading Siobhan Dowd’s The London Eye Mystery or Suzanne Crowley’s The Very Ordered Existence Merilee Marvelous.
Tags: autism, coming of age, family life, multicultural, Nora Raleigh Baskin, schools
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Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
by Kristin Levine, p. 264 – Grades 6-9
While many of the townspeople in early 20th century Moundville, Alabama were shocked at the arrival of the new African-American postmaster, twelve-year old Dit was disappointed when he realized the postmaster’s child, Emma, was a girl rather than the playmate he had been hoping for. Adventuresome Dit is sure that he will never enjoy spending time with bookish, refined Emma, but he grudgingly shows her around and eventually the two end up finding common ground in the digging of a fort in Dit’s favorite hill mound. With the start of school in the fall, Dit comes to more fully understand the realities of the Jim Crow laws as Emma is forced to go to a different school and his buddies tease him about their friendship. Racial tensions in the town really erupt when the the town’s African American barber is charged with a crime against the overtly racist sheriff, and as witnesses to the crime, Dit and Emma can’t help but get involved.
Connection: For another story about a friendship challenged by racism, read Tony Johnston’s Bone by Bone by Bone.
Tags: Alabama, country life, family life, friendship, historical fiction, history 1819-1950, Kristin Levine, multicultural, prejudices, race relations
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
by Donna Jo Napoli, p. 280 – Grades 7-10
Fourteen year-old Calogero lives with his four uncles and one cousin in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana at the end of the 19th century. He has left his four year-old brother behind in Sicily after the disappearance of his father and the death of his mother. At a time of strong anti-immigrant sentiment and Jim Crow laws, the Sicilians are being forced to keep separate from not only the white but also the black members of the community. Calo’s secret crush on an African American girl, Patricia, and the success of the family’s produce market provide the fuel to feed the flames of racism in this small town.
Connection: The King of Mulberry Street is another novel, by Donna Jo Napoli, that describes the experience of Italian American immigrants (in New York City).
Tags: country life, Donna Jo Napoli, historical fiction, history 1865-1950, immigrant experience, Italian Americans, Jim Crow laws, Louisiana, love story, multicultural, prejudices, race relations, racism, uncles
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Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
by Anna Levine, p. 250 – Grades 8 & Up
As Israel and Lebanon engage in battle, eighteen year-old Aggie is simultaneously preparing for high school graduation and her two year, compulsory service in the Israeli army. Thoughts of kisses and crushes compete with concerns over inadequacies. She thinks she wants to be a member of the elite, women’s combat unit rather than be stuck in a desk job, but members of her family are making her question her capabilities. Her best friend’s older brother, Noah (a combat soldier) is showing particular interest in her trials at the physically and mentally challenging boot camp. Aggie gets a taste of the front line when she goes north to help one of her buddies from boot camp.
Connection: Another love story with war as the backdrop (in this case the Civil War) is Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells.
Tags: Anna Levine, autonomy, Israel, Lebanon War 2006, love stories, multicultural, self-realization, soldiers
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Monday, May 4th, 2009
by Cynthia Lord, p. 200 – Grades 4-7
Twelve-year-old Catherine’s brother (David) has autism and regularly does things that embarrass her, so she creates more and more rules for him to live by. She also fiercely defends David from bullies like Ryan who lives on their street. During the summer Catherine goes to her brother’s speech therapy appointments and meets Jason, a boy with cerebral palsy who uses a book of words and pictures to communicate. Catherine’s friendship with Jason grows as she adds new (hip) words and pictures to his book. A new girl, Kristi, moves in next-door, opening up the possibility of a new special friendship, but Catherine is not sure whether or not to trust her new friend when Kristi shows an interest in the bully, Ryan.
Connection: The main character in Gennifer Choldenko’s novel Al Capone Does My Shirts also has a sibling with autism. — CRW
Tags: autism, brothers and sisters, Cynthia Lord, friendship, multicultural, people with disabilities, trust
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Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
by Sandy Toksvig, p. 191 – Grades 5-8
Bamse, just 10 when the Germans invaded Denmark, is coming of age during the occupation. He must decide whether to follow his brother in working with the Danish Resistance or listen to his father and stay out of trouble. His mother’s acting career and her theatrics provide the structure for the story as well as drama and comic relief. Bamse comes to realize that not all German’s are bad nor all Danish good, and why his friend Anton’s participation in the resistance is particularly dangerous/courageous. The author’s note explains what parts of this work of fiction come from her own family’s experiences.
Connection: This book might appeal to those who enjoyed Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. –CRW
Tags: Danish Resistance, Denmark, historical fiction, multicultural, Sandy Toksvig, World War II
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Monday, April 27th, 2009
by Louise Erdrich, p. 193 – Grades 5-8
This third book in the series that started with the Birchbark House can stand alone. Omakayas is twelve as her family is forced, by increasing numbers of white settlers, to move westward through northern Minnesota from their original home on Madeline Island. The story picks up quickly with Omakayas and her younger brother being swept far down river through raging rapids. The family faces many dangers (human, nature and animal) while Omakayas moves through the uncharted territory of womanhood (changing relationships, responsibilities and romance).
Connection: Another story of personal growth along with voyages and travel is Sharon Creech’s Ruby Holler. –CRW
Tags: 19th century, adventure, coming of age, historical fiction, Indians of North America, Louise Erdrich, multicultural, Ojibwa Indians, voyages and travels
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Monday, April 27th, 2009
by Jacqueline Woodson, p. 136 – Grades 4-7
In this companion to Locomotion, Lonnie Collins Motion (aka Locomotion) helps his sister Lili remember life before their separate foster care placements by sending her letters filled with memories of the past triggered by his day to day experiences. Both Locomotion and Lili are happy with their foster care families, but miss their parents and being together. The letters start to focus on the importance of peace and the realities of war as Locomotion becomes more aware of his foster brother who is in the army.
Connection: This quick read might appeal to those who like Shooting the Moon by O’Rourke. –CRW
Highlight: Watch this great interview (from Reading Rockets) with Jacqueline Woodson talking about her life and her books.
Tags: African Americans, brothers and sisters, foster home care, letters, multicultural, orphans, peace, sad stories
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by Gloria Whelan, 209 pages, Grades 6 and up
