Freedom School, Yes!

Littlesugar, Amy. 2001. "Freedom School, Yes!". New York: Philomel Books. ISBN: 0-399-23006-8

From Publishers Weekly

The skilled author-illustrator team that introduced readers to 1930s Harlem in Tree of Hope here explores another dramatic chapter in African-American history: the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. In the summer of 1964, Jolie's family plays host to Annie, a 19-year-old white woman who has volunteered to teach Freedom School. The segregated community of Chicken Creek is rattled by this arrangement--blacks are skeptical of learning about their history and their heroes from a white stranger; whites are suspected of violent efforts (burning down the church, throwing bricks through windows) to drive Annie away. Despite the unrest and tension in the air, Annie helps open Jolie's eyes to her heritage and to the great test of courage that the Freedom School poses to all involved. Littlesugar personalizes the events of an era by colorfully detailing one girl's experience. Vivid imagery and realistic emotion will quickly grab readers' attention. But the story stumbles a bit, rushing to mention a list of African-American historical figures and slightly inflating Jolie's role in comparison to that of Harriet Tubman. Cooper's grainy-textured oil washes, as radiant as ever, depict the strength shining in faces of people newly enlightened. His portraits of various Chicken Creek residents capture their mix of fear, wonder, faith and determination. An author's note includes more information on the Freedom School project and the real-life heroes who inspired this story. Ages 4-8. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

What I like about this book is how it was written. It seems more well written than most picture books. That's a good spot to utilize it in a middle school classroom. It can be used as an example of good writing in a simple setting. It also may help a struggling reader advance. They can read something seemingly simple but still use strategies to work through a confidence building book.

If the World Were a Village

Smith, David. 2002. "If the World Were a Village." Toronto: Kids Can Press. pp 32. ISBN: 1-55074-779-7

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. To make the idea of a world of 6.2 billion people more understandable, Smith suggests that children imagine the population of the world as a village of just 100 people. That's one person representing 62 million people in the real world. Surprising, even shocking statistics follow--for example, many kids in the U. S. take computers for granted, but only seven people in the global village own one. Each double-page, picture-book spread relates a few consciousness-raising facts about such topics as nationalities, food, language, and religion. With the aid of a calculator, even younger kids can do the math; the tricky part is to get children to really understand the ideas. Armstrong's large acrylic paintings, nice complements to the text, look like stained glass windows, with blocks of intense color outlined in thick black lines. This highly informative book will get kids thinking and asking questions, and it can easily be incorporated into a middle-school social studies curriculum. The endnote suggests related activities for home and classroom. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Just as the review suggests, this book gets the kids thinking. The content is relatively simple but it opens up the world in a relaxed way. It is an informal book and not always written in standard sentences. I think this change of pace can be refreshing in a classroom. But the students can use their reading strategies to get curious and think beyond the text.

York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark

Blumberg, Rhoda. 2004. "York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark". New York: Harper Collins. pp 88. ISBN: 0-06-009111-8

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. Blumberg, author of The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark (1987), now offers an account of the same journey featuring York, the only African American member of the Corps of Discovery. William Clark's playmate as a child and later his personal slave, York joined his master on the expedition, where his strength, skills, and courageous acts were recorded in the journals. His black skin and strong physique amazed and impressed many of the Native Americans, perhaps helping the corps gain acceptance. Blumberg notes that without York, the expedition might have failed. Reproductions of paintings, prints, photographs, documents, and artifacts illustrate this large-format book, which concludes with a bibliography, Internet sites, and several pages of endnotes, containing background information and citations for the many quotations from books, letters, and journals. Although much of York's life was unrecorded, this clearly presents what is known and acknowledges speculation where it occurs. Your shelves may be bulging with Lewis and Clark expedition books in this bicentennial year, but make room for this one. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

This book takes a traditional subject for a student and puts a new twist on it. They suddenly see the story from a diverse perspective rather than the traditional way of two white men discover the west. It may interest the African- American students much more. One of my goals as a teacher is to get something to relate to all in the classroom. This is a great book to implement in a social studies class to teach another dimension of Lewis and Clark.

Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Winter, Jonah. 2005. "Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates." New York: Simon and Schuster.                 ISBN: 978-0-689-85643-3

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 2-5–This sparkling picture-book biography is a worthy tribute to an individual whose greatness extended beyond the baseball field and whose stature continues to grow. The lively text highlights the achievements of his incredible career: his extraordinary fielding, his leadership in guiding the Pittsburgh Pirates to two World Series wins, and the accomplishment of recording 3000 hits. The author also imbues his subject with character: Clemente was notable for his generosity and as a trailblazer for Latino ballplayers. He struggled throughout his career with a condescending press, but after his performance in the 1971 World Series, no one could deny his greatness. The book ends with Clemente's tragic death in a plane crash as he was attempting to bring aid to victims of an earthquake in Central America. The illustrations, with their trademark swirls and detailed cross-hatchings, are perfectly suited to the text. Colón alternates between full-color and black-and-white drawings: they add detail and drama, and the book's overall design is striking. Both author and illustrator are at the top of their game here. A delight for sports lovers as well as general readers.–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A very simple text, with a fun topic. It's another example of how to involve a more broad audience in the class. It's not one I'd suggest to all though. I could see this being used in some sort of project where student could choose their own book to take to another level. It's definitely geared towards boys. And the Latino population in classrooms may have found a new role model through this book. 

Who WIll Tell My Brother?

Carvell, Marlene. 2002. Who Will Tell My Brother?. New York: Hyperion Books. pp 147. ISBN:078680827-6

 

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-Up Through lyrical free-verse poems that span his senior year, readers come to know Evan Hill, an artistic, articulate student who embarks on a crusade begun by his older brother to remove the Indian as their high school's mascot. He shares a Native American heritage with his father, who embodies patience and quiet strength and who draws the teen into his once estranged Mohawk family circle. Evan encounters a mix of hostility, indifference, and silent support for his cause from his classmates. Intolerance and brutality erupt when long-haired Evan is cornered in the hall by scissors-wielding classmates and when his mother discovers the beloved family dog lying dead atop a paper feather headdress. The young man's repeated visits to the school board generate annoyance, frustration, and intransigence, and it votes to ignore his request and to uphold the status quo. But at graduation, when an Indian mascot banner is displayed, cheers fade as sympathizers join Evan in a silent, seated protest. Carvell's first novel carries a clear, thought-provoking message about both intolerance and cultural pride. The protagonist's first-person experiences and insights are affecting. His objection to the shallow, stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans emerges from a spiritual and cultural need to be understood, recognized, and appreciated. Through his campaign, Evan learns a lesson in integrity, perseverance, and courage. -Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.  

I would implement this book by approaching higher level students with a challenge. This book is written in poems . It may be a style lower level readers may struggle to grasp. But it will be a great challenge for those who are tired of the traditional text. It is also a good way to introduce an alternative writing assignment. It may get the creative waves churning in their brains. 

Black and White

Volponi, Paul. 2005. Black and White. New Yourk: Penguin Group. pp 185. ISBN:0-670-06006-2

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. "Kids who are different colors don't get to be all that tight in my neighborhood. But we get past all that racial crap," says Marcus, an African American senior whose best friend, Eddie, is white. Together, the boys are known at school as Black and White. Both are basketball stars entertaining scholarship offers from local New York City colleges, but they risk everything for more spending money. Considering fast-food jobs too demeaning, they turn to armed stickups, and during their third robbery, they shoot and wound their victim. In alternating chapters, Marcus and Eddie recount the terrifying days after the event as they wait for the police to find and arrest them. The disparate treatment each receives highlights their racial divide, which is occasionally echoed on the streets in harsh language full of hate: a man on the subway tells a white girl that "niggers are going to fuck you, too." Using authentic voices that will draw in both strong and reluctant readers, Volponi writes a taut novel that avoids didacticism and deftly balances drama and passion on the basketball court with each boy's private terror and anguish. Teens will want to discuss the story's layered moral ambiguities, heartbreaking choices, and, as Marcus says, "the line that separates black and white." Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

It's fairly common for a sports book to center around a minority group. This book is interesting in the way that it gives a perspective from two races. I think it will spark debate inside a classroom. Unfortunately, it's a debate about race and should be reserved for the most mature students in class. But I think the right students could take a good message away from the book. Small group work would be good with this book. It's also a good way to teach first person writing. 

Rules

Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. New York: Scholastic Press. pp 200. ISBN:0-439-44382--2

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him (It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

 This book has a solid message of treating people right. It's simple but it goes about it very uniquely by following the sibling of a challenged child rather than the child itself. It's a perspective more kids can understand or at least put themselves in that situation. I would use this a classroom reading for all. It is an easy read and tugs at the emotions. I'm not even sure having a project with this is necessary. A few strong questions from the teacher will spark good conversation in the classroom. It could be a cool way to create a bond in the classroom, which is a great way to create trust.

Smoky Night

Bunting, Eve. (1994). Smoky Night. 

This is a story about cats -- and people -- who couldn't get along until a smoky and fearful night brings them together.

The Los Angeles riots made author Eve Bunting wonder about what riots meant to the children who live through them -- and what we can all learn from such upheavals. She has written more than 100 books for children and young adults, including Night Tree and Summer Wheels, and many deal thoughtfully with difficult issues.

Smoky Night was the winner of the 1995 Caldecott Medal; an American Library Association Notable Children's Book; a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; and a Parent's Choice Award.

This book is fantastic for its illustrations. They paint the words on each page. I really like this book for imagery. Simply reading the book out loud but not showing the pictures to the kids, but allowing them time to make their own pictures. Then they can compare it to the illustrations. I like that idea for a way to implement this book. 

Night

Wiesel, E., (2006). Night. New York: Hill and Wang. 

A story of a Jewish teenager, Eliezer, who lives in Hungarian Transylvania.  He studies the Torah and his education is cut short when his teacher Mosche the Beadle is deported.  He returns and tells everyone about the horrid things he’d seen, noone believes him and label him insane.  At the time, 1944 the Nazis occupy Hungary and a mass amount of measures are taken against the Jews of Eliezer’s town and forced into small ghettos.  They are then deported from the ghettos into the deathcamp Auschwitz.  The book shows the truth about the death camps and how they were stripped, shaved, disinfected and treated with unimaginable cruelty.  The main character is forced to endure not only harsh treatment from the Gstapo as well as the fellow Jews who turn to self-survival mode rather than the betterment of the group.  Eliezer and his father help one another until his unfortunate death to abuse from the Gstapo until Eliezer is liberated by Americans.


This book is eye opening and scary to most. It gives a perspective not seen in textbooks. I would love to use it in a social studies classroom as a way to paint the picture of the Holocaust to the students. It's also a good way to teach historical non-fiction to students. It defines that genre. 

To Kill A Mockingbird

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: HarperCollins, 1960. Print. ISBN: 0-446-31078-6 

The story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator, six-year-old Scout Finch, lives with her older brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer. Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt for the summer. The three children are terrified of, and fascinated by, their neighbor, the reclusive "Boo" Radley. The adults of Maycomb are hesitant to talk about Boo and, for many years, few have seen him. The children feed each other's imagination with rumors about his appearance and reasons for remaining hidden, and they fantasize about how to get him out of his house. Following two summers of friendship with Dill, Scout and Jem find that someone is leaving them small gifts in a tree outside the Radley place. Several times, the mysterious Boo makes gestures of affection to the children, but, to their disappointment, never appears in person.
Atticus is appointed by the court to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman. Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability. Other children taunt Jem and Scout for Atticus' actions, calling him a "nigger-lover". Scout is tempted to stand up for her father's honor by fighting, even though he has told her not to. For his part, Atticus faces a group of men intent on lynching Tom. This danger is averted when Scout, Jem, and Dill shame the mob into dispersing by forcing them to view the situation from Atticus' and Tom's points of view.
Because Atticus does not want them to be present at Tom Robinson's trial, Scout, Jem, and Dill watch in secret from the colored balcony. Atticus establishes that the accusers—Mayella and her father, Bob Ewell, the town drunk—are lying. It also becomes clear that the friendless Mayella was making sexual advances towards Tom and her father caught her in the act. Despite significant evidence of Tom's innocence, the jury convicts him. Jem's faith in justice is badly shaken, as is Atticus', when a hopeless Tom is shot and killed while trying to escape from prison.
Humiliated by the trial, Bob Ewell vows revenge. He spits in Atticus' face on the street, tries to break into the presiding judge's house, and menaces Tom Robinson's widow. Finally, he attacks the defenseless Jem and Scout as they walk home from the school Halloween pageant. Jem's arm is broken in the struggle, but amid the confusion, someone comes to the children's rescue. The mysterious man carries Jem home, where Scout realizes that he is the reclusive Boo Radley.
Maycomb's sheriff arrives and discovers that Bob Ewell has been killed in the struggle. The sheriff argues with Atticus about the prudence and ethics of holding Jem or Boo responsible. Atticus eventually accepts the sheriff's story that Ewell simply fell on his own knife. Boo asks Scout to walk him home, and after she says goodbye to him at his front door, he disappears again. While standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective and regrets that they never repaid him for the gifts he had given them.

When You Reach Me

Stead, Rebecca. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. 197 pp. ISBN: 978-0-385-90664-7. 

This was the winner of the 2010 John Newbery book. Miranda is a very independent sixth grader in New York City. She knows her way around her neighborhood and takes care of herself most of the time until her mother gets home from work. Miranda and Sal have been best friends ever since they were little. However, one day Sal got punched by Marcus, for what seems like no reason. He shuts Miranda out of his life after this incident. Miranda begins to find mysterious notes that talk about things that haven’t even happened yet. Miranda is puzzled by these notes and what they mean. Miranda becomes closer with Colin and Annemarie and is constantly having conflicts with Julia, Annemarie’s friend. All the characters and the story are tied together by a strange man who was writing the notes. There are many issues throughout this book involving race, ethnicity, social economic status, and many others.  This is a great story about friendship, conflict, and finding one’s self  in a middle school setting, where that can sometimes be a difficult endeavor. This book is a good read for junior high students who are somewhat advanced in their reading level. It can become a bit confusing when A Wrinkle in Time is referenced and it is sort of hard to follow. 


I like this book to be used as a classroom read. It has good potential for making predictions and character analysis. It's not controversial or edgy. Those seem to be good criteria for a classroom read. I would not use it as in class time. It is a good book for them to experience alone and discuss in groups. Any strategies for Beers text would be cool to use with this book. 

The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela

Shulevitz, Uri. (2005). The Travels of Benjamim on Tudela. USA: Berryville Graphics. ISBN: 0-374-37754-5

Benjamin, a Spanish Jew, left his native town of Tudela in 1159 to embark on a 14-year journey across the Middle East. His Book of Travels, written in Hebrew, recounts his grueling, often-dangerous journey through what is modern-day France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. Encounters with warring Crusaders and Muslims, rapacious pirates, and bandits added to his hardships. Shulevitz re-creates this epic journey in a picture book of epic proportions, adapting Benjamin's account into a detailed, first-person narrative, accompanied by large, ambitious illustrations that evoke the landscapes, people, architecture, and history of the places that Benjamin saw. Darker, freer, and more impressionistic than Shulevitz's familiar work, the art is often indebted to medieval manuscript painting and Persian miniatures. Meticulously researched, with a long bibliography, lengthy author's note, and brief insets containing information that complements Benjamin's descriptions, this oversize picture book is obviously a labor of love. Wherever he went, Benjamin visited Jewish communities. Shulevitz's retelling stands as a testimony to the history, wisdom, and fortitude of those medieval Jews living precariously under Christian or Muslim rule. Both art and text will help readers imagine life during that time and, perhaps, provide a context for the contemporary turmoil in the lands Benjamin visited so long ago.–Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 

This book is good for its writing. I was impressed with how well it was done for being a children book.  It is also a unique look at  culture not many know about.

Tree of Cranes

Say, Allen. (1991). Tree of Cranes. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. 32 pp. ISBN: 0-395-52024-X

Heedless of Mama's warnings, a Japanese boy cannot resist playing at an ice-cold pond "filled with carp of bright colors." When he comes home, he is immediately treated for a cold, with a hot bath and rice gruel. His mother's attitude chills him more than the weather, though; he cannot understand why she seems to be ignoring him. Hearing a noise in the garden, the boy spies Mama digging up the pine tree that was planted when he was born. She brings it inside and decorates it with paper cranes and candles. It is a Christmas tree, the first for the boy, and the first in many years for his mother, who tells her son she comes from "a warm place called Ca-li-for-ni-a." The story is a poignant one, illuminated with finely drawn illustrations reflecting the serenity of a Japanese home and the quiet love between mother and son. Say ( The Bicycle Man ; El Chino ), who came to this country from Japan when he was a teenager, again exhibits a laudable sensitivity to Eastern and Western cultures--and to both the differences and the similarities between them. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. 

Allen Say is wonderful for introducing the Japanese culture to students. It can be taken several different ways, whether it's teaching the culture or teaching ethnocentrism. 

Home of the Brave

Say, Allen. (2002). Home of the Brave. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. 32pp. ISBN: 0-618-21223-X

During World War II, more than 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese descent living in America were incarcerated in internment camps by the United States government. Now, sixty years later, Caldecott medalist Allen Say eloquently depicts this dark moment in history with Home of the Brave. This timely and provocative book is the story of one man's confrontation of his own family's imprisonment in these remote and inhospitable sites. Say's paintings capture the bewilderment of the young man on a surreal journey and the desolation and loneliness of the children residing in the camps. His prose is haunting and provokes the reader to reflect on what these camps mean in the scope of American history. 
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/

As a potential social studies teacher, I see this book as a great way to introduce a unit on concentration camps. It could be used either at the beginning or end of a unit. It is relatively abstract so it may require some prior knowledge to understand. 

Tea with Milk by Allen Say

Say, Allen. (1999). Tea with Milk. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 32 pp.

Tea with Milk is the story of a teenage girl's transition from American culture to Japanese, her family's native land. She must adjust to the physical changes regarding clothing and etiquette. But she must also adjust to society's expectation of her as a woman. She wants to drive, work, and find her own husband. This book gives a solid insight to Japanese culture and gives us a clear comparison with the American culture.

This would be a great read aloud to introduce a unit based around culture.