The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba

Written by: Margarita Engle

Junior High and High School Grades

**2011 Pura Belpre Honor Books**

"The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 to learn about the people of this magical island, she is accompanied by Cecilia, a young slave who longs for her lost home in Africa. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture.

In this quietly powerful new book, award-winning poet Margarita Engle paints a portrait of early women’s rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://us.macmillan.com/thefireflyletters

The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl

The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl

Written by: David Kherdian

Junior High and High School Grades

"David Kherdian re-creates his mother's voice in telling the true story of a childhood interrupted by one of the most devastating holocausts of our century. Vernon Dumehjian Kherdian was born into a loving and prosperous family. Then, in the year 1915, the Turkish government began the systematic destruction of its Armenian population."

Online Resources:
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/resources/cob0005t.html

Parvana's Journey

Parvana's Journey

Written by: Deborah Ellis

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"This sequel to The Breadwinner (Groundwood, 2001) easily stands alone. After her father's death, 13-year-old Parvana, disguised as a boy, wanders alone through war-torn Afghanistan looking for her mother and siblings who had disappeared in the tumult of the Taliban takeover of Mazar-e-Sharif. Early in her journey, Parvana comes across a baby, the only survivor in a bombed village. She takes him along, as both a burden and comforting company.

Taking shelter in a small cave, she discovers an angry one-legged boy who is starved for both food and human companionship. Imagining treasure in their cave, they dig, only to find a cache of bullets-a scene that epitomizes what childhood has become for these young people. The three continue Parvana's search, stopping for a time in an apparent safe haven on the edge of a minefield where an eight-year-old lives with a near-comatose grandmother. When their refuge is destroyed, the four children join a long line of refugees, arriving finally at a camp. A bittersweet ending offers some hope for Parvana and her family, but readers are left with a horrifyingly realistic picture of the effect of war on children. While the reading is not difficult, the grim content cries out for discussion. An unforgettable read."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001973.shtml

The Composition

The Composition

Written by: Antonia Skarmeta
Illustrated by: Alfonso Ruano

Upper Elementary and Junior High Grades

"In a village in Chile, Pedro and Daniel are two typical nine-year-old boys. Up until Daniel's father gets arrested, their biggest worry had been how to improve their soccer skills. Now, they are thrust into a situation where they must grapple with the incomprehensible: dictatorship and its inherent abuses. This sensitively realized story touches a nerve and brings home the uncomfortable fact that some children do encounter issues of this magnitude. Here, deft realism is brought to the page by Antonia Skarmeta's story and the edgy drawings of Alfonso Ruano, portraying a child's view of a repressive society. The Composition is a winner of the Americas Award for Children's Literature and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award."

Publishers Synopsis

Web Resources:
http://www.lindakreft.com/Americas/composition.html

Habibi

Habibi

Written by: Naomi Shaihab Nye

Junior High and High School Grades

"When fourteen-year-old Liyanne Abboud, her younger brother, and her parents move from St. Louis to a new home between Jerusalem and the Palestinian village where her father was born, they face many changes and must deal with the tensions between Jews and Palestinians."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://litplans.com/authors/Naomi_Shihab_Nye.html

Sitti's Secrets

Sitti's Secrets

Written by: Naomi Shihab Nye
Illustrated by: Nancy Carpenter

Elementary Grades

"When Sitti, an American girl, goes to visit her grandmother in her small Middle Eastern village on the other side of the world, they don't need words to understand each other's heart. "A thoughtful, loving affirmation of the bonds that transcend language barriers, time zones, and national borders."

School Library Journal