Alexie, Sherman. Flight. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. 2007.181p.

Similarly to his other novels, Sherman Alexie’s Flight, focuses on the plight of an adolescent half white, half Native American boy, known solely as “Zits.” Flight begins by depicting Zits’ difficult fitting in to society because of his unattractive looks, mainly stemming from his pimpled skin, and his lack of definitive identity. While Zits’ is half Native American, his father never acknowledged him, so Zits believes he suffers the difficulties that all Native Americans do without the benefits of being accepted into a community. However, Zits’ story quickly takes a dark turn when he develops a friendship with a young white man, Justice, who convinces Zits that he is a victim of white society, and persuades him to shoot up a white bank. When Zits goes through with the shooting, he is transported back and forth through time to other moments of violence between whites and Native Americans. Throughout his experiences, Zits searches for his identity and attempts to reconcile his belief that he is a victim of society and overcome his hatred toward those who have hurt him, and his identity as Native American, in the past.

Adhering to Alexi’s other works, Flight is brimming with obscene language and references to violence and sex, and while these factors will undoubtedly cause many parents to object, allowing “distasteful” language to overrule the content of this novel would be a shame. In reality, the content of this novel makes it much more appropriate for 8^th graders to high schoolers, but this novel could undoubtedly relate to groups of students that oftentimes feel unreachable in regards to conventional middle and high school literature. It is oftentimes very funny, while also packed with themes that are very relatable to adolescents, such as a search for identity and overcoming and moving past cruelty and becoming a person who can love himself. Therefore, this novel would be controversial in certain classes, but it should be defended as a significant addition to all middle and high school libraries. 

Weedflower

Sumiko, the protagonist in Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata, is twelve years old and a Japanese American. Before the story begins, Sumiko’s life is turned upside down by the death of her parents and just as she is beginning to settle into her new life, Pearl Harbor is bombed. Japanese-Americans are regarded as enemies inside the United States. The family is broken up and sent to two different internment camps, resulting in Sumiko residing on a Reservation. Sumiko learns how to find the joy of little things in difficult situations. Throughout the story, readers experience a variety of different emotions, whether they are despair and sadness, or joy and peace, they each convey a deeper meaning and lend useful life lessons.

This book is definitely a good choice for a 6-8^th grade classroom. Early in the novel Sumiko is invited to a white classmates’ birthday party and is subsequently asked to leave because of her race. This provides a great opportunity for discussion about cliques, inclusion, racism, and stereotyping. I highly recommend this book, especially for girls, but it would definitely be enjoyable for boys as well. Weedflower may be best taught in concordance with a Social Studies Unit on WWII. 

Kadohata, Cynthia. Weedflower. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 

If You Come Softly

            If You Come Softly by Jaqueline Woodson tells the love story of two sophomores: Ellie, a white Jewish middle class girl, and Jeremiah, a black upper class boy. Although they love each other unconditionally, they feel the pressure of everyone else’s eyes on them, because they are an interracial couple.  Each chapter switches perspectives between Ellie and Jeremiah and portrays the inner struggles that both go through concerning their differing races. Jeremiah often comments that he always feels his blackness, while Ellie seems to forget her whiteness, because they attend a primarily white school. The novel also addresses the stereotypes concerning young, African-American males and how it can impact their education and lives. The characters also encounter issues of divorce, non-nuclear families, and homosexuality.

            This novel was a quick read and would fit well into a multicultural curriculum. Because it had a male and a female protagonist, one being white, one black, a wide range of students would be able to relate to the characters. The book also had a focus on basketball, not just the love story, which would allow boys to be engaged in this book. While the content was not traumatizing or promiscuous and the vocabulary and sentence structures simple, the characters were in their second year of high school and in a very intense relationship. Younger readers might not be able to relate to or understand the dynamics of high school relationship. I would recommend this book to freshmen in high school or possibly eighth graders. However, it was very interesting, and I feel that it would engage a wide range of students. 

Reference Information: Woodson, Jaqueline. If You Come Softly.  New York: Putnam’s. 1998.

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis, Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press Inc, 2001.

The Breadwinner takes place in Afghanistan under the Taliban and follows the story of 11 year old Parvana, a girl who dresses as a boy to earn a living for her family. Her highly educated parents have held the family together through many bombings that have destroyed their homes and way of life, reducing their family of 6 to a one room apartment. Parvana's mother and older sister, like all women, cannot be educated or leave the house without a man due to the Taliban's restrictions; Parvana goes out only as her lame father's escort to the market to sell his reading and writing services. When her father is arrested, Parvana must dress as a boy to evade the Taliban and sell her own reading and writing services. She discovers a former classmate who also dresses as a boy, and the two of them embark on money making schemes that include digging up bones and selling cigarettes. Parvana's sister becomes engaged to a boy she hasn't seen in years because he lives in a part of Afghanistan free from the Taliban (Mazar-e-Sharif), so Parvana's family travels without her for the marriage. While they are gone, Mazar falls under the Taliban's rule and Parvana fears her family is dead. The novel ends on a note of hope when Parvana's father returns and they leave to find the rest of her family.

The novel explores many rich themes. It takes place in a country torn about by war, so there is a lot of discussion of bombings and the lack of stability in the family's lives. It also brings up issues with totalitarian police- Parvana's father is arrested for no reason and at one point of the novel she witnesses the Taliban cutting of men's arms for thievery. Similarly, the Taliban's restrictions for women and the strain it puts on families is discussed as well as coming of age as Parvana matures throughout the novel.

I think this book could be teachable, but you would need to be careful doing so. The reading level is not difficult, but there are lots of vocabulary words particular to Afghanistan that might cause trouble (there's a glossary at the end of the book). Almost all of the main characters are female, but there's a lot of action and suspense that would appeal to boys as well. Also, there are a few graphic scenes where people are beat by police that would need to be approached sensitively. However, the novel lends itself to teaching- there are lots of places to stop for shared reading, lots of description that could be used to create visuals of the text, and students would learn a lot about Afghan culture from the story. 

Parrot in the Oven

Martinez, Victor.  Parrot in the Oven.  Harper Collins Publishers. 1996. 216pgs. 

This novel is about the life of a teenage Mexican boy living in the projects.  It gives a good insight into Mexican-American culture by telling stories about his family.  His father has had trouble finding work and continues to waste the small amount of money his family has on alcohol and consequently the rest of his family suffers because of this.  The family goes through many hardships including poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence, miscarriage, and gang life.

While the book does teach a lot about this culture, I do not know if I would recommend reading it with a class.  There is no real plot progression and the characters remain static throughout its entirety.  It is often times pretty engaging, however the events are arranged as “beads on a string”; one major event occurs, then it moves onto another without any real development or connection. 

The book is easy to read, but does use many Spanish phrases which would probably need to be translated.  If I were to read this with a class I would probably only read certain chapters rather than the entire book.  There are a lot of serious issues mentioned, but none of them are ever explained very in depth.  While the narrator is male, there are several female characters which would keep girls in a class engaged.  The reading level is very easy and could be taught to a sixth grade class.

Anne Frank and Me

Summary:

                Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld was a wonderful read. It was about a girl named Nicole who is learning about the Holocaust and Anne Frank in one of her classes. She doesn’t really appreciate the entire situation, because she can not even begin to imagine what the Jews were going through. She goes on a school field trip to a Holocaust museum and there is a shooting there. The book implies that she is shot and everything goes blank. All of a sudden, she is then thrust into a world much different than her own a. One moment she was a regular teenager girl with a blog complaining how ordinary her life was, and the next she is a Jewish girl in Paris in the year 1927. The rest of the book goes on to describe her experience that is very similar to Anne Frank. They are eventually taken away into an internment camp, where they meet the real Anne Frank herself.  Anne goes one way and they go another; Nicole and her little sister, Elizabeth, are forced into a chamber. Nicole again wakes up back in the future. She now has a new found appreciation of what the others went to, and there is even a scene in which she attends a funeral of a Holocaust victim she met in her “dream”. At the funeral, there is a note she herself wrote while she was in the dream and it was preserved. This makes her question, was it all a dream or did she just truly experience the life of Nicole Bernhardt, the Jewish girl living through the Holocaust?

Teachability:

Anne Frank and Me was a wonderful book that I would love to teach to my students someday. I could not put the book down. It had very deep, provoking issues, and it was so intriguing that I was interested the entire novel. Yes, it is a tad long and some of the scenes are hard to handle, but I think it is definitely a topic that needs to be taught. I think it would be good for eighth or ninth graders, because the vocabulary is not too difficult, but some of the scenes are for a more mature reader. It focuses on the Holocaust and the different conflicts with the allies. It goes into a historical view, by bringing up how every country was treated differently and some Jews were much worse off than others. I think this would be a great book to teach while the students learn about it in Social Studies, because there are so many things in the book that are important to the history of the Holocaust. They mention places such as Auschwitz and the Vel d’ Hiv roundup (the place in which the Germans kept all of the Jews located in France), which are very things I did not even know about. It is also written in a gender-neutral way, so I think that is a positive aspect. Also, it is set in modern times at first including blog posts and website posts, making it relatable to students these days. At times, The Diary of Anne Frank can drag on a tad, so this novel brings together an important story from the past and brings it to modern times so that children can appreciate it that much more.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time

Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time is a young adult novel by Lisa Yee, published by Scholastic in 2005. The story revolves around an Asian boy named Stanford, who has a passion for basketball, which is much greater than his passion for English class. Stanford receives an "F," and must take a summer class in order to play on the A-team next year. This forces him to forgo playing with his friends, and more importantly, he cannot attend the basketball camp he wished to attend.

His parents give him an 11-year-old prodigy as a tutor, and they loathe each other. Others things typical for the teenage years occur: he finds a love interest, he has to deal with family issues, and the primary issue of balancing school, hobbies, friends, and family.

This book would be great for captivating the interest of students interested in sports, attention-getting basketballs are scattered all over the covers. Also a female character in this book also appears in another of Yee's books, Millicent Min, Girl Genius. The teacher could perhaps give students the choice between reading Millicent or Stanford, and then have the class argue about the characters.

However, I found the content of this book to be quite juvenile for even 6th grade. Booger jokes aside, the chapters are short, the diction is reasonable, and the narrative voice is interesting. Another qualm I have about the book is its lack of touching on issues pertaining to Asian students. The book scooted right over social issues. This could be a two edge sword, the positive aspect being that it is more accessible to students of varying cultural backgrounds. There are some insights into Asian culture, but not as many as I expected. Overall, a solid book to teach to freshman or maybe sophomores.

The Window

Dorris, Michael. The Window. New York: Hyperion for Children, 1997. Print.

           

The Window, written by Michael Dorris and published by Hyperion, tells a story about a mixed eleven year old girl named Rayona who is trying to discover who she is by figuring out where she comes from.  After her Native American mother is sent to rehab for alcoholism, she is forced to spend time with her African American father and meet his family, who is unexpectedly white.  She has never spent that much time with her father throughout her life, and is taken aback when she finds out that he is in fact white.  She soon discovers that his family is not what she expected but is pleasantly surprised by the realization.  As we follow Rayona on her journey of discovering where she comes from, it ignites the question of our own racial identity in each of us.  The theme of racial identity is huge in this book, as our narrator comes from three very different backgrounds, none of which she knows very much about at the beginning of the novel.  Because there are so many different races within the context, it is very relatable, even if the reader’s race is not represented in the text. 

            The teachability of this novel in a middle school setting is definitely conceivable.  The book is very short, under one hundred pages, and the vocabulary is not too difficult either.  Although alcoholism is a part of the novel, the concept is never discussed in explicit detail and it is not what the story is about.  Dorris uses just the right amount of “adult concepts” to make the novel intriguing to read, but not inappropriate.  The variety of races represented in the text is really beautiful and captivating to read, especially coming from someone who is mixed themselves.  Rayona’s character charms the reader as she slowly learns about her heritage and she invites the reader to think about their heritage as well.  I think that this novel can be enjoyed by both males and females while at the same time teaching you to appreciate where you come from. 

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This

Reference: Woodson, Jacqueline.  I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1994. 114 pg.

Jacqueline Woodson’s novel, I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This, explores the meaning of love between a father and daughter and the meaning of friendship.  The novel is set in Chauncey, Ohio, which is an affluent all-black suburb.  Written from the perspective of Marie, she describes her distant relationship with her father after her mother left them and her difficult relationship with Lena, a poor white girl that she sometimes befriends.   We discover that Lena is being molested by her father, which causes Marie to think about her distant and depressed father and wonder if there is such a thing as too much love.  As Marie and Lena become closer friends, Marie begins to lose her other friends for becoming an “Uncle Tom” by befriending the “Whitetrash”.  At the end of the novel, Marie discovers that Lena has run away with her younger sister, because her father has begun to molest the younger sister also.  We are left with the question if Marie has learned anything from her relationship with Lena. 

This novel deals with very sensitive issues that middle school students may not know about. The issue of race and racism is a topic that is discussed frequently, but it is not usually discussed when a white girl is the minority that is belittled.  This novel would be very interesting to teach as a shorter companion to a traditional racism novel or as a modern view on the effect of racism.   The only issue that a teacher might run into for this work would be the topic of molestation.  This could be a very sensitive topic that students do not know about and that parents may not want their kids to read about at the middle school level.  Overall this is a very quick read, and the language is not too difficult.  However, there are many interesting conversations to be had about the lasting influences of the civil rights movement and the meaning of love.  

A Cafecito Story

Alvarez, Julia. A Cafecito Story. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2001.

Julia Alvarez's book, A Cafecito Story, is both engaging and very informational in only 37 pages, not including the afterword. The story follows the life of Joe as he grows up on a farm in Nebraska, takes a vacation from a teaching job to the Dominican Republic, and ends up staying in Manabao to begin growing coffee in a cooperativo. His connection in Manabao is a family he meets while on vacation, who is fighting to keep their traditional, environmentally-friendly way of growing coffee alive instead of caving in to a major company that uses pesticides and unnatural methods of growing the beans. While they teach him how to grow and harvest coffee beans, Joe teaches them to read and write. They unite other farmers from around the area into a cooperative so that they are more sustainable, profitable, and powerful within the market. The major themes throughout the story include individuality and community versus large corporations, the importance of quality over quantity in the things (or coffee) in one's life, and the incredible strength in creativity and perseverance. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of life on a farm-cooperativo in the Dominican Republic versus a large town in the United States is interesting, and could be relatable to students who have moved from dissimilar areas in their life.

The story has a few flaws for teaching in a middle school: the protagonist is mostly an adult throughout the novel, which may not be as engaging for students than a book about an adolescent would be (yet on the other hand, it could make it more interesting), it focuses on coffee (which students this young might not have an interest in), and it is very short with many illustrations throughout. The unique plot of the story and its major themes, however, definitely make this story worth reading, and it's combination of English and Spanish words would be useful for bilingual students or for cross-curricular teaching with a Spanish classroom. At the very least, I would suggest having this book available as an independent reading book for students in middle school grades because it empowers the reader to think globally and still believe in the power of individual action.

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valérie Zenatti translated by Adriana Hunter; 2005; Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books

This story written in the form of journal entries, e-mails and instant messages from the point of view of Tal , a seventeen year old Israeli young woman living in Jerusalem as well as Naim, a twenty year old Palestinian young man from Gaza. After Naim finds a letter in a bottle that Tal put into the Gaza Sea, they begin to send emails back a forth and slowly, very slowly, a relationship begins to grow. Each must overcome the realistic pressures of their worlds while trying to understand the world of their electronic pen pal. Interwoven between the exchanging emails are first person journal entries in which both characters struggle to comprehend and understand this new friendship that fosters over the internet and what it means for their viewpoint of the of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A big idea within the entire book is the idea of conflict resolution both between individuals as well as on a much larger scale between peoples. The bombing within Jerusalem and the Israeli occupation of the Gaza strip is a constant reminder to both characters of the incredibly complex situation between Israel and Palestine. Both characters want peace however they don't know how to achieve it or what concession will have to be made. There is anger on both sides as peace talks have failed multiple times within each of their lives. Conflict resolution, especially when there is a lot at stake, is something that students should appreciate how difficult it actually is.

I envision this book to have a lot of success within a classroom. First, the medium in which the two characters communicate is one that young students will be able to relate to. There is a lot that an English teacher can do with tone, voice of the speaker, and point of view throughout the entire novel. At the same time, this is a great opportunity to spend time sharing with students the complex nature of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It is an issue that they will probably have to understand as an adult. Finally, I imagine an English teacher could develop writing exercises based on e-mailing students at other schools, potentially in anther part of the country or even internationally.

Mismatch, By: Lensey Namioka

From the author who wrote the critically acclaimed, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break comes Mismatch, a novel about two Asian-American teenagers trying to begin a relationship, yet struggling to overcome the disapproval they will face from their respective families. Suzanne Hua has just transferred from a racially diverse Seattle high school to a predominantly white suburb and is struggling to adjust when she meets Andy Suzuki while trying out for the orchestra. Sue and Andy hit it off, but Sue knows her family will be horrified to find out her new boyfriend is Japanese instead of Chinese. Sue’s grandmother survived the Japanese invasion of China in the early twentieth century and still has violent stories to tell, continuing to believe the Japanese are monsters only capable of cruelty. Furthermore, Andy’s father has had many negative experiences while traveling for business in China. As Andy and Sue keep their relationship hidden from their families, an upcoming orchestra trip to Tokyo ignites a series of events that will force their families to face their prejudices and ultimately decide the fate of Andy and Sue’s relationship. 

Mismatch is loosely based upon Romeo and Juliet-esque themes – two people romantically interested in each other while struggling to be together because of familial and/or cultural oppositions. This theme can be very translatable to students as teachers could set up a scenario in which students could imagine how they may run into a similar problem based upon family bias. Also, much of the novel is dedicated to determining what constitutes an American identity and if someone of another ethnic background can truly identify with American values and culture. A variety of activities can be structured around these themes, aiding students to expand their own definition of American identity and perhaps overcome prejudices of their own.

Regarding teachability of the text, the novel is 200 pages long, yet the sentence structure and language correspond to a middle school, young-adult level. Teachers may wish to build prior knowledge regarding the China-Japan conflict before reading the text or begin reading the text and address these conflicts as the characters face them. While the themes and teachability of the text are both appropriate for the middle-grades, I found the novel could possibly be difficult for students to relate to as the content was overall “cheesy” (for lack of a better term) and perhaps unexciting for readers. 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Reference: Raskin, Ellen.  The Westing Game.  New York: Sequoia-Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc, 1978. 

            The Westing Game is a mystery novel written in the 1970’s that discusses the death of a millionare who brings together a group of individuals who must work to figure out the source of his death in order to receive the prize of his inheritance.  It is a fast, easy, and entertaining read, but may be too light of a read for an academic classroom.  However, it does focus on individual characters and the relationships between character to character.  So in that sense, it may be a helpful book in looking at character identity and development over the course of the novel. 

            In addition, because this book was written in the 1970’s there are sections of it that are not what would be described as “politically correct.”  For example, one of the characters has a condition that leaves him bound in a wheelchair and while Raskin does not intend to be inappropriate in her descriptions of this character, I found there to be a couple of problematic elements in how she approached that character.  I found it more to be an issue due to the time period which it was written. This may be a reason to read the book, and call upon these issues, however, they are not prominent enough to drive or define the book as a whole.  

The Skin I'm In

The Skin I'm In is a book by Sharon Flake. It goes through the life of a girl Maleeka she's an African American student that gets made fun of because of her very dark skin. She's faced with the moral dilemma, she has the opportunity to be friends with Char, the popular girl in school, if Maleeka does Char's homework. Throughout the book we see the issues that can come up in schooling life away from the teachers eyes, and the issues that students are faced with that go beyond the simple grades that they are given such as poverty and harassment. Maleeka describes her teacher Miss Sonders who has a large white birthmark on her face, as "as odd as they come." As the book progresses we see Maleeka begin to respect Miss Sonders and eventually bond with her. Miss Sonders is considered odd by her co-workers. Maleeka by the end of the book realizes the fact that being different isn't so bad after all. This book would be good to teach to show the kids that being different isn't something to be ashamed of and really shows that we should all wear our differences with pride.

Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood

Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood is about a young girl living in Iran during a time of change and revolution. It follows her from childhood to adolescence, through cultural changes and war. She thirsts for knowledge, and finds herself having strong opinions about the things going on around her. She is a free spirit, and finds herself testing the limits of what is acceptable in her society.

I thought this was a good novel. Because it was a graphic novel, it made a subject that could be really inaccessible to students something they could understand. Coming from the point of view of someone their age, they could maybe imagine how a situation like that would affect them. I think the fact that it is also a graphic novel could make it a more interesting read, a fun form of novel that isn't traditionally read in classrooms. It is a hard subject to understand though, so I think there would need to be a lot of background information presented. In addition, there are some controversial subjects such as torture that you would need to be careful with as a teacher.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Alvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. New York: Algonquin Books, 1991.
286 p. ISBN 0452268060


    Julia Alvarez’s novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents describes the story of the Garcia sisters and their immigration from the Dominican Republic to New York City.  From their attempts to assimilate into American society to their struggles with their father to their personal issues in adolescence and adulthood, the girls experience things that make the story both realistic and relatable.  The structure of the novel is unique as it begins in a present time when the girls are middle-aged and progresses backward all the way to their childhood in the Dominican Republic.  Although presented in reverse order, Alvarez presents a Bildungsroman intertwined with issues of racial identity and instability.

    While I found the structure of the novel to be very interesting and perhaps even worthwhile in the long-run, I also thought that this aspect of the novel hindered its teachability.  The novel may be better-suited for high school students, but I do not think that it would be the best option for middle schoolers.  Because it begins with adult characters, it would be difficult for young children to relate and become interested in the story right away.  Additionally, the sexuality of the girls and their father’s commentary seems somewhat inappropriate for this age.  The novel would be useful to teach because of its ability to introduce the reader to the Dominican culture as well as the experiences of immigrants and minority groups in the search to define their racial identity in the context of the United States and in the context of their more-traditional family units.  However, despite these aspects, I do not think that the novel is appropriate nor engaging for a middle school classroom.

The Glass Castle

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. New York: Scribner, 2005.

The Glass Castle, a memoir written by journalist Jeannette Walls, chronicles her journey from an impoverished child living primarily in rural Appalachia to an aspiring journalist living in New York City. Walls and her three siblings were raised by a criminal, alcoholic father and an irresponsible, neglectful mother. Walls’ father is a dreamer and storyteller who promises to build his children a glass castle one day. Walls’ mother is depicted as carefree and tolerant of her husband’s destructive behaviors. In general, Walls depicts her childhood as somewhat happy, though characterized by profound challenges of circumstance.

The story is bookended by images of Walls’ mother, homeless on the streets of New York City. The memoir opens when Walls is a very young - she is on fire from cooking hot dogs on the stove at the age of three. Walls’ family is in a constant financial struggle, as her father cannot keep a job, and her mother is often lazy and unwilling to work and would rather focus on her art. When the family does have money, Walls’ father squanders it on booze and speculative purchases. The family moves from a trailer home in the dessert, to Las Vegas, to SanFrancisco, to the Mojave dessert, a mining town, and finally to a house in Phoenix which Walls’ mother inherited from her own mother. Upon arrival, the home is in good condition, well-equipped with furniture and space, but the home eventually falls into disrepair. For most of her childhood, Walls and her family live in rural Appalachia in extreme poverty with and near her father’s family. The family does not have a bathroom or running water, and their roof leaks water. Walls takes an interest in school and the school newspaper and gets a job at a jewelry store. Eventually the children make a plan that the eldest daughter, Lori, will move to New York and the others will join in time. In one scene, the children are starving and they come home to find their mother hoarding chocolate; in another scene, the father steals money the children have been saving for Lori’s move.

The memoir is engaging, and it’s easy for a reader to feel empathy for Walls and her siblings during instances of extreme parental neglect. Neither parent ever has steady work, and the children bear the weight of the family’s wellbeing on their shoulders. While the memoir’s prose could be understood by middle schoolers, most of the themes would be more appropriate for high school students. Younger students can relate to Walls’ story as it covers issues such as bullying, trying to fit in at school, and dealing with family disappointment and financial struggles. Walls writes in a distantly naive tone that reflects her own perceptions and attitudes at the time events are occurring, a tone that might be difficult for middle school students to fully grasp. For example, Walls and her family lived out of a car for a period of time and Walls writes of how she thought of it as an adventure. Walls’ tone, however, develops in maturity over the course of the story as she ages. Issues of concern for middle school students would be Walls’ alcoholic father, fowl language, and issues of sexual and domestic abuse. There are not any graphic scenes, but Walls recounts a time when the family lived with grandparents her and her siblings were “groped” by various family members. Overall, I found this to be a fabulous read, one that would be more appropriate at the high school level, but that could be read by 8th graders if approached the right way.

One Bird

One Bird by Kyoko Mori was published by Henry Holt and Company, Inc. in 1995.

Plot: This is a story of hurt and healing through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old girl, living in 1975 America. Megumi, the protagonist, experiences the divorce of her parents with extreme pathos: Megumi's mother decides to leave her husband because of years of consistent adultery and a hateful marriage. Megumi's mother also refrains from treating Megumi like an adult capable of dealing with the stress of the divorce--which infuriates Megumi all the more.The main conflict of the story arises out of Megumi's lack of understanding of love and family ties, but are resolved with the assistance of a veterinarian, who teaches her how to care and nurture injured birds.

Analysis: This story excels at showing how traditional families operate, and by juxtaposing those operations with dysfunctional families, the reader comes to understand how pain inevitably gives way to healing. Big themes include identity, tradition, family, cultural hegemony and expectations.

Teachability: I give this novel a 5 out of 10 for "teachability" for several reasons. First, this novel is exceedingly long for middle school readers, spanning over 200 pages with fine print. Also, the emotional weight that it carries doesn't align well with any specific teachable theme--besides perhaps identity (it is a female-oriented Bildungsroman). Finally, the book is (for whatever reason) set in 1975, although it was published in 1995, which positions the reader in a somewhat disorienting and foreign slice of (exceedingly Christian) American culture.

AN OCEAN APART, A WORLD AWAY

AN OCEAN APART, A WORLD AWAY
By: Lensey Namioka

SUMMARY:
The book starts with a brief overview of the previous novel. This sequel to “Ties that Bind, Ties that Break” revolves around the main character’s best friend from the first. The main character of this novel, Xueyan, known as Yanyan, discusses her best friend leaving for America, and her adventure to say goodbye for the last time. This start catapults Yanyan into a series of difficult decisions. With the support of her family, she is encouraged to go to school, and pursue her dream to become a doctor. This extremely unique goal for a woman in China conflicts with her blooming romance with her brothers friend. Through her journey to find what is best for her, Yanyan ends up following in her friend’s footsteps and goes to America

TEACHABILITY:
This novel is definitely geared toward a young woman. In contrast to the universal appeal in the first novel, this seems to almost exclusively interest a girl with goals and conflicting ideas about what to do with her own life. This is an excellent novel for an eighth grader, but seems to delve a little too deeply into the politics of early 20th Century China without major explanation. Unlike the first one, it does not explain the themes as clearly or as repetitively, and would require teaching a lot of background to a group or class reading the book. I think that it can definitely lend itself to a student in a reading workshop, but does not seem to be a good book for a classroom. Like many sequels, it does not hold the magic of the first but can definitely keep the interest of someone who really enjoyed the first book and wants to read more about their story.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

Eleanor Coerr.  Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Puffin (April 12, 2004), 80 pages.

            This story tells the story of Sadako, a young girl living Japan, during the time of the atom bomb and all of the events that followed.  Focusing on Sadako, we learned that Sadako was only two years old when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and many people became sick due to the radiation.  Including Sadako.  Growing up, Sadako has many hobbies just like any regular girl.  One of her favorite things to do is race.  Sadako is constantly racing at school, until suddenly she begins to feel slightly sick.  Trying to ignore her feelings, she continues to run until she faints during one of her races.  This forces the book to take a slightly different path as we see Sadako’s condition continue to worsen.  The story of Sadako takes on a sadder tone and we see Sadako and her family struggle through the cancer that she has developed.  While Sadako is sick, she passes her time by making origami paper cranes.  Her goal is 1000, hence the title, however this goal is never realized by her alone.  After her death, her school community comes together and finishes the remaining cranes.

            This story deals with the effects of the atomic bomb on Japan and is told through the perspective of Sadako, a young Japanese girl.  Though a relatively short book, this book is packed with emotions and foreshadowing.  Using this book as a way to talk about the impact of America’s decision to drop the atomic bomb from another perspective is really good, especially with younger kids.  This book is probably good for grade 6, and possibly 7.  The book focuses on the frailty of life, the dreams that people have, and how the decisions of other people can prevent these dreams from coming true.

145th Street: Short Stories

Meyers, Walter Dean. 145th Street: Short Stories. New York: Delacorte Press, 2000.

145th Street: Short Stories is a really charming, touching, and relatable series of ten short stories taking place on one block of 145th Street in Harlem. It is a fast and engaging read—I found myself not wanting to put the book down once I got going with stories. Each story interacts at least a little with the others through characters, events, or places, thought they are all certainly independent. Poverty, violence (gang and otherwise), romantic struggles, tragedy, and then some comic relief as well (including the opening story about a man throwing a full-out funeral for himself) make up the themes of the book, with an overall message that bad things and bad luck can be out of your control, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be good parts to life (friends, family, strokes of good luck, humor) as well to help it go down better. There are also several scenes in the book where one can see the tension between Black community members and a mostly White police force. Most of the characters in the novel are young, making them and the situations in which they find themselves to be relatable for middle or high schoolers, if not at least easier to understand (as with some of the gun violence and more serious episodes). Examples of the stories are a story about a high school-er that discovers he’s on a good luck streak, and his quest to use the streak to his advantage to ask the “finest chick in school” to the school dance; or the story of a police call gone awry, where as the (White) police officers search and shoot at what they think is a potential shooter in a building, they cause a tragedy for the mostly Black community, a community supposedly under the police’s protection; and finally, the book ends with a story about Peaches, a girl struggling with her mother remarrying after her father dies.

I would say that this book is definitely teachable, but due to some of the graphic and violent scenes, should be approached with caution in a middle school. The vocabulary and sentence structure, however, are definitely middle school level. It has a really healthy mix of humor and graceful sensitivity to tragic situations, and so if you have the right middle school classroom, it could definitely be an excellent part of a curriculum.

La Línea by Ann Jaramillo

La Línea is an engaging text surrounding Miguel and Elena, brother and sister, as they attempt to reunite with the parents by crossing the border. Miguel and Elena's parents left seven years ago to California, attempting to raise the money to bring them to the United States. When they finally raised the money to bring Miguel over, there are complications that lead him to a dangerous and perilous journey across the border.

This book deals with the controversial topic of illegal immigration, but rather then showing the "white perspective" on the issue, it shows how desperate these families are to come to the United States. The author, Ann Jaramillo, is a 7th and 8th grade ELL teacher, whose classroom is composed of newly immigrated Mexican students. In her acknowledgements, she states that she utilized her ELL classes to review her manuscripts for accuracy to their personal experiences. I believe this book is a good read for 7th and 8th grade students, especially ELL students. There are really exciting moments that will capture their attention, and there is also incorporation of Spanish throughout the book which can be a novel experience for students. Another disclaimer: the issue of rape does appear in the text, and there is a non-explicit rape scene that occurs between minor characters.

Reference information: Jaramillo, Ann. La Línea. New Milford: Roaring Book Press, 2006.

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

Mah, Adeline Yen. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. Print.

Shanghai, China. 1940s. One little girl, Ye Xian, is ignored by her father and is hated by her stepmother. After being kicked out of her family’s house, Ye Xian is taken in by an older woman (Grandmother Wu) who teaches kung fu. Ye Xian, known also as Chinese Cinderella (CC for short), befriends three orphan boys who are also under the guidance of Grandmother Wu. Little does CC know that Grandmother Wu and her new friends are part of the Chinese Resistance. The goal of the Secret Dragon Society: regain Chinese independence and defeat the Japanese invaders. Suddenly, CC is swept into the world of the Secret Dragon Society and begins plans to rescue American pilots, Japanese prisoners.

This book was a very fast read. When I first heard the title, I was expecting another Cinderella story. I was rather happy that this story focused more on the Chinese culture and history rather than the “rags to riches, find your Prince Charming” story. I think that this book is highly teachable. Even though the chapters are short, they are really engaging for both boys and girls. Boys would love the kung fu and planes; girls would easily connect with CC. You could discuss the history of Chinese-Japanese relations as well as Chinese spirituality and the significance of kung fu. You could discuss realism compared with fairy tales. The beginning of the story follows the fairy tale of Cinderella and has elements of the supernatural (ex. a dolphin pulling the Resistance boat out of reach of the Japanese). It would be a great way to discuss when and why to use realism as opposed to fairy tales. I really recommend this book for 7^th and 8^th grade students. 

Go Ask Alice

Anonymous. Go Ask Alice. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Inc. 1971.214p.

            Go Ask Alice is an enticing read from first glancing at the front cover, since it is purportedly the true account of a middle class American teenager whose life takes a tumultuous turn when she is ensnared by a drug addiction that leads to other destructive habits. While it is written at a reading level appropriate for sixth graders, the content becomes increasingly controversial as the main character’s recreational drug use morphs into a full-blown addiction. Due to the explicit references to drugs, alcohol, and sex, teachers who choose this text as a class read for middle school students will likely be met with much resistance from parents. However, the content, while difficult and serious, is also extremely interesting. The text is written in a diary format, and since it is supposedly a true account, it is very easy to relate to and understand the main character. Go Ask Alice is also pertinent to all teenagers due to relatable themes such as difficulty communicating with parents, creating meaningful friendships, maintaining interest in school, body image issues, etc. In general, this book is one worth considering teaching in a class, but the graphic content makes it more appropriate for high school students or as an independent read for middle schoolers.

            Go Ask Alice exposes the diary entries of a teenage girl, spanning over two years. Initially, the main character appears to be an ordinary girl. Her problems include wanting to appear attractive and datable for boys in her class, wishing to establish meaningful friendships with girls in her class, communicating effectively with her parents, achieving the perfect physique, succeeding in school, discovering her emerging identity as a young woman, and feeling wanted and accepted by her family and peers. However, her life takes a dangerous turn when she is unwittingly introduced to LSD at a party, and she quickly becomes addicted to drugs. Over the course of the text, she goes through periods of time where she desperately wishes to overcome her addiction, but peer pressure and a bad reputation often leave her unable to escape the precarious lifestyle, and she finds herself living in horrifying apartments, homeless, in an insane asylum, and unfortunately, readers discover that she dies shortly after writing her final diary entry. Overall, while the protagonists’ primary issue may not be a universal problem young people face, her story is full of themes relatable to all young people today. 

Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. New York: Delacorte Press, 1999. 245p.
ISBN 0-385-32306-9      
African-American -- Newberry Medal Winner, Coretta Scott King Award Winner
   
    Bud, Not Buddy is an award-winning novel written by African-American author Christopher Paul Curtis.  Curits, who is also well know for his novel The Watson’s Go To Birmingham -- 1963, tells the story of Bud (not Buddy) Caldwell and his adventures as an African-American orphan during the Great Depression.  After his mother dies, Bud is placed in shelters and foster homes until he finally takes it upon himself to leave Flint, Michigan and find the man who he believes to be his father.  Bud’s bravery and witty sense of humor help him to overcome great obstacles but also ensure that the experience is entertaining for the reader.  Through his adventure, Bud gains a better understanding of his past as well as his racial and social identity. 
    Because of Bud’s young age, this novel would probably be best fit for sixth or seventh grade students.  The short chapters, exciting plot points and witty remarks make this novel teachable as well as fun and engaging.  As a result of its adolescent narrator, the novel is highly readable for this level and progresses steadily so that students can’t help but wonder what will happen next.  Although an extreme case, Bud’s struggle to find love and comfort is an experience that many adolescents can relate to.  The novel also lends itself to the development of students’ prediction skills because of its suspense as well as some historical study because of its setting.  Overall, Bud, Not Buddy is a perfect novel from the teacher’s standpoint as well as the adolescent student’s.

Number the Stars

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1989.

ISBN: 978-0-547-57709-8                  John Newberry Medal Winner

Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, is a great choice for any Junior High Student, especially in the 6^th grade. The book is 149 pages long and a very quick read. Lowry’s book is engaging and thought-provoking. It provides a great basis for discussion about growing up, hardship, sadness, and racism. Number the Stars is a valuable teaching tool for symbolism and comparing and contrasting.

The novel tells the story of Annemarie Johansen, a young girl from Denmark living through the time of the Holocaust. When her best friend Ellen’s life is in danger, the Johansen family takes in Ellen under the guise of Lise, their oldest daughter killed by the Nazi’s the year before. The family quickly becomes part of the Danish Resistance, helping Jews in hiding with spare food and clothing, delivering secret packages, and sheltering the innocent. There are a few thematic elements associated with the Holocaust that may scare younger readers, but it is a very historically-accurate representation and a good way to broach difficult subjects in the classroom. Your classroom will enjoy the thrilling adventures and will truly feel for Annemarie as she grows and learns the true meaning of “Numbering the Stars.”

Somewhere in the Darkness

Myers, Walter Dean. Somewhere in the Darkness. New York: Scholastic Press, 1992.


At the beginning of this novel we are introduced to Jimmy Little - a 14 year old boy who lives with his grandmother, Mama Jean, (his mother died when he was a child) in Harlem in a run-down building. Jimmy is bright and helps out around the apartment, but does not consistently attend school. After returning home one day, Jimmy encounters his father, Crab, who has returned from prison after 9 years and is set on taking Jimmy with him to Chicago where there is a parole job waiting. Jimmy reluctantly leaves with his father and eventually learns that his father is sick and has escaped from prison. Although Crab insists he was falsely convicted of murder, Jimmy has his doubts. Jimmy and his father travel from place to place as his father steals cars to make money on the way to find an old friend who can tell Jimmy about Crab’s innocence. Despite his father’s criminal ways, Jimmy eventually begins to feel for his father, and even learn a bit about his own roots in Alabama. As the situation sours more and more, Crab is eventually arrested and passes on in the hospital after trying to give Jimmy advice. As Jimmy travels back to New York, his thoughts turn to a time when he might have his own son, and he feels unprepared, yet knows he will want share all of his thoughts with that son so that there is a lasting and honest connection.

This is a short - only 168 pages - but very well-written novel. The sentences are short for the most part, and the novel contains plenty of dialogue. I believe the book could be used in grades 6-8 and assigned for independent reading. Myers’ writing if rife with imagery, and the main characters are well-developed. The story can be a starting point for discussions about poverty and nontraditional/single-parent homes. There is also a lot of room for talking about coming of age and Jimmy’s yearning to “have a mind that had answers where his own mind had questions” (158).

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, Christopher Paul Curtis, Delacorte, 1995

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 is a novel by Christopher Paul Curtis about the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan in the early 1960s. The story is told from the point of view of Kenny, a bright ten year old, as he shares memories from his childhood which mostly revolve around his older brother Byron. Byron is notorious for causing trouble in the house, around the neighborhood and at school, which finally leads Mr. and Mrs. Watson to pack the family's bags and take a road trip to Birmingham, Alabama to visit Mrs. Watson's mother with every intention of leaving their eldest son with his grandmother if he does not shape up his act. The novel centers around this trip to the South as the Watsons are impacted by the realities of the segregated and hateful world. Throughout the story, Kenneth illustrates the growth of his relationships with his family members as well as the growth of his own maturity.

One of the big ideas throughout the entire novel is the importance of our relationships with family members to our growth as individuals. There are many points throughout the novel in which the Watsons must make tough decisions but all are influenced by the love they have for each other. Each member of the Watson family shows compassion towards one another during the difficult times that they face and serve as emotional support systems. One possible writing assignment is for the students to write about a family member that has impacted their life in a positive way.

In terms of the "teachability" of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, the language of the novel is appropriate and not too difficult. The story does involve the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church that killed four little girls but that is an ugly moment in our country's history that young people should learn about it. The plot of the novel is slow to develop and if the class has students that need constant action, plot twists, etc. this might not be the book for them. However, Curtis' story is warm and humorous, relying more on the strength of the characters and their relationships then plot development.

Witness

Hesse, Karen. Witness. Scholastic Press, 2001

Witness follows the lives of 12 people in a town in Vermont in 1924. The story starts with the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan and shows the effects it has on the characters, among them a 6 year old Jewish girl named Esther, a 12 year old black girl named Leanora, a white 18 year old boy named Merlin, a white constable, and a white clergyman. The characters have mixed feelings towards the Klan- some, like Merlin, join it, some hate it, and some show indifference. Many of the characters start the novel with racist attitudes, like the constable who indirectly caused the death of Leanora's mother and Merlin who speaks with obvious anti-Semitism. Despite threats from the Klan, Leanora and Esther's families stay in town and begin to change the townspeople's attitudes, most notably when Leanora saves Esther from being hit by a train. This trend continues as the Klan's crimes throughout the U.S. are uncovered, and respect for the Klan turns into a fear that drives Melvin out of town when he refuses to poison Leanora's well and pushes the clergyman to shoot Esther's father. Apart from the themes of racism and anti-Semitism, the novel explores the growing feminism of the era through 2 single and 1 married woman as well as law issues such as the death sentence.

This book would be great for teaching middle schoolers. It's written in poem-like vignettes at a fairly easy reading level- it took me less than an hour to read. A lot of themes can be introduced and explored, and the way the book switches between different characters' perspectives will keep students interested. It may appeal more to girls than boys considering the feminist themes explored and that Leanora and Esther are both girls. However, Melvin's character provides a male voice middle school boys could relate to and many of the other characters are men. Overall, middle school students would relate to this book and you could come up with great lesson plans for it, so I highly recommend teaching it. 

Living Up The Street

Soto, Gary. Living up the Street. New York, New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1985.

In Living up the Street, Gary Soto shares with his readers narrative recollections from his childhood. Published with Bantam Doubleday Dell Books in 1985, Soto reminisces upon different childhood memories, ranging from innocent fights on the playground to early encounters of racism that are vividly illustrated throughout the text. The readers grow up with Soto as the book progresses and are really able to get a feel for the type of childhood he encountered in his hometown of Fresno, California. This book accurately depicts the hardships that many Mexican-American families had to deal with during this time period. 

After reading this novel, I do not think it would be a valuable piece of literature to teach in a Multicultural Adolescent Literature unit in a middle school environment.  The major theme of American identity and what exactly it means to be American is a very important concept and is a very relatable theme in a diverse classroom. However, Soto references this theme with playful childhood encounters that are many times lost in translation.    The reader never really gets the sense to how serious and meaningful the 9-year old narrator's comments are, and I think that makes this novel hard to relate to.  Also, the format of short narrative stories that have no connection to other parts of the novel allows more of a gap between the reader and the story, which doesn't captivate the reader to continue on to the next chapter.