The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Author: John Boyne

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Publish Date (Reprint): October 23, 2007

Summary: Bruno and his family moved to a new home in a new town, far away from his friends.  Bruno is very bored in his new home and begins wandering around the home.  He stumbles onto a concentration camp where he meets a boy in striped pajamas.  A friendship begins to blossom as the two compare lives and realize they are very different from each other.

AR Book Points: 7

Source: www.arbookfind.com

Age Range: 9th grade and up

Quality: This book is very tragic and might be hard for some students to understand. If used properly the book can introduce the atrocities of WWII and concentration camps.   

Life Connections

• Death
• Understanding history - WWII, concentration camps
• Friends in unlikely places

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Author: Gayle Foreman

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publish Date (Reprint): September 17, 2007

Summary: The book is narrated by a 17 year old girl who is involved in a tragic accident involving her mother, father and her younger brother. She sees herself, after the accident, lying in a pool of blood, and then follows her body and her family members around a hospital she was life-flighted to. Throughout a 24 hour period, Mia remembers her first kiss, when her younger brother was born, when her dad returned to grad school and a myriad of other memories leading up to the accident. During this time period, Mia has to make one of the hardest decisions she ever has had to make, whether to return to her body on Earth, or die. Family members come and go throughout the whole book to visit the ICU where her body is struggling to survive, and she hears their deep pleadings with her to stay.

AR Book Points: 19

Awards: Alex Award/Honor

Source: www.arbookfind.com

Age Range: 9th grade and up

Quality: Excellent source for understanding death.  This book is non-religious with no mention of any higher being, but addresses death as a part of life. 

Life Connections

• Death
• Making educated choices
• Family
• Memories vital to remembering loved ones.

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

Author: Michael Lewis

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company

Publish Date (Reprint): September 17, 2007

Summary: A depiction of the life of Michael Oher, #74 of the Baltimore Ravens.  Oher's childhood was unlike many children's lives.  At the age of 13, Michael does not know his real name, his father or how to read or write.  Through miracles performed by members of his community and adopted family Michael learns how to read and write and is eventually granted a scholarship to Ol Miss.  Through determination, hard work and a little bit of luck, Michael Oher is drafted into the NFL.  

AR Book Points: 19

Awards: Alex Award/Honor

Source: www.arbookfind.com

Age Range: 9th grade and up

Quality: This book provides a look into an American child whose life is unlike most, but identical to those in his neighborhood and surrounding areas.  Michael Oher is essentially homeless and is given many opportunities to help him succeed.  His community and family love him and help him succeed.  Children will identify with this because Michael is a real character in a real situation and overcomes the things that could potentially hold him back.  

Life Connections

• Life is not easy
• Helping others succeed can bring happiness to both you and the recipient. 
• Understanding determination
• Understanding different life situations

Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside of a Cereal Box

 

Author: Juan Felipe Herrera

Publisher: Joanna Cooler Books

Publish Date: August 9, 2005

 

Summary: Written in free verse, this story describes how young Yolanda deals with the tragedy of September 11. She keeps poems and letters she finds in and around Ground Zero in a cereal box.  She collects dust around New York City with the intent of returning it to Ground Zero, hoping to silence the ghosts and bring her uncle back to life. 

Award: Americas Award Book

Source: www.arbookfind.com

AR Book Points: 2

Age Range:  13 and up

Life Connections

• Understanding Hispanic (Puerto Rican) culture
• Understanding events in history
• How to deal with tragedy and death

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Author: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Illustrated by: Henry Cole

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: June 1, 2005

Summary: Roy and Silo, two penguins in the New York City Zoo have developed a bond unlike any of the other penguins.  They are given the opportunity to hatch an egg. They raise Tango as their own little bundle of joy.

Source: Spring 2014 116B Syllabus

Recommended grade: K-2

My suggested age range: any age is appropriate, from infant to adult

Awards: Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award

Quality: While a very controversial topic for some, I believe that this book should be in every classroom.  It teaches that not all families have a mommy and daddy. If taught properly I believe this could prepare children for when they do meet friends who have a family situation different from their own.

Life Connections:

· Families come in all shapes and sizes

· Family is an important part of life

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Author: E.B. White

Illustrator: Garth Williams

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publish Date (reprint): April 10, 2012 

Summary: “Terrific”, “Radiant”, “Some pig”. Words inscribed in a spider’s web to describe a pig. Wilbur was the runt of his litter and was deemed too small to be of any good use on the farm.  Saved by an eight year old girl from being killed at a young age, Wilbur learns from his best friend Charlotte (a spider) and other animals on the farm that he is “some pig” and worth more than just bacon.

Source: Spring 2014 116B Syllabus

Recommended grade: 3rd and up

My suggested age range: any age is appropriate, from infant to adult

Awards: Newbery Honor, George C. Stone Center for Children’s Books Recognition of Merit Award, Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, Laura Ingalls Wilder Award

Quality: For many children who are introduced to this book it is a foreign idea of living on a 

farm.  The appeal would be the obscurity of non-domestic animals, animals that are usually only seen in picture books or found on the internet. 

Life Connections:

· Understanding farm life

· Understanding the life cycle

· Sticking up for friends is an important part of life.

· Sometimes sacrificing for a friend is okay

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Author: Susan Patron

Illustrated by: Matt Phelan

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: December 30, 2008

Summary: Feeling like she has no where to turn, Lucky, decides to run away. Her guardian, Brigitte, wishes to return to her home country of France leaving Lucky with the    feeling of abandonment. Lucky’s mother died in a freak weather accident and her father is who put Lucky into Brigitte’s charge.  Lucky’s desire is to find her higher power so that she can face the obstacles that have been thrust on her.

Source: Spring 2014 116B Syllabus

Recommended grade: 9-11 years old

My suggested age range: 14 or older

Awards: Newbery Medal Award

Quality: Because I do not feel comfortable introducing this book to my own children I would not feel comfortable introducing it to a classroom.  I do not feel that the themes it presented was appropriate for the age range and would be more suited to an older crowd.

Life Connections:

· Introducing new vocabulary

· Introducing new areas—France, Southern California

· Anatomy and Physiology

· Understanding weather

· Introduction to resources for overcoming alcoholism

· Understanding a higher purpose for individuals

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Author: Salman Rushdie

Publisher: Puffin

Publish Date: November 29, 2012

Summary: After making a wish to silence the stories of his father, Haroun must travel to the Ocean of the Stream of Stories to restore the gift of story.  Haroun travels through fantasy lands to meet with the Grand Comptroller.  Along his journey he meets with characters that he thought were purely fictitious imaginings of his father. 

Source: Spring 2014 116B Syllabus

Age: 14 and up

Awards: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

Quality: The book would appeal to some children but not all. Children would see humor in the play on words and letters but many would be lost on the themes and symbolism throughout the book.

Life Connections:

· Introducing new places, both make believe and real.

· Family is important and sometimes knows better than society

· Stories can be an important part of life

· Freedom of speech is an important part of life and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Author: Louis Sachar

Publisher: Dell Yearling

Publish Date: May 9, 2000

Summary: Stanley Yelnats has been wrongly accused of stealing a pair of shoes belonging to a famous athlete. This accusation leads to his incarceration at Camp Green Lake—a camp for boys. During his stay he

learns that even the most unlikely of people can be great friends.  coupled with flashbacks of Stanley’s ancestors and a curse against his family, Stanley and his friend Zero overcome obstacles that lead to finding a huge reward for the both of them.

Source: 116B Spring 2014 Syllabus

Age range: 12 and up

Awards: Newbery Medal, National Book Award for Young People’s Literature,  and many more.

Quality: This book would appeal to pre-teen boys because of the word usage, the nicknames and the humor involved in the story.  The seriousness of the story can be understood by this age range as well.

Life Connections:

· Actions have consequences

· Not all people are trustworthy

· Even the unlikeliest of people can become really good friends

· Anyone can be courageous

· Things do work out in the end