When little Manu tells his older brothers he wants to go
with them to the far island they saw under the stars, they laughed at him. As
the brothers prepared for their long journey, Manu snuck aboard to join them as
they venture out to the far island. After a dangerous storm that required the
brothers to all work together to keep their ship afloat, Manu sees a bird among
the rain and sees it’s about to land. After being teased by his brother for his
love of birds, Manu’s spotting of the bird solves the mystery as to where the
island was. This book was inspired by navigational techniques of the
Polynesians who first came to the Hawaiian Islands.
Gift Horse: A Lakota
Story by S.D. Nelson
A young Indian boy named Flying Cloud is given a horse by
his father in celebration of him becoming a man. The boy names the horse Storm
and they become inseparable. When enemies of the Lakota tribe steal horses from
them, Storm is taken away from Flying Cloud, fueling him to become the Warrior
he wanted to be. After saving his beloved horse, Flying Cloud is given the
shirt of the Lakota Warrior and transitions from boyhood to manhood.
From the Notebooks of
Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
Melanin Sun is an African American boy living with his
mother in Brooklyn. When Melanin learns his mother is gay and in love with a
white woman, he feels confused and ashamed by the constant gossip surrounding
his mother. Melanin begins to resent his mother and longs for the days when life
was simple. This story brings to light issues of race and sexuality in the
midst of adolescence.
The Year of the Dog by
Grace Lin
Pacey is a young Chinese-American girl whose mother tells
her that the Year of the Dog is a good year for friends, family, and “finding
herself”. Pacey is so excited about all the good things in store for her that
she immediately goes searching for them, but struggles along the way with
disappointments. After meeting a new friend, Pacey sees her luck change and
starts to believe in the good things the Year of the Dog could bring.
Rickshaw Girl by
Mitali Perkins
This Jane Addams Honor book focuses on a young girl named
Naima who is talented at creating traditional patterns called alpana for Bangladesh women and girls to
paint in their homes for special occasions. Naima, however, longs to earn money
for her family, causing her to contemplate disguising herself as a boy to drive
her father’s rickshaw. When Naima finds out the owner of the rickshaw repair
shop is a woman, she is able to help them with painting decorations on the
rickshaws, causing them to help the business grow. Thus, Naima finds a way for
her to use her own talents in a way to earn money and stay true to herself.
The Great Wall of
Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Eleven year old Lucy is a second-generation Chinese-American
who would rather eat American food than Chinese traditional food and prefers
basketball to violin. When her grandmother’s sister Yi-Po comes to visit, Lucy
finds herself in the company of an unwanted relative who is stuck in her
ancient Chinese ways and traditions. Yo-Po’s visit slowly connects Lucy to her
Chinese heritage, causing her to see the little ways in which she can be proud
of her nationality.
No Ordinary Day by
Deborah Ellis
Valli is a young girl living in the coal town Jharia, India.
She discovers the abusive family she has been living with is not her real
family and decides to leave Jharia and start a new life in Kolkata. She
realizes she is self-sufficient until she is in desperate need of care by Dr.
Indra, who tells Valli she has leprosy. Dr. Indra helps treat Valli, leading
Valli to look up to her.
The Gold-Threaded
Dress by Carolyn Marsden
In this story, Oy a
young girl from Thailand struggles with the differences she encounters in her
American school. Her teacher calls her Olivia and she is teased and left out by
her classmates. When a popular girl in her class sees Oy in a picture wearing
her Thai dancing dress, she says she’ll let Oy be part of her group if she
brings her dress to school. Oy struggles with what she should do. If she is to
be part of the popular crowd, she’ll be betraying her family’s traditions. This
book is a beautiful portrait of the dilemmas children goes through in order to
belong to a community.
Three sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are sent from
Brooklyn to Oakland to meet their estranged mother Cecile. Expecting a mother
figure, the girls are extremely mistaken when Cecile shows little interest in
spending time with them, instead sending them for Chinese takeout every night as dinner
and sending them to a summer camp for breakfast and activities. Delphine, being
the eldest, takes on the role as protector and mother to her two sisters,
increasing their strong bond as sisters throughout the book. Though Delphine
discounts Cecile to hold any motherly traits, Cecile gives important advice to
Delphine in the end: “Be 11, Delphine. Be 11 while you can”.
No comments:
Post a Comment