When the Shadbush Blooms

When the Shadbush Blooms

Written by: Carla Messinger and Susan Katz
Illustrated by: Daniel Kanietakeron Fadden

Elementary Grades

"My grandparents’ grandparents walked beside the same stream where I walk with my brother, and we can see what they saw. Today when a Lenape Indian girl ventures to the stream to fish for shad, she knows that another girl did the same generations before. Through the cycle of the seasons, what is important has remained: being with family, knowing when berries are ripe for picking, listening to stories in a warm home. Told by Traditional Sister and Contemporary Sister, each from her own time, this is a book about tradition and about change. Then and now are not so very different when the shadbush blooms. Includes afterword about the culture and history of the Lenni Lenape (formerly known as the Delaware Indians)."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.whentheshadbushblooms.net/
http://www.lenapeprograms.info/news/new_book.htm

Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine

Written by: Kashmira Sheth

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"When 12-year-old Seema, her sister, and parents leave India for Iowa City, she is surprised to receive a farewell gift from Mukta, a poor classmate. In the U.S. Seema makes friends but she struggles not only with American English and customs but also with Carrie, a classmate who mocks her. As Seema copes with Carrie, she regretfully recalls how her classmates had made fun of Mukta. A serious family illness pulls Seema's family back to India for a short stay and a chance to visit Mukta. Returning home to Iowa City, Seema realizes, "like an airplane attached to two shimmering wings, I was attached to two precious homes." Filled with details that document an immigrant's observations and experiences, Seema's story, which articulates the ache for distant home and family, will resonate with fellow immigrants and enlighten their classmates. A glossary of terms and expressions is appended, but most of the Gujarati words can be understood in context."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://kashmirasheth.typepad.com/my_weblog/blue_jasmine/index.html
*Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download pdf teachers guide**

Rickshaw Girl

Rickshaw Girl

Written by: Mitali Perkins
Illustrated by: Jamie Hogan

Elementary Grades

"Ten-year-old Naima longs to earn money to help her poor Bangladeshi family, but her talent in painting traditional patterns, or alpanas, is no use. While considering whether she could disguise herself as a boy and try to drive her father's rickshaw, she wrecks the vehicle and its painted tin sides on a test-drive, threatening the family's sole livelihood. Her solution is to steal away, disguised as a boy, to a repair shop and offer her services painting decorations on the rickshaws. She is surprised to find that the owner is a woman. When Naima reveals herself, she is hired on the condition that her father will keep bringing her for training at the shop, so that her paintings will help the business. The future looks bright for the girl and her family. Short chapters, well-delineated characters, soft black-line pastel illustrations, and a child-appropriate solution enrich this easy-to-read chapter book that would also appeal to less-able middle school readers. The rich back matter includes an informative glossary of Bangla words, plus a valuable author's note that explains the process of microfinance and its results for poor women in rural markets."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.mitaliperkins.com/rickshaw_girl.html

The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen

The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen

Written by: Mitali Perkins

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"When her (Eastern) Indian grandparents arrive for a year-long visit, outgoing eighth grader Sunita Sen feels caught between two cultures. Her Westernized upbringing is threatened when her parents discourage visits from boys; her cosmopolitan mother dons traditional dress and takes a sabbatical from her college teaching job; and the aroma of curry fills the house each day. Embarrassed by her heritage, Sunita withdraws from her classmates. But her friends are admirably patient and tolerate her rebuffs, and gradually she begins to appreciate her grandparents' wisdom and values. Her adolescent angst over social acceptance, family discord, and personal identity will be familiar to readers; positive solutions and role models are presented for dealing with cultural differences, peer relationships, and domestic problems."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.mitaliperkins.com/sunita.html

The Key Collection

The Key Collection

Written by: Andrea Chang
Illustrated by: Yangsook Choi

Elementary Grades

"Ten-year-old Jimmy has a close relationship with his grandmother, Ni Ni, whom he visits nearly every day. She cooks delicious treats for him, teaches him Chinese characters, tells wonderful stories about growing up in Shanghai, and shows him such things as a fascinating collection of keys. Jimmy is heartbroken when he learns Ni Ni is moving to San Francisco to live with his aunt, but the blow of losing Ni Ni is softened somewhat by a friendship that develops between Jimmy and a boy named Jason. Jimmy is reunited with Ni Ni after his aunt sends a ticket for him to fly out to San Francisco for his grandmother's eightieth birthday. During the visit, Jimmy comes to realize that there are ways for him and his grandmother to bridge the distance between them. This warm, reassuring story of inter-generational friendship is decorated with black-and-white illustrations of key scenes that add further emotional content."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.papertigers.org/interviews/archived_interviews/acheng.html
http://www.andreacheng.com/books/chapter_book/thekeycollection

Honeysuckle House

Honeysuckle House

Written by: Andrea Chang

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"Alienation, longing, prejudice, and cultural difference is touched on in this immigrant story told in the voices of two ten-year-old girls. Sarah and Tina are fourth graders. The most important thing in the world to Sarah - American-born Chinese - is the recent departure of her best friend, Victoria. She misses her terribly. Tina has just recently moved to Cincinnati from Shanghai, and is trying to make sense of a whole new world - pretty much clueless to all the things Sarah is hip to.

The two girls are paired together in school, as if Asian appearance were proof of parallel lives and experience. ("I don't speak Chinese," Sarah keeps having to explain.) It's the daily, common stuff of childhood intrigue that finally manages to connect their stories and forge a friendship. A whole constellation of adult concerns swirl around them - green card worries, assimilation, absent fathers, family tensions - but Andrea Cheng remains true to the heart and voice and vision of two ten-year-old girls, in a story which blends tears and games, drama and play."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.andreacheng.com/books/middle_grade_novel/honeysucklehouse

I Want To Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia

I Want To Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia

Written by: Nina Lugovskaya

Junior High and High School Grades

"Recently unearthed in the archives of Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD, Nina Lugovskaya’s diary offers rare insight into the life of a teenage girl in Stalin’s Russia—when fear of arrest was a fact of daily life. Like Anne Frank, thirteen-year-old Nina is conscious of the extraordinary dangers around her and her family, yet she is preoccupied by ordinary teenage concerns: boys, parties, her appearance, who she wants to be when she grows up. As Nina records her most personal emotions and observations, her reflections shape a diary that is as much a portrait of her intense inner world as it is the Soviet outer one."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://womenineuropeanhistory.org/index.php?title=Critical_Biography

Babushkas Doll

Babushkas Doll

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

"Natasha isn't really a bad girl. It's just that she wants to play on the swing now, not after the wash has been hung up to dry. And she wants her soup now, not after the goats have been fed. Looking after Natasha keeps Babushka, Natasha's grandmother, very busy. Then, after lunch, Natasha notices a doll sitting on Babushka's shelf...a doll Babushka tells Natasha she played with just once when she was a little girl. When Natasha plays with the doll while Babushka goes to the store for groceries, she discovers why once is enough with Babushka's doll...and finds out just how tiring it can be to take care of a child who wants everything now."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/babushkas_doll/babushkas_doll.html
http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=27

Babushka Baba Yaga

Babushka Baba Yaga

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

"Baba Yaga is a witch famous throughout Russia for eating children, but this Babushka Baba Yaga is a lonely old woman who just wants a grandchild--to love. "A warm, lively tale, neatly mixing new and old and illustrated with Polacco's usual energetic action, bright fold patterns and affectionate characterizations."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/babayaga/index.html

The Mitten

The Mitten

Written and Illustrated by: Jan Brett

Elementary Grades

"Set in a snowy forest, the fun begins when, one by one, animals crawl into Nicki's lost white mitten to get warm until the bear sneezes, sending the animals flying up and out of the mitten. On each turn of the page, Jan hints at what animal is coming next in her signature borders, inspired by Ukrainian folk art."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.janbrett.com/
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1021

The Firebird

The Firebird

Written by: Jane Yolen

Elementary Grades

"In a certain land, in a certain kingdom -- as they say in old Russia -- on the far side of a certain tangled wood, a garden shimmered like a green jewel.... Inside that jewellike garden, an evil wizard named Kostchei the Deathless holds a princess and her nine maidens captive, turning all those who attempt to save them to stone. But help is nearby -- Prince Ivan searching the nearby tangled wood for food, finds the young women and vows to save them. And with some help from the powerful and mischievous Firebird, as well as with much true courage from within, Prince Ivan will slay a horde of demons and Kostchei himself in order to free the damsels."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://janeyolen.com/

At the Wish of a Fish: A Russian Folktale

At the Wish of a Fish: A Russian Folktale

Written by: J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by: Katya Krenina

Elementary Grades

"In this imaginative classic Russian tale, Emelya, a lazy simpleton, catches an enchanted fish. The pike promises to grant Emelya his every desire if he will pitch the fish back into the sea, and soon everyone is transfixed by Emelya's powers. Formerly, he did no chores; but now, buckets of water march into his house, and kindling is split and stacked at his command. When Emelya meets the tsar's daughter, he falls in love with her and requests the pike to make her fall for him, too. When they want to marry, the tsar refuses his daughter's hand to a simpleton and casts them both into the sea. The pike rescues them and turns Emelya into a nobleman, and the tsar finally approves the marriage. Children will marvel at the cleverness of a man who, though a fool, knows what to wish for and gets what he wants. Krenina's richly colored watercolors provide additional magic to a delightful, fanciful romance."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/russia.html
http://www.jpatricklewis.com/

Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina

Tallchielf: American's Prima Ballerina

Written by: Rosemary Wells
Illustrated by: Gary Kelley

Elementary Grades

"Music flowed through young Maria Tallchief as naturally as the wind in her hair. She had only to hear a melody and out it came under her fingers on the piano or through her body in dance. But it was soon clear that she would have to make a choice. "Piano or dance," her father told her when she was twelve. "One or the other, but follow that one star." So Maria chose from the heart--and she chose dance. It was a decision that would change not only the course of her life, but the face of classical ballet in America forever. From her early years on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma to her dance training in Los Angeles to her departure for New York and a professional career, the fascinating story of Maria Tallchief, America's prima ballerina, is sure to captivate the hearts of young readers and dance lovers alike."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.valdosta.edu/~blbrothers/global.html
http://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall/details/2/154-Tallchief

At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England

At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England

Written by: Walter Dean Myers

Upper Elementary, Junior High Grades

"Myers pieces together bits of history and letters to form a unique and dramatic mosaic: the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a seven-year-old African (Egbado) princess saved by an English naval officer from a rival tribe's ritual sacrifice in 1850. Sarah is brought to England, where Queen Victoria puts the girl under her protection until Sarah's marriage. The queen also acted as godmother to Sarah's first child and met and corresponded with Sarah throughout her life. Through Sarah's story, Myers offers insights into Victorian attitudes and society and examines the flow of people and ideas between England and Africa during the period. The inclusion of passages from Sarah's correspondence helps bring her to life, and Sarah's photo on the jacket brings readers face-to-face with this remarkable young woman. An intriguing biography as well as an unusual source for those interested in British or African history."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=1036_type=Book_typeId=3965
http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/athermajestysrequest/