Published: 2012 Theme: Overcoming Hardships Best for: 5th grade "We are going to Colorado! Pa told us. He just came home from his first trip to Colorado Territory and announced that he and Ma and I were moving west to strike it rich.'" Set in 1858, this delightful historical fiction is an easy and informative read, based on a real incident in Colorado history...
Published: 2008 Theme: Magic Best for: 9 and up "Magic is just a way of setting things right..." The quote says it all, and explains why I love this book. Magic is given it's rightful place as we watch two children from two different times meet and bond...
Published: 2008 Theme: Hope over Despair Best for: 12 and up "The nostalgia suffocates me... I am but six miles from Jerusalem and I am not allowed to enter it. Never again will I see the place where I was born, nor the home I entered as a bride. My olive trees, Hayaat. Oh, how I miss them!" I've barely finished wiping the tears from my eyes as I head to the computer to review this stunning, heartbreaking, honest, account of life in occupied Palestine...
Published: 2011 Theme: Beyond Illusions Best for: 12 and up "My mother was widowed by a real estate agent some years ago, and I never finished the encyclopedia..(When) we asked, 'Why do we not have a Papa?' she said, 'Your Papa is the Library, and he loves you and will care for you...'" If you can accept a Wyvern (who looks like a dragon but is only a remote cousin) that has a Library as a father, then you will not only be able to read this children's book, you will get the humor in the above quote...
Published: 2015 Theme: Melting Pot Best for: 9 and up "Sarah's parents had been planning their escape to America for two years before the attack on their village. To prepare for their new life, Sarah had been studying English with the son of the village wool merchant." In a fresh new children's book, we revisit America through the eyes of a new immigrant, a young girl who has just lost both her parents...
Published: 2011 Theme: Pride of Heritage Best for: 8 and up "Margie's mother said, "Why do you keep telling the teacher you don't speak Spanish, m'hijita? Spanish was the first language you spoke. Spanish is the language of your abuelitos and your tios y tias..." "But we live in America, Mom." This excellent children's book captures the ambivalence so many Mexican-American children have, born in the USA, while their families carry a living experience of their home culture...
Published: 2001 Theme: Courage Best for: girls 9 to 12 "Today Bamarre needed a hero more than ever... I was no hero. The dearest wishes of my heart were for safety and tranquility. The world was a perilous place, wrong for the likes of me." Ogres, dragons, fairies, specters, gryphons, and sorcerers fill the pages of this adventure, dedicated to sisterly love.
Published: 2007 Theme: Contentment Best for: 5 to 8 "After drying her eyes on a leafkerchief, Rani kicked off her sensible walking shoes and slipped into the lagoon. of all the fairies, Rani was the only one who could swim, and that was because she had no wings to drag her under." A true fairy tale about fairies, by a great children's author, alas, co-opted by Disney, which means dreadful illustrations, but the story and writing are excellent.
Published: 2011 Theme: Family Best for: 12- 14 "Everything changes, child," Grandmama observed calmly. "Me, you, the world... Who knows what the future will bring? The one thing that doesn't change is the family. It always comes first. Keep everyone in it safe. Keep them happy." Laurence Yep is a fabulous chronicler of Chinese culture and Chinese American culture This particular children's book includes both, as it traces a family from 1835 in China to 2011 in America...
Published: 1963 Theme: Diversity is Good Best for: 5 to 8 "All the other Tatrajanni ...had glittering white hair like snow crystals, and the eyes of every one of them, without exception, were the color of light shining through ice: a cool greenish hue." This book steps out of the mold of Enright's other books. It is pure fantasy, with an imaginary land, animals, and people...
Litkidz 