Tag Archives: Schools

Ada’s Violin: The Story Of The Recycled Orchestra Of Paraguay

Leave a reply

Eleven-year-old Ada Rios lives with her family in a landfill in Cateura in Paraguay’s capital city of Asuncion. It is one of the poorest slums in all of South America. Favio Chavez, an environmental engineer sent to Cateura to teach safety practices to the gancheros (recyclers) working in the dangerous heaps of trash, worried about the children and decided to offer them music lessons. Since they could not afford instruments, they created cellos, flutes, guitars, violins, and more out of garbage. In time, Chavez’s music class became the Recycled Orchestra. Now, the orchestra plays around the world, spreading their message of hope and inspiration. They even opened for a Metallica concert. This true story is illustrated with mixed media collages. Spanish words are smoothly integrated into the text. An author’s note; websites, videos, and sources; and a photo of string instruments made from oil drums, paint cans, and pieces of wooden crates are included. The book is also available in a Spanish edition, El Violin de Ada: La historia de la Orquesta de Intrumentos Reciciados del Paraguay. mjw

Title: Ada’s Violin: The Story Of The Recycled Orchestra Of Paraguay Author: Susan Hood Illustrator: Sally Wern Comport Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-4814-3096-8 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Paraguay Author’s ethnicity: U.S. Author’s residence: Connecticut, U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S. Illustrator’s residence: Maryland, U.S. Subjects: Classical music, instruments, Music, Musicians, orchestra, Recycling, Spanish

Cloudwish

Leave a reply

Van Uoc Phan is a shy, quiet Vietnamese teenager living in Australia with her parents who were asylum seekers after the fall of Saigon. She is a scholarship student at a prestigious Melbourne International Baccalaureate school. She plays the oboe, loves photography and Jane Eyre, and is being pushed by her parents to a high-prestige profession. She has a crush on Billy Gardiner. Billy lives in a mansion, is a star on the crew team, and loves pranks. Van Uoc wishes that Billy would notice her and fall in love with her. Miraculously, he does, but Van Uoc questions how this could happen. Fans of Jane Eyre will appreciate the writing style and all the mentions of Jane in this first-love story. mjw

Title: Cloudwish Author: Fiona Wood Publisher: Little Brown and Company, New York Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Pan Macmillan, Australia PTY, Ltd. Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-0-316-24212-7 Hardcover pages: 320 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Melbourne, Australia Author’s ethnicity: Australian Author’s residence: Melbourne, Australia Awards: 2016 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year: Older Readers Subjects: Australia, Dating, Jane Eyre, Magic, Vietnamese, Wishes

Malala: Activist For Girls’ Education

Leave a reply

Malala Yousafzai stood up to the Taliban, fought for girls’ education, and received the Nobel Prize in 2014. At age fifteen, the Taliban attempted to kill her, but even this did not stop her activism. Bright, beautiful naïve-style folk illustrations depict Pakistan and Malala’s life. The present tense text will engage and inspire older readers. Back matter includes photos of Malala, the history of the fight for girls’ education, a map of Pakistan, a timeline, information about the Taliban, details about Malala’s heroes, excerpts from her speeches, and a brief biography. mjw

Title: Malala: Activist For Girls’ Education Author: Raphaele Frier Illustrator: Aurelia Fronty Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, Watertown, MA. USA Copyright: 2017 Original Language: French Translator: Julie Cormier Original Title: Malala: pur le droit des filles a l’education Original Publisher: Editions Rue du Monde Original Copyright: 2105 ISBN: 978-1-58089-785-3 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 6-9 Genre: Picture Book Biography Book setting: Pakistan and England Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Biography, Education Girls, Pakistan, Political activists, Sex discrimination in education, Women social reformers

Hidden

Leave a reply

Alix, 14, lives on quiet Hayling Island off the coast of England. One day at the beach, she and her friend Samir pull a drowning man out of the incoming tide. He is Mohammed, an asylum seeker, who was tortured by rebels in Iraq for helping the allied forces. Alix and Samir decide to hide Mohammed and, consequently, have to make choices that will determine whether Mohammed will live or die. Alix is a likeable and brave character who has problems of her own – Dad has left, Mom has a broken leg, and Grandfather just died. Samir is an Iraqi refugee who is bullied at their school. This thought-provoking book deals with important themes, like racism, immigration, diversity, and human rights.  mjw

Title: Hidden Author: Miriam Halahmy Publisher: Holiday House Copyright: 2016 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Albury Books Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978–0-8234-3694-1 Paperback pages: 224 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Hayling Island, England Author’s residence: London, England Awards: Nominated for the Carnegie Medal Subjects: Asylum seekers, Gangs, Human rights, Immigrants-England, Iraqi, Political refugees, Racism, Terrorism

Dear Mrs. Naidu

Leave a reply

Spunky twelve-year-old Sarojini lives in Bangalore with her mother, who works in rich people’s houses. They struggle to make ends meet. Her best friend Amir has moved from their poor government school to a posh private school and Sarojini worries that she has lost her friend. She learns about the Right to Education law and becomes determined to improve her school. She gets help from feisty Deepti, a classmate; Vimala Madam, a human rights lawyer who might also be an evil genius; and Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, a long-dead freedom fighter and poet. Told through letters written to Mrs. Naidu, this is Sarojini’s life-changing journey, where she learns about justice and important education issues in India. The book concludes with a note about the real Sarojini Naidu and a list of organizations working for child rights. mjw

Title: Dear Mrs. Naidu Author: Mathangi Subramanian Publisher: Zubaan Publishers Pvt Ltd. New Delhi Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-93-83074-98-3  Paperback pages: 286 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Bangalore, India Author’s residence: New Delhi, Delhi, India Awards: 2016 South Asia Book Award Subjects: Education, Friendship, Human rights, Law, Right to Education

Pablo And His Chair

Leave a reply

For his birthday, young Pablo receives a chair. What could he do with a chair? Disappointed and angry, he shuts himself in his bedroom. But Pablo is an imaginative kid. He is a musician, an astronaut, a cowboy, and a soccer player, but most of all he is a stunt boy. He becomes a skilled chair acrobat. He sets out into the world, performing for large crowds everywhere. Theatres and performance halls start to ask for Pablo. People even fight to get tickets. Then, one day, he packs up his chair to return home, where everyone and his dinner plate are waiting for him. Glorious, yet simple, line drawings in black fountain pen and colored ink applied with a brush illustrate this fun book. mjw

Title: Pablo And His Chair Author: Delphine Perret Illustrator: Delphine Perret Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, New York Copyright: 2016 Original Language: French Translator: Hannele and Associates Original Title: Pablo et la chaise Original Publisher: Editions Les Fourmis Rouges Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-61689-490-0 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: France Illustrator’s ethnicity: French Illustrator’s residence: France Subjects: Birthdays, Family life, Stunt performances

Lucky Broken Girl

Leave a reply

Fifth-grader Cuban-Jewish Ruthie and her family emigrated from Cuba to New York. Because she doesn’t speak English, she is placed in the “dumb” class at school. She works hard and is finally promoted to the “smart” class, but her dreams are derailed by a terrible car accident and a broken leg that leave her in a body cast for most of 1966 and 1967. While she is recovering, she is cared for by her mother, visited by her tutor from school, and befriended by her new Mexican neighbor who inspires her with stories of the artist, Frida Kahlo. Ruthie has a tough time overcoming cultural differences and her injury, but her strength, resilience, and hope help her grow and flourish. The book is based on the author’s own experience. mjw

Title: Lucky Broken Girl Author: Ruth Behar Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Reader Group Copyright: 2017 Original Language:  English ISBN: 978-0-399546-44-0 Hardcover pages: 256 Age range: 10 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Queens, New York Author’s ethnicity: Born in Havana, Cuba Author’s residence: U.S. Subjects: Accidents, Broken bones, Drawing and painting, Growing up, Health, Hispanic and Latino