The Devil's Arithmetic

Yolen, J. (1998). The devil's arithmetic . New York: The Trumpet Club.

The Devil's Arithmetic is about Hannah who lives in New York and finds herself living during World War II. Before she is finds herself in 1942, she is sick of hearing about her family that either died or survived the Holocaust. She thinks that she is dreaming but as the story goes on, she realizes there is something else going on. She experiences what most people went through during this time, death and hardship. Eventually, Nazis come to take her to a concentration camp.

This book could be used when learning about the Holocaust in history class. It stresses the importance of remembering history and appreciating what others before us have gone through. This book puts a cool twist on history because she goes back in time. This book also shows some of the Jewish traditions  and holidays that they celebrate. The students could write a story about a time period they would like to visit when reading this book.

Coolies

Yin. (2001). Coolies . New York: Philomel Books.

Coolies is about a grandmother telling her grandson a story of her great-grandfather and his brother. She tells the story of the two brothers who travel to San Francisco from China in the 1800s. They describe the hard work and labor they did while building the rail road tracks. The two brothers experience difficulties that they overcome together. They eventually send enough money home to have their family join them in America. The illustrations in the book really help the reader visualize what is going on in the story. 

This book is great to use because it gives history about China and America. There are several historical events that take place in the book so this would be great to use when talking about the building of the railroads in the United States in history class. This book also shows a lot of Chinese culture and traditions so it is very multicultural. It also shows how the Chinese were not treated fairly when building the rail roads because they weren't paid the same as Americans. The end of the book also points out the importance of honoring our ancestors which is important in every culture. 

Selavi

Youme. (2004). Selavi. Hong Kong: Morris Printing.

This book is about orphans in Haiti who loose their families and homes from soldiers with guns. The story is about a boy who is renamed Selavi, which means "that is life." After he loses his family and home he finds a group of children who live in a tree and joins their family. The children find a church and all together with the people in the church they build a house for them to live in. The soldiers burn down the house they build and they have to build another one. This story shows the hardships that the children endure everyday and what they are doing to help others.

This book shows how different life can be for many other children. Haiti is not a place that many students have even heard of so it is important for them to be aware of it and the many hardships that occur there. At the end of the book, there are a few pages written by Edwidge Danticat and her life in Haiti. She discusses how important it is that people know what is going on. This book could be used to show the importance of working together because it is the children working together that leads to building a home. The students could focus on something going on in the world that needs to be changed and research and write about it. 

The Pot that Juan Built

Andrews-Goebel, N. (2002). The pot that juan built. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc.

The Pot that Juan Built is a picture book about Juan who lives in Mexico. It describes how his life in his village and how he is the main potter in town. It goes through the process of potting and the details involved. There is a story part as well as a detail and facts part about Juan and the town of Mata Ortiz. There is also an afterword at the end of the book about Juan Quezada's story and the town of Mata Ortiz today.

This book shows Mexican culture. This book also shows the appreciation of art and pottery. You could tie this into art class by having the kids make pottery of their own. It is important to learn about other cultures and students learn better by being hands on. Pottery can be tied into story telling so it is another way for students to be able to tell their story. There will most likely be students in your class from Mexico so it is important to have books that have Mexican culture.

The Book Thief

Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

The Book Thief has an interesting twist on it because it is narrated by death. It takes place during World War II and tells the story of 13 year old Liesel, living in Germany. She steals books and teaches herself to read. Her family is hiding a Jewish man in their basement and she shares books with him. Her brother dies early in the book and she is separated from her mother. The book goes through the events that take place in history including book burning and stores being raided. Liesel struggles with the hate she has for the people that caused her brother's death and the separation from her mom. 

This book would be helpful to teach when learning about World War II. It is a longer and harder book, more appropriate for 8th or 9th graders. This book would be an interesting choice when discussing narrators. Death is not a common narrator so it gives students a chance to experience something they have never read before. This book recognizes Jewish backgrounds and some students might be able to relate. 

Becoming Billie Holiday

Weatherford, C. (2008). Becoming billie holiday. (p. 117). Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Wordsong.

Becoming Billie Holiday received the Coretta Scott King Award. This is a book of poetry and the titles are Billie Holiday songs. It is a fictional memoir but shows the singer's life and her many struggles and successes. The book starts with a poem about her birth and goes through different aspects of her life including rape and a troubled childhood. There are illustrations throughout the book that go along with some of the poems. 

This book would be great in a poetry unit. This book recognizes the accomplishments of a black icon. The author's notes recognizes her accomplishments, one being that she was the first African American vocalist to tour with an all-white band. This book could show students that a book of poetry can be a way of writing someone's life.  It would also be a neat idea to play some of Billie Holiday's songs so that students can really get a sense of her work. When schools celebrate black history month this would be a great book to read. 

Roberto Clemente

Winter, J. (2005). Roberto clemente. (1st ed.). New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Roberto Clemente is a picture book biography of Clemente's life. He was born in Puerto Rico and the book discusses the struggles he went though to gain respect because he was black and from Puerto Rico. It goes through his accomplishments and how he got there. It not only points out his baseball accomplishments, it shows his personal achievements and how he helped others. It says how he died trying to help people and how his legend has continued on. 

This book would be helpful when discussing biographies. It uses facts and information about Clemente's life and turns it into a story with illustrations. This book also shows how some people have to work twice as hard to be respected and recognized because of their race or where they are from. This book would also be helpful for disengaged readers who love baseball. Giving students books that they are interested in will increase the likelihood of them enjoying the book and taking something from it. 

Sold

McCormick , P. (2006). Sold . (1st ed., p. 263). New York : Hyperion.

Sold is about Lakshmi, a 13 year old girl living in Nepal. Her family is very poor and she is eventually sent to India to work as a maid, or so she thinks. She is actually sold into prostitution and can't leave until she pays her debt. Mumtaz is the owner of the brothel and is very cruel to Lakshmi and the other girls. The book is written into small, about 1-2 pages, of entries, each with a title. It is about her day to day life and the unimaginable struggles she faces. An American eventually comes to try and save Lakshmi but the girls in the brothel have been tricked into thinking that anyone who says they want to help are lying. 

There is an Author's note at the end of the book giving brief facts about girls that are sold into the sex trade. This book would be good for middle school students to read because it would open their eyes to things that are going on in the world that they didn't even know about. Students often do not have a chance to read books that take place in the Middle East. It is important that students read books from all over the world so that they can begin to build an understanding of different cultures around the world. This book could also tie into Women's Rights and how many countries still have a long way to go. 

The Battle of Jericho

Draper, S. (2004). The battle of jericho . (p. 337). New York: Simon Pulse.

The Battle of Jericho is about a black high school student, Jericho, who is invited to pledge an elite club. Jericho wants to impress a girl that he likes and he believes the Warriors will give him more status. Jericho, his cousin Josh, and friend Kofi, are all thrilled when they are asked to join the Warriors of Distinction. Although the Warriors do a lot of service in the community, some things are kept secretive that the town overlooks. When pledging starts, Jericho starts to realize that some of the things the Warriors have him do during hazing, he is not ok with. Jericho is asked to steal and instead of saying anything, he goes along with it. By the end of the book, the hazing goes too far and someone ends up seriously injured. 

This book is easy for middle schoolers to relate to because of the want to fit in. Jericho and his two friends are willing to do just about anything to join the Warriors of Distinction. Bullying has been a serious issue in schools and this shows students that not saying anything when you know something is wrong can lead to serious consequences. This book could be an option to read in a literature circle because students can discuss the things that Jericho goes through and relate it to their own lives. 

The Story of Jonas

Dahlberg, M. (2007). The story of jonas. (1st ed., p. 146). New York : Farrar Straus Giroux.


The Story of Jonas was a Mark Twain Award Nominee in 2009-2010 and is about 13 year old Jonas who is a slave in Missouri. Although he likes his master and hopes to one day become his personal slave, Jonas is sent with his master's son, Percy, to Kansas to dig for gold. Percy is very cruel and Jonas does not want to travel to Kansas with him. Jonas meets Miss Sky who teaches him to read and write. As Jonas learns more, he begins to understand freedom and dream of it. 

There is an Author's Note at the end of the book that briefly talks about the Gold Rush and which states were slave states. This book could be easily tied into a social studies class because of all the history the book brings up. Students could read this book when learning about slavery or the Gold Rush in social studies. Because it is set in Missouri and Kansas, state history of the two could be stressed. This book also stresses the importance of reading and writing which could be an important theme to stress to students. 

The 

Confucius

Freedman, R. (2002 ). Confucius. New York: Scholastic Press

            Confucius, by Russell Freedman, is about Confucius’ life and teachings. It talks about China at the time and some of the history there. It touches on the fact that many people make fun of Confucius and his teachings but the book points out that many of our country’s ideals are based off his teachings. The book also discusses how during his time, Confucius was not appreciated for his writing but they live on today, thousands of years later. The illustrations show Chinese culture and explain some of the teachings of Confucius.

            This book is a longer picture book and written for older students in middle school. It covers great teachings that middle schoolers should learn. This book shows Chinese culture and an important philosopher in not only China’s but the whole world’s history. I think this would fit into a lesson introducing different cultures. The book shows the importance of history and making a difference even after you have left the earth. 

Gandhi

Demi. (2001). Gandhi. New York: Maragret K McElderry Books.

            Gandhi, by Demi, is the story of Gandhi and his life. It starts at the beginning with where he was born and his family. It describes the work he did and the different people he fought for including black and Indian people and women. The main focus is about Gandhi and his fight to end British oppression. There are several history events including the Amirtsar massacre and the Salt March. Gandhi’s message of nonviolence is stressed throughout the book and is a great message for middle school students. This story shows that even though the British used violence, Gandhi stood behind his beliefs and practiced nonviolence.

            I would use this book in my classroom because of all the history and the important message that it contains. Because Gandhi is from India, it is very informative about some of the history and culture of India. I love how Gandhi’s message of nonviolence is stressed throughout because there were so many times Gandhi could have given up and become violent but didn’t. I also like how it discussed how important Gandhi was not only in India but the entire world. It is important for students to read about heroes from different cultures and not just their own. 

My People

Hughes, L. (2009). My people. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

            My People, by Langston Hughes, is Hughes’ poem, “My People,” with different pictures, taken by Charles Smith Jr, of black people; young, old, men, women, children, adults, etc. The poem is short so there are only two to three words on each page. There is a page at the end that explains why the pictures were chosen and why only black people are in it. It explains that Hughes wrote the poem in the 1920s to celebrate his culture. This book emphasizes that everyone is different but still beautiful.

            I would use this book to introduce a poetry section. I like how this short poem was turned into a book. This book would also be good to teach students about diversity. Black students will be in my classroom so I want to be able to incorporate as many different cultures and races into my curriculum. It is so important for students to learn that everyone is different and we need to embrace each other’s differences. You could also use this book to introduce a chapter book about the Civil Rights Movement or a different part of history involving equal rights. 

Traveling Man

Rumford, J. (2001). Traveling man. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

            Traveling Man, by James Rumford, is the story of Ibn Battuta and his pilgrimage to Mecca. He travels through Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, India, and several other countries starting in 1325. He describes the people he meets and the things he encounters. He is faced with challenges but also rewarded with gifts. This book emphasizes the many rewards for traveling and the memories that come with it. The illustrations are also very pretty and show different cultures and clothes that people typically wore in each country. Ibn finds himself and learns many lessons along the way of his journey.

            This story is very original and gives a different perspective than what we are use to reading about. I like this book because it incorporates so many different countries and the different wonders of them all. I would like to use this story when covering story telling because it is all about his journey of Ibn Battuta. I would use this if students were writing stories of their own to show different writing techniques. I also like the glossary at the end of the book because students can use that to learn about history and the map shows all the countries he visited. 

I Live in Tokyo

Takabayashi, M. (2001). I live in tokyo. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

            I Live in Tokoyo is about a child named Mimiko and her life in Japan. The author, Mari Takabayashi is a Japanese author who moved to New York. Mimiko describes her school, a typical day there, and the things they learn. There are pictures about descriptions about different foods, rituals, and her way of life in Japan. Each month has two pages that describe typical events that take place in the different months and what the month is in Japanese. There are pictures and descriptions of different Japanese cultures and the words in Japanese. There is also a glossary at the end of the book with common words and how to say them in Japanese.

            Although this book is more for younger students, I think it is very informative about the Japanese culture. I would use it to introduce a book, unit, or topic that relates to Japan. There will be students with Japanese heritage so it is important that all cultures are represented in the curriculum because there usually is not a lot of material about Japanese culture. This book would be great to use because of all the pictures, descriptions, and Japanese words. Students would learn a lot from it.