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Book Reviews

No English

Author: Jacqueline Jules

No English is a colorfully illustrated picture book that tells the story of Blanca, a new girl from Argentina, who struggles to adjust and acclimate to her second grade American classroom. Blanca's story is told from the perspective of her classmate, Diane, who initially has trouble dealing with the fact that they don't speak the same language. Early on, "No English," is all that Spanish speaker, Blanca, can say-thus making her misunderstood by her classmates. However, with the help of her teacher, Mrs. Bertram, the students are able to better understand Blanca by learning about her homeland. This is a lovely story that could be read aloud to students of all ages and will make a great addition to any classroom library.

Year Released: 2007

Grade 1-2

The Arrival

Author: Shaun Tan

In this wordless graphic novel, through magnificent illustrations, Tan captures the disorientation immigrants often feel towards their new surroundings. It depicts the journey of one man who seems both accepted and rejected by his new country. The only writing is in an invented alphabet, which causes the viewer to feel confused just like immigrants must feel when they encounter a strange new language and way of life. A feeling of tolerance and acceptance is presented throughout the story trancending race and ethnicity. Both early readers and those more sophisticated will find this book interesting. It is an excellent conversation starter in any mainstream or ESL classroom.

Year Released: 2007

Grades 4-12

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Soldier Boy

Author: Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah leads a typical pre-teen life in Sierra Leone: hanging out with friends, going to school and performing American hip-hop songs. But when the civil war reaches his village in 1992, he becomes separated from family and friends and sets off on a harrowing journey of survival through a country ravaged by war and atrocities. Captured by government troops when he is thirteen, this gentle boy is traumatized, hooked on drugs and trained to kill. Beah's beautifully written memoir tells a riveting story of fear, loss, violence, friendship and redemption. The themes of this book are relevant to adolescents today and would spark fascinating class discussions.

Year Released: 2006

Grades 7-12

American Born Chinese

Author: Gene Luen Yan

American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that cleverly takes readers through a journey combining three storylines and three characters into one idea. The stories merge into a single narrative that looks at the themes of stereotype, immigration, and assimilation. The graphic novel interweaves Chinese mythology with ideas from the American Dream. Students are sure to enjoy the images and text through the quick-moving stories. Teachers will find the book surprisingly useful as a springboard for discussions about discrimination, tolerance, stereotyping and immigration.

Year Released: 2006

Grades 6-12

Bento Box in the Heartland

Author: Linda Furiya

Bento Box in the Heartland is the coming-of-age story of a young girl's struggle to assimilate as the only Asian student in her Indiana school. Each day, as she takes out her lunch, Linda feels self-conscious about her parents' insistence on sending their native Japanese cuisine in her lunch box. Looking around, she realizes that her lunches are always different from those of her peers. Yet at the same time, the rice balls that her mother packs bring much comfort and delight to her. Each chapter closes with a recipe of one of the author's most treasured meals. But Bento Box in the Heartland is more than a story about food. More importantly, it is the story of a young woman trying to find herself as the only Asian student in a Midwestern community during the 1960's. In addition, it is the story of growing up with immigrant parents, trying to figure out who she is, and growing to understand her parents' connection to Japan better. Beautifully written, Bento Box in the Heartland is a fantastic collection of stories, recipes, and self-discovery.

Year Released: 2006

Grade 6-12

Dear Miss Breed

Author: Joanne Oppenheim

In telling the story of Clara Breed, the children's librarian of the San Diego Public Library and her devotion to the Japanese American children, once her patrons, who are incarcerated in prison camps during World War II, Joanne Oppenheim reminds us not only of a shameful and pain-filled chapter in American history, but also how as individuals we can all make a difference. The story of this remarkable woman and her relationship with the young detainees is told through letters the children wrote, recent interviews and correspondence with the children-now grown- as well as news accounts from the war period. Dear Miss Breed is an accessible account of the Japanese Internment for children ages ten and up, and would be a wonderful guide to spark discussions about civil rights, freedom, war and Nikkei history in America. Thoughtful parallels can be drawn between the events in Dear Miss Breed and events in our own times.

Year Released: 2006

Grade 6-Adult

Digging to America

Author: Anne Tyler

When the Yazdans, an Iranian-American couple, and the Donaldsons cross paths at Baltimore's Airport while receiving their adopted Korean baby girls, they begin a relationship that connects three generations. The Donaldsons, Brad and Bitsy- an upper-middle-class couple with a enthusiastic extended family, refer to their little girl as Jin-Ho-while Sami and Ziba Yazdan name their daughter Susan. The story follows Jin-Ho and Susan's formative years via the relationships formed between the families. The decent people in Digging to America live normal, happy lives enriched by their efforts to embrace diversity; something that happens frequently in real life, too.

Year Released: 2006

Grades 9-12

Drita, My Homegirl

Author: Jenny Lombard

Drita My Homegirl is the story of Drita, a Muslim Albanian refugee who has emigrated to New York City from war-torn Kosovo. Drita longs to make friends in school, but faces difficulty due to her limited English. Drita My Homegirl is narrated, through alternating chapters, from the perspective of two fourth graders, Drita and Maxie. As their stories unfold, their unlikely friendship grows, fostered by both girls' tendency to separate themselves from others. Drita is trying to deal with her mother's depression, while at the same time struggling to fit in at school. Maxie, on the other hand, appears to be a fun-loving comedian at school, but she, too is struggling outside of school as she attempts to deal with the death of her mother. As these unlikely friends come together, the themes of family, friendship, and love intertwine around them. Drita My Homegirl is appropriate for grades 3-5 and could be used to engage students in lively group discussions.

Year Released: 2006

Grades 3-5

La Línea

Author: Ann Jaramillo

Miguel and his younger sister Elena desperately struggle to escape poverty in southern Mexico and to join their parents in California in ESL teacher Ann Jaramillo's frst novel. Fear of starvation and a longing for family drives these two teenagers through the dark gauntlet of illegal immigration. Violence, corruption and narrow escapes keep the ordeal fast-paced and gripping. The siblings survive the journey and face further disappointment through deportation. Compelling and suspenseful, the story exemplifes the plight of countless people, destitute and looking for better lives across the border. While the media argues over the big picture of illegal immigrants in terms of jobs, employers, security, fences and amnesty, Jaramillo looks at the issue from ground level through the eyes of two children with few options. It's a perilous adventure best saved for at least junior high school-age students.

Year Released: 2006

Grades 6-12

Living as a Refugee in America: Mohammed's Story

Author: Helen Howard

Now a student in an American high school, Mohammed, 15, tells the story of how he fled the Taliban in Afghanistan and wandered through Iran and Turkey before coming to the U.S. with his mother, brother and sister. Living as a Refugee in America weaves Mohammed's story with facts about Afghanistan's recent history and discusses the plight of refugees driven by war and famine across the world. The compelling first-person narrative, printed in italics, features full-color, captioned photos of Mohammed, his family and friends. It also discusses issues such as discrimination, cultural barriers and maintaining dual identity. This non-fiction book contains a glossary of helpful vocabulary as well as suggestions for how American students can take action to help the displaced by providing an annotated list of international human rights organizations to contact.

Year Released: 2006

Grades 4-9