Book List: Human Rights for Young Readers
It is never too early to learn about human rights. Books are a great way for parents and teachers to begin this discussion with young children. It can be challenging to find a selection, and the titles listed below may help you. Please be sure to read the book first to make sure that it is fitting to share with your child (ren).
Special thanks and gratitude to our interns Alexis Daniel, Tamara Gee and Carly Kabot for their help in the creation of the list.
Books on Bullying and Tolerance
Fiction:
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Pre-K – Grade 3
A book about a young girl who is teased because of her name at school, and teaches tolerance, acceptance, and self-esteem to young children.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://heartmindonline.org/resources/lesson-plan-teaching-kindness-with-chrysanthemum
- http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=32395
- https://mrswillskindergarten.com/chrysanthemum-lesson-plans/
- https://www.varsitytutors.com/englishteacher/chrysanthemum-lesson-plans
- https://witsprogram.ca/pdfs/schools/books/chrysanthemum/chrysanthemum.pdf
- http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/63231
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The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neil, illustrated by Laura Huliska Beith
Pre-K – Grade 3
Mean Jean was the recess bully until a new girl in school stands up to her and teaches her to be kind to the other children.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy
Pre K – Grade 5
A picture book about children who learn who to stand up to bullies instead of being bystanders.
- Teacher Resources:
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Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
Pre-K – Grade 5
A young boy learns about tolerance of others from his father, which ultimately allows him to make new friends.
- Teacher Resources:
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Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Grades K-3
When new girl Maya starts her new school, Clara won’t let her play with the other children. Soon, Maya stops coming to school because she is so upset. Clara realizes excluding Maya is wrong and lets her play with the other children, and the two girls eventually become friends.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Grades 2 - 5
A book about a young girl who is ridiculed for wearing the same dress to school every day, and how her classmates don’t stick up for her.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/hundred-dresses-lesson-plan/
- https://witsprogram.ca/pdfs/schools/books/the-hundred-dresses/the-hundred-dresses.pdf
- http://www.bookunitsteacher.com/reading_hundreddresses/hundreddressespreview.pdf
- https://www.brighthubeducation.com/lesson-plans-grades-3-5/68936-give-teasing-a-dressing-down-the-hundred-dresses-lesson/
- http://pinchxeverything.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-hundred-dresses-reading-and.html
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The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
Grades 2 - 6
A book that teaches children that it’s OK to be friends with quiet children, too.
- Teacher Resources:
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Bully by Patricia Polacco
Grades 2-5
Kids at school start cyber bullying others, and one girl, Lyla, decides to stand up for them.
- Teacher Resources:
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Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Grades 3 - 7
The story of Auggie Pullman as he navigates public school for the first time after being homeschooled due to his facial deformity.
- Teacher Resources:
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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Grade 7+
The story of the aftermath of Hannah Baker’s suicide when she leaves tapes to her peers detailing the reasons she took her life.
- Teacher Resources
- http://www.penguin.com/static/images/yr/pdf/13ReasonsWhy_CCLP.pdf
- https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/thirteen-reasons-why-lesson-plan/
- https://www.teachervision.com/literature-guide/thirteen-reasons-why-educators-guide
- https://www.weareteachers.com/discussion-questions-13-reasons-why/
- https://yal.weebly.com/uploads/5/1/2/6/5126344/thirteen_reasons_why_teaching_project.pdf
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Dear Bully by Dawn Metclaff
Grade 8+
A collection of bullying stories from the perspective of the bystander, the upstander, the victim, and the bully.
- Teacher Resources:
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Tease by Amanda Maciel
Grade 9+
The story of a teenage girl who faces criminal charges for bullying a girl who commits suicide.
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The Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
Grads 9+
When Alice is diagnosed with terminal Leukemia, she decides to even the playing field with her classmates, even if it means hurting some along the way.
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Real Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
Grade 4 - 8
Shannon’s best friend, Adrienne, stops hanging out with her to be a part of the “popular crowd.”
Teacher Resources:
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You, Me, and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders, illustrated by Sofia Cardoso
Pre K – Grade 4
A picture book that teaches children empathy.
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Anger Tree by John H. Cary
Grades 2 - 5
The story of a neighborhood bully who learns how to control his feelings from a maple tree.
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Nonfiction/Memoirs:
The Bully Book by Edward Kahn Hale
Grades 3-7
True accounts from Hale’s experience being bullied, and an analysis of the ongoing problem of bullying, specifically in middle school.
- Teacher Resources:
Books on Child Labor
Nonfiction:
Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo
Grades 4-7
The Story of a Pakistani boy who fought for the freedom of child slave laborers.
- Teacher Resources:
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Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern- Day Child Slave by Shyma Hall
Grades 7-12
The Story of a young girl, Shayma, who was sold to a wealthy family in Cairo and moves
with them to California, where she is set free with nowhere to go.
- Teacher Resources:
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Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor by Russell Freedman
Grades 4 - 12
A collection of photographs taken by Lewis Hine.
- Teacher Resources:
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Kids on Strike by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Grades 4 - 6
The true accounts of strikes for child labor laws in the early 20th century.
- Teacher Resources:
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Free the Children: A Young Man Fights Against Child Labor and Proves that Children can Change the World by Craig Kielburger and Kevin Major
Grades 7 - 12
The true story of Craig Kielburger and his activism as he works to free child laborers around the world.
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Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Barotelli
Grades 4 - 7
A compilation of stories of who immigrated and worked in eastern Pennsylvania at the turn of the 19th century.
- Teacher Resources:
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Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1901 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Grades K - 3
A picture book biography of Ukranian immigrant Clara Lemlich and her activism to change unfair labor treatment.
- Teacher Resources:
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Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children by David L. Parker, Robert Cornrow, and Lee Engfer
All ages
Photographs of child laborers in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Mexico.
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Breaker Boys: How a Photograph Helped End Child Labor (Captured History) by Michael Burgan
Grades 4 - 6
A nonfiction report of child labor in early 20th century America using the photographs of Lewis Hine.
- Teacher Resources:
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Fiction:
Chained by Lynne Kelley
Grades 4 - 8
A young boy, Hastin, who takes a job as an elephant tamer in a circus to protect his mother from her abusive employer.
- Teacher Resources:
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Lyddie by Katherine Patterson
Grades 5 - 8
A young girl, Lyddie, who works in the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts to help pay off her family’s farm debts. She is determined to find a way to reunite with her family.
- Teacher Resources:
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Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop
Grades 4 - 8
At twelve years old, Grace must leave school and work in the mills with her mother, but causes problems in the factory because she is left handed.
- Teacher Resources:
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Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth
Grades 4 - 8
Eleven year- old Gopal and his family move from rural India to Mumbai. Gopal, eager to support his family, takes a job in a sweatshop, but winds up locked in for days at a time with little compensation in terms of food or pay.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=20309
- https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/images/9780375948183/Studyguide
- http://kashmirasheth.com/books/younger_readers/boys_wo_names_dg.pdf
- http://studylib.net/doc/9741102/boys-without-names-packet
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The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully
Grades 2 - 7
Rebecca Putney is a young girl who works as a bobbin girl to support her family. She is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to join the protests when the factory threatens to cut wages.
- Teacher Resources:
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Factory Girl by Barbara Greenwood
Grades 4 - 12
Emily Watson works for eleven hours a day in Acme Garment Factory in order to pay her family under an abusive boss and harsh conditions. When a reporter wishes to expose the ill treatment of the workers, Emily must decide if she should stay loyal to her factory, or help make change.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Carpet Boy’s Gift by Pegi Deitz Shea
Grades 2-5
Nadeem, who works in a carpet factory to pay off his parents debt, is inspired to make a better life for himself and get an education.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
Grade 10+
Two brothers are forbidden from leaving a cocoa plantation until their debt is paid off.
- Teacher Resources:
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Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson
Grades 5 - 7
The Story of a young girl named Rosa, and how her life is changed after her father is killed in the mills, and her mother joins the labor strikes of 1912.
- Teacher Resources:
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Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
Grades 7 - 12
15 year old Ruby Jacinsky must support her family after her mother falls ill, but faces discrimination due to her Polish heritage.
- Teacher Resources:
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So Far From Home: The Story of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847 (Dear America Series) by Barry Denenberg
Grades 4 - 6
The story of a young Irish immigrant who works in the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/dear-am-so-far-from-home-by-barry-denenberg/
Books on Domestic Abuse
Fiction:
Mommy’s Black Eye by William George Bentrim
Gradesl 4 - 6
A picture book that explains domestic abuse in a child- friendly way.
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A Family that Fights by Sharon Chesler Bernstein, illustrated by Karen Ritz
Grades 1 - 3
Three siblings, Henry, Claire, and Joe, become anxious when their parents fight, and worried when the fights get so bad their father hits their mother.
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Something is Wrong at My House by Diane Davis, illustrated by Keith R. Neely
Grades 1 - 3
Based on the true story of a child who seeks help when dealing with domestic abuse at home.
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Hear my Roar: A Story of Family Violence by Gillian Watts, illustrated by Bed Hodson
Grades 1 - 3
A picture book that discusses topics of domestic abuse and alcoholism using a fictional family of bears.
- Teachers Resources:
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When Mommy Got Hurt by Ilene Lee, Kathy Sylwester, illustrated by Carol Deach
Grades Pre K - 3
A story about a girl who witnesses domestic violence in her home and is forced to move in with her grandma.
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A Place for Starr: Children and Their Experience of Family Violence: A Story of Hope by Howard Schor, illustrated by Mary Kilpatrick
Grade 4+
The story of a young girl who escapes an abusive family situation with her brother.
- Teacher Resources:
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Nonfiction:
The Day Daddy Lost his Temper: Empowering Kids That Have Witnessed Domestic Violence by Carol S. McCleary
Grades 1 - 4
A collection of narratives from children who share their experience with domestic violence
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Other:
Living with my Family: A Child’s Work Book About Violence in the Home by Wendy Deaton, M.A., and Kendall Johnson, Ph.D.
Grades 1 - 6
A therapeutic workbook to promote healing for children who have witnessed and/or are subject to domestic abuse
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I Saw it Happen: A Child’s Workbook About Witnessing Violence by Wendy Deaton M.A. M.F.C.C
Grades 1 - 6
A therapeutic workbook for children who have witnessed domestic abuse.
Books on Feminism and Women’s Rights
Nonfiction:
The Little Book of Little Activists by Penguin Young Readers
Grades Pre K - 3
A book of photos of young girls at demonstrations and rallies advocating for women’s rights.
- Teacher Resources:
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Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
Grades 3 - 5
A picture book that highlights the achievements of 40 notable African- American women.
- Teacher Resources:
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She Persisted: 13 American Women who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
Grades Pre K - 2
A picture book by Chelsea Clinton that highlights the achievements of 14 notable American women.
- Teacher Resources:
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Strong is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves by Kate T. Parker
Grades 3-6
A celebration of girls’ strength.
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Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped our History… And our Future! by Kate Schatz
Grades 4 - 9
The history of American Women from Angela Davis to Zora Neal Hurston.
- Teacher Resources:
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Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margo Lee Shetterly
Grades 3 - 6
The story of three African- American women who begin working at NASA.
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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes her Mark by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
Grades Pre K - 5
A picture book biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventures by Caroline Paul, illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton
Grades 4 - 8
The stories of girls and their thrilling adventures.
- Teacher Resources:
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Girls Are Best by Sandi Toksgiv
Grades 3 - 5
A book that looks at women’s role in history regarding events in which men are celebrated.
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Fiction:
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Grades K - 4
Rosie is a brilliant inventor and dreams of becoming an engineer, but feels like she has to stay quiet because she's a girl.
- Teacher Resources:
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Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Michael Chesworth, Louis S. Glanzman
Grades 2 - 7
The story of a young girl who doesn’t act or dress like the other girls.
- Teacher Resources:
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Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Grades 1 - 3
When Grace learns the United States has never had a female president, she decides to run for class president.
- Teacher Resources:
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Piggybook by Anthony Browne
Ages 3-7
Mr. Piggot and his sons are chauvinists who expect their mother to do all the housework without any help. When Mrs. Piggot tires of this, she leaves the boys to pick up the slack around the house.
- Teacher Resources:
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Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Grades 4 - 10
The story of eleven- year- old Anne and her fiery and adventurous personality.
- Teacher Resources:
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I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson
Grades 4 - 8
The story of Emma as she tries to find herself in the midst of her crazy family.
- Teacher Resources:
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Princeless (Series) by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by M. Goodwin
Grades 4 - 8
The story of a sixteen- year- old princess who redefines the conception that a princess must have a prince.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/feminist-childrens-books-that-every-child-should-read?utm_term=.nwA42y74Gy#.qvdeE0pev0
Books on the Armenian Genocide
Non- Fiction:
Survivors: An Oral History of the Armenian Genocide by Laura Touryan Miller, Donald Eugene (1999)
Grade 11+
Survivors is a compilation of interviews with survivors of the Armenian Genocide who recount their experiences during the tragic event.
- Teacher Resources:
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To the Desert: Pages from my Diary by Vahram Dadrian (2003)
Grade 11+
The diary of a child in the Armenian Genocide. An unusual narrative, it describes the fate of thousands of Armenians who were sent not to Der Zor in 1915, but to the wastelands south of Aleppo, as far as Maan and Es Salt in Jordan.
- Teacher Resources:
https://www.leeandlow.com/uploads/loaded_document/37/My_Diary_from_Here_to_There_TG.pdf
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Vergeen: A Survivor of the Armenian Genocide by Mae Derdanan (1997)
Grade 11+
This is a true story of a girl’s undefeatable will to survive the Armenian genocide. Through her recollections, the brutalities endured by two million Armenians
during World War I come to a reality.
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A Century of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts by
Samuel Totten, William S. Parsons, and Israel W. Charney (1995)
Grade 10+
This first-hand account details the causes and ramifications of the genocides
perpetrated in the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Historical context
provides the necessary background on the actors and victims to help us
better understand these atrocious of political violence.
- Teacher Resources:
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United States Official Documents on the Armenian Genocide
(Archival Collections of the Armenian Genocide) by Ara Sarafian (1915)
Grade 11+
A compilation of official documents used to inform the United States
of the Armenian Genocide in the 20th century.
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The Armenian Genocide: News Accounts from the American Press,
1915-1922 by Richard D. Kloian (editor)
Grades 9-12
A compilation of articles published in the New York Times reporting the Armenian Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Case of Soghomon Tehlirian, Armenian Political Trials
translated by Vartkes Yeghiayan
Grade 11+
The detailed description of a court case of a survivor of the Armenian Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response by Peter Balakin (2003)
Grade 11+
A study of the roots of the Armenian Genocide, including Pan – Turkish nationalism and the Young Turks movement.
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Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story by Henry Morgenthau by Peter
Balakain (Editor) (1918)
Grades 10 12
Accounts of the Armenian Genocide as told by Ambassador Morgenthau.
- Teacher Resources: ($25 to download)
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Some of Us Survived by Kerop Bedoukian, (1979)
Grades 7-9
Details of the forced deportation and annihilation of three million Armenians and the stories of few survivors.
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Fiction:
Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian (2012)
Grade 10+
A novel about Syrian families during the Armenian Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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As Poppies Bloomed: A Novel of Love in a Time of Fear by Maral Boyadjian (2015)
Grade 9+
The story of young lovers living in the Ottoman Empire whose futures
are threatened by the rise of Turkish Nationalism.
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Like Water on Stone by Dana Walrath (2014)
Grade 8+
The story of three Armenian children as they flee to America to escape the Armenian Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian (2000)
Grade 9+
A story based on the experiences of Bagdasarian great uncle during the Armenian Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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Three Apples Fell From Heaven by Micheline Aharonian Marcom (2001)
Grade 11+
The story of five different people and how their lives were affected by the Armenian Genocide.
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Zabelle by Nancy Kricorian (1998)
Grade 11+
The story of a family’s discovery of their late grandmother’s past and journey during the Armenian Genocide.
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The Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl by David Kherdian, (1979)
Grade 8+
The story of David Kherdian’s mother, through her voice.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale by Lucine Kasabarian (2011)
Grades Pre K - 3
A picture book of an Armenian folk tale.
- Teacher Resources:
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Call me Aram by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (2008)
Grades 3-6
The story of an Armenian refugee who escaped the genocide as a child.
- Teacher Resources:
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Nobody’s Child by Marsha F. Skrypuch (2003)
Grades 6 - 9
Mariam is rescued by Turkish friends when her father is taken by the Turkish government.
- Teacher’s Resources:
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Autobiographies:
Passage to Ararat by Michael J. Arlen and Clark Blaise (1975)
Grade 9+
The story of Arlen’s discovery of his family’s past during the Armenian Genocide.
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Black Dog of Fate by Peter Balakian (1997)
Grade 11+
A collection of poems describing families during the Armenian Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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Books on the Ukrainian Famine
Non-fiction:
A Hunger Most Cruel: Selected Prose Fiction by Anatoliy A. Dimarov,
Yevhen Hutsalo, Olena Zvychayna. edited by Sonia V. Morris and translated
by Roma Z. Franko
Grade 10+
A compilation of stories of how ordinary people were affected by the famine.
- Teacher Resources:
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Execution by Hunger: The Hidden Holocaust by Miron Dolot
Grade 10+
Eyewitness accounts of survivors of the famine.
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Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman translated by Robert Chandler
Grade 10+
A reflection of life in the gulags from a survivor.
- Teacher Resources:
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Fiction:
Stones Under the Scythe by Olha Mak translated by Vera Kaczmarskyj
Grade 10+
A coming of age story that follows a young boy and the effects of the famine on his town and his family.
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Maria: The Chronicle of a Life by Ulas Samchuk, Paul Chipywnyk (editor),
Roma Z. Franko (translator)
Grade 10+ The story of a village women’s life from the emancipation of the serfs through the famine-genocide.
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Enough by Masha F. Skrypuch and Micheal Martchenko
Grades 2 - 4
A fictional tale of how a family survives the Ukranian Famine with magic.
- Teacher Resources:
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Books on the Cambodian Genocide
Fiction:
Children of the River by Linda Crew
Grades 6 - 9
A novel that tells the story of a twelve- year- old girl growing up in Cambodia and how she escapes the Khmer Rouge.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho
Grades 4 - 8
The story of a family who flee Cambodia and find themselves living as refugees.
- Teacher Resources:
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A Song for Cambodia by Michelle Lord
Grades 1 - 5
The story of a young boy whose life was saved by music.
- Teacher Resources
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Half Spoon of Rice by Icy Smith, illustrated by Sopaul Nhem
Grades 4-6
The story of a young boy after he is separated from his family and forced into labor by the Khmer Rouge.
- Teacher Resources:
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Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
Grade 10+
Based on the true story of Arn Chorn- Pond, who survived the Cambodian Genocide in the labor camps.
- Teacher resources:
- https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=30090
- https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Never-Fall-Down-Novel-Study-Recently-Revised-762397
- https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Never-Fall-Down-Lesson-Plans-3836715
- https://sites.google.com/a/cfschools.org/sarah-koch-s-conflict-page/lesson-plan
- http://ya-worldlit.blogspot.com/p/never-fall-down.html
- http://neverfalldown.weebly.com/discussion-questions.html
- https://patriciamccormick.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/never-fall-down-dg.pdf
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Where the River Runs: Portraits of a Refugee family by Nancy Price Graff, photographs by Richard Howard
Grades 4-6
A photographic biography of the Preks family as they escape Cambodia for the United States during the occupation of the Khmer Rouge.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Stone Goddess by Minfong Ho
Grades 3-8
The story of a young girl forced to leave her home in Phnom Penh after the Khmer Rouge occupation.
- Teacher Resources:
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A Voyage from Cambodia in 1975 (Journey to America Series) by Clare Pastore
Grades 3-7
Chantrea escapes the Khmer Rouge after her mother is murdered to live with her father in America.
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Path of Stars by Ann Sibley O’Brian
Grades K - 3
Dara lives in America with her Grandmother, an immigrant from Cambodia. Her brother, however, is still in Cambodia, and Dara and her Grandmother receive disturbing news about his wellbeing after the Khmer Rouge takes power.
- Teacher Resources:
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Nonfiction:
Heros and Villans- Pol Pot by Andy Koopmans
Grade 9+
From the series Heros and Villans, a biography on Pol Pot.
- Teacher Resources:
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Strangers in Black: A Young Boy’s Struggle to Survive in Khmer Rouge Cambodia by Jill Max
Grade 4+
The true story of Mok and his journey growing up during Khmer Rouge Cambodia.
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Little Brother by Allan Baillie
Grades 3 - 6
A narrative tracing an orphan boy’s journey to the Thailand border to escape the Khmer Rouge.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Genocide
(Genocide in Modern Times) by Sean Bergin
Grades 4 - 6
From the series “Genocide in Modern Times,”an in-depth look of the Rwandan Genocide.
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Alive in the Killing Fields: Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide by Nawuth Keat
Grades 6-9
A memoir where Nawuth describes how he survived the invasion of the Khmer Rouge.
- Teacher Resources:
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First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
Grades 9 - 12
A memoir written by a Cambodian author and childhood survivor of the genocide perpetrated by Pol Pot.
- Teacher Resources:
- http://files.harpercollins.com/HarperAcademic/FirstTheyKilledMyFather
pdf - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Common-Core-Unit-Plan-First-They-Killed-My-Father-Complete-Daily-Lesson-Chart-644810
- http://www.tdschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/First-They-Killed-My-Father-assessment-pages.pdf
- http://files.harpercollins.com/HarperAcademic/FirstTheyKilledMyFather
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The Land of the People of Cambodia, by David P. Chandler
Grade 7+
A nonfiction report on how South East Asian history and culture relates to the
modern day struggles.
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Cambodian Dancer: Sophany’s Gift of Hope by Daryn Reicherter,
illustrated by Christ Hale, translated by Bophal Penh
Grades Pre K - 3
The true story of a woman who fled Cambodia to escape the Killing Fields, and how she used dance to help other refugees.
- Teacher Resources:
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Books on the Darfur Genocide
Nonfiction:
What You Wish For by Alexander McCall Smith, John Green, Francisco X. Stork,
Naomi Shihab Nye, Sofia Quintero, Karen Hesse, Cornelia Funke,
Ann M. Martin, Marilyn Nelson, Meg Cabot, R.L. Stine , Jane Yolen,
Gary Soto, Nate Powell, Cynthia Voigt Jeanne DuPrau, Joyce Carol Oates,
Nikki Giovanni, Francisco Stork
Grade 6 - 10
A compilation of stories and poems from people who have been displaced due to the conflict in Darfur.
- Teacher Resources:
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Sudan by Joseph R. Oppong
Grade 6 - 10
A nonfiction report of years of conflict in Sudan.
- Teacher Resources:
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Darfur: African Genocide (In the News) by John Xavier
Grades 6 - 11
Describes the role of geography on the conflicts in Darfur as well as international involvement.
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Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levy
Grades 4 - 6
From the series “Genocide in modern times,” a nonfiction report of the events of the Darfur genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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George Clooney and the Crisis in Darfur by Tamara B. Orr
Grades 6 - 10
From the series “Celebrity Activists,” a detailed report on George Clooney’s efforts to help the crisis in Darfur.
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Fiction:
Lost Girl Found by Leah Bassoff
Grade 8+
When war comes to Poni’s village in South Sudan, she must run for her life.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Good Braider by Terry Farish
Grade 9+
A young girl forced to leave her home in Sudan navigated life in Portland, Maine.
- Teacher Resources
- http://terryfarish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-Good-Braider-Educators-Guide.pdf
- https://goodbraider.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/good-braider-discussion-guide-pdf.pdf
- https://goodbraider.com/educators-guide/
- https://www.tesol.org/connect/tesol-resource-center/search-details/lesson-plans/2013/12/27/an-educator's-guide-to-the-novel-the-good-braider
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Year of No Rain by Alice Mead
Grades 3 - 6
Stephen’s life is turned upside down by conflict in his hometown in Sudan, and finds himself unable to go to school in the fall.
- Teacher Resources:
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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park
Grades 4 - 7
Told from alternating perspectives, eleven year olds Nya and Salva are living in Sudan during the rise of conflict, and how their stories intersect.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/alwtw-textbased-activities/
- http://www.centercitypcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/7th-Grade-Unit-4-Long-Walk-to-Water.pdf
- http://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4184
- https://www.teachervision.com/sudan/long-walk-water-discussion-guide
- https://www.prestwickhouse.com/blog/post/2017/06/how-to-teach-a-long-walk-to-water
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Books on the Rwanda Genocide
Fiction:
Broken Memory: A Novel of Rwanda by Elizabeth Combres
Grades 6-9
The story of a young Tutsi girl as her family is torn apart and is forced into hiding due to the Rwandan Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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Shattered by Eric Walters
Grades 3 - 6
The story of an American boy who learns about the Rwandan Genocide after meeting a veteran doing community service at his local soup kitchen.
- Teacher Resources:
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Christophe’s Story by Nicki Cornwell, illustrated by Karin Littlewood
Grades 4 - 6
A fictional story of a young boy who flees war- torn Rwanda with his family for England, and becomes an advocate for the atrocities that occurred during the Rwandan Genocide.
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Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hanna Jasen
Grade 6+
A young Tutsi girl flees Rwanda with her family in hopes of escaping Hutu soldiers.
- Teacher Resources:
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Deogratias, A Tale of Rwanda by J.P Stassen
Grade 7+
A graphic novel that follows a Tutsi boy during the Rwandan Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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Nonfiction:
Rwanda (The Evolution of Africa’s Major Nations) by Andy Koopmans
Grades 5 - 7
A historical view of the country Rwanda.
- Teacher Resources:
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Rwanda (Modern World Nations), by Joseph Oppong
Grades 6 - 11
A comprehensive view of Rwandan history.
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Genocide in Rwanda by Frank Spalding
Grade 9+
Background and history of events leading up to the Rwandan genocide, and detailed accounts of the Rwandan Genocide.
- Teacher Resources:
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Hutu and Tutsi by Aimable Twagilimana
Grade 9+
A nonfiction report of the culture of the two dominant Rwandan tribes, and how this led to the Rwandan Genocide.
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Books for older children (nonfiction):
Land of a Thousand Hills: My life in Rwanda by Rasamond Halsey Carr and Ann Howard Halsey
Grade 9+
The true story of a woman from New York City who moves to the Congo and eventually Rwanda, where she turns her plantation into a shelter for children who were orphaned
- Teacher Resources:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/331549/land-of-a-thousand-hills-by-rosamond-halsey-carr/9780452282025/readers-guide/
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The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya
Grades 7 -12
The true story of a young girl and her sister as they flee the violence in Rwanda, traveling through seven African countries across the continent until being granted asylum in the United States six years later.
- Teacher resources:
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Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Genocide by Immaculée Ilibagiza and Steve Irwin
Grade 10+
The story of Immaculée Ilibagiza as she hid in a bathroom for 91 days to escape the Rwandan Genocide.
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Witness to Genocide: The Children of Rwanda by Richard A. Salem and Hillary Rodham Clinton
Grade 9+
A book of artwork by Rwandan children who bore witness to the genocide.
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My Father, Maker of the Trees by Eric Irivuzumugabe and Tracey D. Lawrence
Grade 9+
The story of a boy who survived the Rwandan Genocide in a tree.
- Teacher Resources:
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Books on the Bosnian Genocide
Nonfiction:
Kosovo: The Splintering of Yugoslavia by Tricia Andryszewski
Grade 9+
A comprehensive guide to the history of Yugoslavia and the origins of cultural tension.
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Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in War- Torn Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
Grade 7+
The diary of eleven year old Zlata and her experience in Sarajevo as her life is altered by rising tensions.
- Teacher Resources:
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My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary by Nadja Halibegovic
Grade 5+
A view of war torn Sarajevo through the eyes of Nadja, who is forced to quit her schooling and go into hiding.
- Teacher Resources:
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One Boy From Kosovo by Trish Marx, illustrated by Cindy Karp
Grade 3+
Twelve- year- old Edi and his family fled war torn Kosovo and lived in the Brazda refugee camp and the treacherous conditions they were subject to.
- Teacher Resources:
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Bosnia and Herzegovina (Nations in Transition) by Micheal Schuman
Grade 9+
A nonfiction book that details the events in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the fall of communism.
- Teacher Resources:
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A Family from Bosnia (Families from Around the World) by Julia Waterlow
Grade 7+
A book that traces the lives of families after their homes in Sarajevo came under siege.
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The Way People Live- Life in War Torn Bosnia by Diane Yancy
Grade 9+
Historical background and the events prior to ethnic conflict in Bosnia.
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Young People From Bosnia Talk About War by Harvey Fireside and Bryna J. Fireside
Grade 9+
Firsthand accounts of the conflicts in Bosnia through the eyes of young people.
- Teacher Resources:
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Bosnia: Civil War in Europe by John Isaac and Keith Elliot Greenberg
Grade 8+
A United Nations Photographer in Bosnia describes his view of the conflict, particularly its effects on children.
- Teacher Resources:
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Fiction:
No Roof in Bosnia by Els de Groen and Patricia Crampton
Grade 7+
The story of five teens of different ethnic backgrounds who hide in the Bosnian Mountains during the war.
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Under the Sun: A Novel Based on True Stories of Survival During the War by Arthur Durros
Grades 6-9
The story of thirteen year old Ehmet, who navigates war torn Bosnia by venturing out at night.
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Girl of Kosovo by Alice Mead
Grade 5+
Eleven year old Zana finds her life turned upside down when bombs begin exploding in her hometown.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson
Grades 5 - 9
An Albanian girl named Meli is forced to give up everything and move to Vermont during the height of the Bosnian war.
- Teacher Resources:
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Something About America by Maria Testa
Grade 7+
A young girl moves with her family to Maine to escape the Bosnian war and seek medical attention for their daughter, and reexamine what it means to be American.
- Teacher Resources:
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Echoes from the Square by Elizabeth Wellburn, illustrated by Deryk Houston
Grade K - 3
The story of a young boy who uses music to cope with the rise of conflict in his home of Sarajevo.
- Teacher Resources:
Books on Kurdish Genocide
Nonfiction:
Kurdistan: Region Under Seige by Kari Bodnaruchuk
Grades 8+
Background and information on the Kurds that relates to their ethnic conflict
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Mohammed’s Journey: A Refugee Diary by Anthony Robinson, Annemarie Young, illustrated by June Allan
Grades 2- 8
The diary of a Kurdish boy forced to leave his home in Iraq, and the dangerous path he takes to America.
- Teacher Resources:
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Iraq: Then and Now (The Middle East) by John King
Grades 9 - 12
The history of Iraq and its relationship with the west, as well as under Saddam Hussein’s rule.
- Teacher Resources:
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Kurds (Endangered Cultures) by Ann Carey Sabbah
Grades 4 - 6
The history of the Kurdish people and their struggle to establish an independent nation.
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The Kurds (Creation of a Modern Middle East) by Heather Lehr Wagner
Grades 6-9
The history of the Kurds and their contemporary status in the Middle East.
- Teacher Resources:
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Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees by Deborah Ellis
Grades 6 - 10
Interviews with children who escaped conflict in Iraq.
- Teacher Resources:
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Fiction:
Kiss the Dust by Elizabeth Laird
Grade 4 - 8
Tara and her family realize they are no longer safe in their home in Iraq because of their Kurdish ethnicity.
- Teacher Resources
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Books on Genocide in Guatemala
Fiction:
Caminar by Skila Brown
Grade 7 - 11
Carlos must join a band of Guerilla worriers to defend his village.
- Teacher Resources:
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Colibri (Readers Circle) by Ann Cameron
Grades 6 - 9
The story of Tzunun who is kidnapped from her home in Guatemala City when she is four.
- Teacher Resources:
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Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen
Grade 3 - 6
Guerilla soldiers ransack Santiago’s home, and now he and his sister must escape on foot.
- Teacher Resources
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Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelson
Grades 6 - 9
Gabriela lost her family in a massecre, and is now traveling with a band of refugees to reunited with her sister at the Mexican border.
- Teacher Resources:
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Journey of Dreams by Marjorie Pellegrino
Grades 5-8
Thirteen year old Tomasa and her brothers flee their burning village in Guatemala.
- Teacher Resources:
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Nonfiction:
Children of the Maya: A Guatemalan Indian Odeyssey by Brent Ashabranner
Grade 5+
Examines Mayan’s who have fled political conflict in Guatemala.
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The Girl from Chimel by Rigoberta Menchu, illustrated by Domi
Grades 4 - 7
True stories of Menchu’s Mayan roots and family, and the effects the genocide had on her family.
- Teacher Resources:
Books on Homelessness/ Hunger
Fiction:
Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt, illustrated by Vin Vogel
Grades 1 - 3
Maddi and Sofia are best friends and neighbors, but Sofia learns that Maddi’s family doesn’t have enough money to fill her fridge with food.
- Teacher Resources:
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Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by DyAnn DiSalvo- Ryan
Grades Pre K - 3
A boy gains perspective on homelessness in her hometown after working in his local soup kitchen.
- Teacher Resources
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Lily and the Paper Man by Rebecca Upjohn
Grades K - 3
Lily begins to feel empathy for a homeless man when the weather turns cold.
Teacher Resources
https://bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/SocialJustice/Issues/Poverty/Lily%20and%20
the%20Paper%20Man%20by%20Rebecca%20Upjohn.pdf
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Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ronald Himler
Grades K - 3
A homeless boy and his father live in an airport terminal and find themselves desperately trying to blend in and not be noticed.
- Teacher Resources:
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One Potato, Two Potato by Cynthia DeFelice, illustrated by Andrea U’Ren
Grades Pre K - 4
Mr. and Mrs. O’Grady are used to living off one potato a day, until they discover a magic pot that doubles anything they put in it.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Good Garden: How One Family went from Hunger to Having Enough by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Sylvie Daigneult
Grades 1 - 8
The story of a struggling family in Honduras.
- Teacher resources:
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Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Grades 1 - 4
The story of a young girl who worries about a homeless man during Christmas time.
- Teacher Resources:
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A Shelter in our Car by Monica Gunning, illustrated by Elaine Pedlar
Grades K - 3
The story of Zettie and her mother who move to the States from Jamaica, and find themselves living in their car.
- Teacher Resources:
http://studentservices.dadeschools.net/hap/pdfs/hec/LP1-gr4-5.pdf
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The Teddy Bear by David McPhail
Grades Pre K - 2
The story of a little boy who loses his teddy bear, which is found by a homeless man. When the boy confronts the homeless man, he realizes how much he has and how fortunate he is.
- Teacher Resources:
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Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope by Anne C. Bromely, illustrated by Robert Casilla
Grades K - 4
The story of orphan street children in Haiti.
- Teacher Resources:
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December, By Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz
Grades 1 - 5
The story of a boy and his mother who live in a cardboard box and take in an old woman on Christmas Eve.
- Teacher Resources:
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Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright, and Ying Hwa-Hu
Grades K - 3
Sam decides to give the money he received for the Chinese New Year to a homeless man he sees on the street.
- Teacher Resources:
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Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Grades 3 - 6
When Jackson’s family can no longer pay rent and are forced to live in their minivan, his imaginary friend, a giant cat Crenshaw, comes to help him.
- Teacher Resources:
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Just Under the Clouds by Melissa Sarno
Grades 3 - 8
Cora and her family become homeless after her father’s death.
- Teacher Resources:
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How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
Grades 3 - 6
Georgina Hays and her family were evicted after her father left, and Georgina finds a missing
dog with a reward for finding him.
- Teacher Resources:
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Hold Fast by Blue Baliett
Grades 3 - 6
When Early’s father leaves, she and her family are forced into the shelter system.
- Teacher Resources:
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Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson, illustrated by Garth Williams
Grades 1 - 4
Armond, an old Parisian man living on the streets unites with a homeless family living under a bridge.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/family-under-bridge-discussion-guide/
- http://mrswarnerarlington.weebly.com/family-under-the-bridge.html
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Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Grade 5+
Ari’s parents passed away, and when he is given the option of living with a guardian or his nineteen year old brother he chooses his brother. However, his brother has no place to go.
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Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
Grades 2 - 5
A novel that mixes Norsk mythology and the homelessness crisis.
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Nonfiction:
Changing Places: A Kid’s View on Shelter Living by Judy Wallace, Glen Finland, Margie Chalofsky
Grades 1 - 6
The true accounts of eight children’s experiences with homelessness and shelters.
- Teacher Resources:
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Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel, Faith D’Aluisio, and Marion Nestle
All ages
A visual account of what meals look like around the world.
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Lives Turned Upside Down: Homeless Children in their own Words and Photographs by Jim Hubbard
Grades 3 - 6
Children talk about their own experiences with homelessness and in shelters.
- Teacher Resources:
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Books on Human Trafficking
Nonfiction:
Human Trafficking (In the News) by Joyce Hart
Grades 6 - 11
A book that discusses the effects and extent of human trafficking around the world.
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Human Trafficking (Man’s Inhumanities) by Thom Winckelmann
Grade 6 - 11
A book that discusses the effects and extent of human trafficking around the world.
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Human Trafficking Around the World (Global Issues) by Kaye Stearman
Grades 4 - 8
Facts about global human trafficking, who the victims are, and how to stop it.
- Teacher Resources:
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Gender Danger: Survivors of Rape, Human Trafficking, and Honor Killings (Survivors: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Circumstances) by Rae Simmons, contributions by Joyce Zoldak
Grades 6 - 11
Testimonies from people who fell victim to rape, human trafficking, and other human rights violations.
- Teacher Resources:
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Human Trafficking (Current Controversies) edited by Debra A. Miller
Grades 7+
A nonfiction report that introduces readers to all sides of issues surrounding human trafficking.
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Fiction:
Josh Bergman is Missing: Human Trafficking is Real (Series) by Charlene Nall Vermuelen
Grade 7+
Josh is known as the “bad boy” at school, but his classmates soon learn he is the victim of human trafficking.
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Books on Native American’s Issues
Fiction:
The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Grades 8 - 10
The story of Junior, a budding cartoon artist living on a Native-American reservation.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian-storia-teaching-guide/
- https://www.penguin.com.au/content/resources/The%20Absolutely%20True%20Diary%20Of%20A%20Part-Time%20Indian.pdf
- https://www.matchfishtank.org/curriculum/7th-grade-english/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/
- https://www.varsitytutors.com/englishteacher/absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian-lesson-plans
- https://www.npsd.k12.nj.us/cms/lib/NJ01001216/Centricity/Domain/111/The%20ATDOPTI%20lesson%20plan.pdf
- https://www.prestwickhouse.com/blog/post/2017/03/how-to-teach-the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian
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My Name is not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Grades 7 - 12
Luke is forced to suppress his culture in his small Alaskan village.
- Teacher Resources:
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If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric L. Gansworth
Grade 6+
Lewis lives on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation, and is worried his friends won’t accept him when they learn where he really lives.
- Teacher Resources:
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How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story (Trilogy) by Tim Tingle
Grades 4 - 8
A trilogy of a Choctaw boy who is removed from his homeland in Mississippi.
- Teacher Resources:
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In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall, illustrated by James Mark Yellowhawk
Grades 4 - 8
The story of the grandson of a Lakota tribe hero, Crazy Horse, and his journey with the discovery of his own identity.
- Teacher Resources:
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Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’ Dell
Grades 2 - 5
Bright Morning and the rest of her tribe, the Navajos, are forced by American soldiers from their home to Fort Sumner.
- Teacher Resources:
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Soft Rain: A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Cornelia Cornellisen
Grades 2 - 7
Soft Rain and the Cherokee Tribe are forced from their home onto a reservation.
- Teacher Resources:
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Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker by Carolyn Meyer
Grades 6 - 9
Cynthia is captured by a Native American tribe during a raid when she is nine, and lives with them for twenty-four years, eventually marrying the chief. When she is recaptured by people from her home village, she learns about the ongoing conflict between the tribe and the villagers.
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Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala- Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist by Q.L. Pearce, illustrated by Gina Capaldi
Grades 2 - 5
Gertrude Simmons, also known as Zikala- Sa, finds herself caught between two worlds.
- Teacher Resources:
- https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=29047
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Nonfiction:
Hidden Roots by Joseph Bruchac
Grades 5 - 8
A book explaining how Native Americans are still affected by stereotypes and beliefs regarding their culture.
- Teacher Resources:
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Trail of Tears (Step into Reading) by Joseph Bruchac
Grades 2 - 4
A child’s nonfiction book on the 1838 forced removal of the Cherokee Native Americans.
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Who Was Sitting Bull? by Stephanie Spinner, illustrated by Jim Eldridge
Grades 4 - 7
A biography of Sitting Bull.
- Teacher Resources:
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Native American History for Kids by Karen Bush Gibson
Grades 4 - 7
A book about Native American history, culture, and oppression in North America.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Ojibwe: The Past and Present of the Anishinaabe (American Indian Life) by Alesha Halvorson
Grades 3- 6
A book about the culture of the Ojibwe tribe native to areas of Canada.
Books on the Refugee Crisis
Fiction:
The Journey by Francesca Sanna
Grades K - 3
A picture book which tells the story of a mother and daughter forced to leave their home.
- Teacher Resources:
____________________________________________________________________
Teacup by Rebecca Young, illustrated by Matt Ottley
Grades Pre K - 3
The story of a boy who searches for a new home.
- Teacher Resources:
___________________________________________________________________
Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs, illustrated by Nizar Ali Badr
Grades K - 2
The story of Rama and her family who are forced to leave their war- torn village.
- Teacher Resources:
___________________________________________________________________
Calling the Water Drum by LaTisha Redding, illustrated by Aaron Boyd
Grades K - 3
Henri and his family set out on a rickety boat from Haiti to America.
- Teacher Resources:
__________________________________________________________________
My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne Del Rizzo
Grades 1 - 4
Sami is living in war- torn Syria, and his whole neighborhood decides to travel on foot to the nearest refugee camp outside of Syria.
- Teacher Resources:
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One Good Thing About America by Ruth Freedman, illustrated by Katherin Honesta
Grades 3 - 7
The story of an African refugee girl learning to adjust to life in America.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Treasure Box by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Freya Blackwood
Grades K - 3
The story of a refugee family who take their precious gems in a treasure box with them before they leave.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel- Fattah
Grade 5+
Michael has to decide where his beliefs lie when he befriends a refugee girl, despite being raise conservatively and anti-immigration by his parents.
- Teacher Resources:
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Refugee by Alan Gratz
Grades 5 - 9
The stories of three Refugee children from different places during different times in history.
- Teacher Resources:
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Lost and Found Cat by Doug Kuntz, Amy Schrodes, illustrated by Sue Cornelison
Grades Pre K - 3
The story of an Iraqi refugee family forced to leave their home for Greece, but can’t bear to part with their beloved cat.
- Teacher Resources:
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Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai
Grades 4 - 8
Nadia and her family are forced to leave their home in Syria on her twelfth birthday.
- Teacher Resources:
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A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi
Grade 7- 12
Tareq must leave his home when it is torn apart by war and bombs.
- Teacher Resources:
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Fiction:
Nowhere Boy by Katharine Marsh
Grades 6 - 12
A young boy escapes Syria, only to lose his dad while seeking a better life in Europe.
Just when he thinks he’s at his lowest point, he meets another young boy and they
begin a beautiful friendship together while facing tough times as refugees.
- Teacher Resources:
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Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
Grades Pre K - 3
The book Dreamers is a celebration of what migrants bring with them when they leave their homes. Young mother Yuyi and her son left their home in Mexico to embark on a trip to America. In her endeavor, readers learn that “we are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam.”
- Teacher Resources:
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Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen L. Williams
Grades 2 - 5
Two girls, both living in a Pakistani camp as refugees, find one shoe in a pair of sandals, and they’re both upset that they only have one of the two shoes. Soon, the two girls, Lina and Feroza meet and decide to share the shoes instead of each keeping one of them. As they go along their days in the camp, this story teaches young readers about what it was like living as a refugee.
Teacher Resources:
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How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
Grades 1 - 3
Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy's father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could.
- Teacher Resources:
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Journey Home by Deborah J. Short
Grades 3 - 7
Excited to be journeying to Vietnam, where she and her mother hope to find the
birth family that gave her mother up for adoption, ten-year-old Mai struggles for patience as they track down an old man who remembers her.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Color of Home by Marry Hoffman
Grades K - 3
Hassan feels out of place in a new cold, grey country. At school, he paints a
picture showing his colorful Somalian home, covered with the harsh colors of
war from which his family has fled. He tells his teacher about their voyage from
Mogadishu to Mombasa, then to the refugee camp and on to England. But
gradually things change. When Hassan's parents put up his next picture on
the wall, Hassan notices the maroon prayer mat, a bright green cushion and
his sister Naima's pink dress - the new colors of home.
- Teacher Resources:
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Journey of the Sparrows by Fran Leeper Buss
Grades 4 - 8
The story of a young family’s trek to America from El Salvador. Five young children are shoved in the back of a ship, forced to clean, sew, wash dishes, etc, on their way to Chicago.
- Teacher Resources:
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Annushka’s Voyage by Edith Tarbescu
Grades K - 4
A story about two young Russian girls who leave their family to start a new life in New York with their father.
- Teacher Resources:
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In America by Marissa Moss
Grades 1 - 4
A story about a young boy, Walter, and the stories he learns throughout his grandfather’s journey of escaping Lithuania to come to America.
- Teacher Resources:
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Escape from Syria by Samya Kullab, illustrated by Jackie Roche
Grades 7 - 12
Amania is one of millions of people affected by the ongoing Syrian conflict. Following a vicious attack in their home neighborhood, the teen and her family struggle to find normalcy amid the political chaos. They join the ranks of refugees fleeing for survival, traveling through Syria, Lebanon, and ultimately Canada.
- Teacher Resources:
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The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
Grades 7 - 12
In tradition of Don Brown’s critically acclaimed, full color nonfiction graphic novels, The Unwanted is an important, timely, and eye-opening exploration of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, exposing the harsh realities of living in, and trying to escape, a war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims.
- Teacher Resources:
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Yara, My Friend From Syria by Alhan Rahimi
Grades Pre K - 2
It is a regular Monday morning in Oliver’s classroom, until there is a knock on the door. The principal brings in a new student. Her name is Yara, and she is from Syria. Little by little Oliver and his classmates get to know Yara, and although she is shy, they soon learn that she can speak three languages. This story highlights the important role that a child’s peers play in the process of assimilating a new experience in the process of assimilating into a new experience and home.
- Teacher Resources:
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Once They Had a Country: Two Teenage Refugees in the Second World War by Muriel R. Gillick
Grades 9 -11
Gillick uses historical artifacts to weave a compelling narrative of two teen refugees – her own parents – during WW2.
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Gleam and Glow by Eve Bunting
Grades Pre K - 2
Inspired by real events, master storyteller Eve Bunting recounts the harrowing yet hopeful story of a family, a war--and a dazzling discovery.
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Joseph’s Big Ride by Terry Farish
Grades Pre K - 2
A Refugee Boy’s determination to ride a bike leads him to an unexpected friendship during his journey to America
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Playing War by Kathy Beckwith
Grades 1 - 4
A group of five children (four boys and a girl) decide, one summer day, to play "war" with pine cones for bombs, and sticks for guns. One boy, who has recently come to the United States from another (unnamed) country, starts to play but decides to go home when his friend Luke declares, "I'm going to blow their heads off."
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Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse
Grades 1 - 4
Ziba Came On a Boat is the moving story of a little girl whose family has lost almost everything. This beautiful picture book takes us on her brave journey to make a new life, far from home.
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Nonfiction:
Where Will I Live? by Rosemary McCarny
Grades K - 3
A collection of photographs of young refugee children.
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The Girl from Aleppo: Nujeen’s Escape from War to Freedom by Nujeen Mustafa and Christina Lamb
Grades 7 - 12
Prize-winning journalist and co-author of smash New York Times bestseller I Am Malala, Christina Lamb, now tells the story of another remarkable hero: Nujeen Mustafa, a teenager born with cerebral palsy, whose harrowing journey from war-ravaged Syria to Germany in a wheelchair is a breathtaking tale of fortitude, grit, and hope that lends a face to the greatest humanitarian issue of our time, the Syrian refugee crisis.
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Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale, illustrated by Eleanor Shakespeare
Grades 4 - 8
Five true stories of refugee children from around the world and at different points in history.
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How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and
Abigail Pesta
Grades 7 - 12
Memoirs of Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s experiences in war torn Congo and her family's decision to leave.
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Refugees and Migrants (Children in our World) by Ceri Roberts, illustrated by Hanane Kai
Grades 2 - 5
A nonfiction picture book account of the refugee crisis around the world.
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Refugees (World Issues) by Harriet Brundle
Grades 2 - 5
A case study of refugees around the world.
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A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea by Melissa Fleming
Grades 7 - 12
Chronicles the life of Doaa, a Syrian girl whose life was upended in 2011 by the onset of her country's brutal civil war; extremely powerful.
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Books about female and minority education equality:
Fiction:
Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier, illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter
Grades 3 - 5
The story of a young girl who is receives a goat though an international organization. She is able to sell milk and afford books, which allows her to go to school for the first time.
- Teacher Resources
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The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Shane Evans
Grades 3 - 6
As Amira turns twelve, her one birthday wish is to finally be able to attend school. However, when the Janjaweed arrive, she and her family find themselves in a refugee camp.
- Teacher Resources
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Virgie Goes to School with us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Grades K - 5
After the Civil War, all Virgie wants is to go to school like her brothers. Together, the siblings make the seven mile trip to school and celebrate their newfound freedom.
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Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonaltiuh
Grades 2 - 6
Set in 1944, a family who moves to California is not allowed to send their daughter, Silvia, to a traditionally “white school.”
- Teacher Resources:
- https://laii.unm.edu/info/k-12-educators/assets/documents/literature-guides/separate-is-never-equal-educators-guide.pdf
- https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/interactive-read-aloud-lesson-plan-template-of-separate-is-never-equal
- https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=39129
- https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/separate-never-equal/
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Dear America: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson- With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinky
Grades 3 - 6
The fictional diary of a girl living in 1950’s America after the Brown vs. Board of Ed. Supreme Court case.
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Don’t Say Ain’t by Irene Smalls, illustrated by Colin Bootman
Grades 1 - 5
Set in 1950’s Harlem, Dana’s test scores allow her to attend a prestigious school, where she is ridiculed and discriminated against due to her race.
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Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges
Grades K - 3
Set in China at the turn of the century, Ruby is determined to attend university like her brothers, but has to balance her education and expectations to keep up with housework and chores.
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Nonfiction:
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Janette Winter
Grades 3 - 5
Nasreen is a young girl growing up in Afghanistan during the occupation of the Taliban, who ban education for girls. When her parents are removed from their home, she attends a secret school for girls run by her neighbor.
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Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/ Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan by Jeanette Winter
Grades 3 - 6
A picture book about two heroes for education rights in Pakistan.
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Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words by Karen Leggett Abouraya
Grades 1 - 5
A picture book biography of Malala Yousafzai.
Download our Human Rights Book List below:
Books on Bullying and Tolerance
Books on Feminism and Women's Rights
Books on the Armenian Genocide
Books on the Cambodian Genocide
Books on Genocide in Guatemala
Books on Homelessness and Hunger
Books on Native American Issues
Books on Women and Minority Education Equality