Tag Archives: Schools

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

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Morris MicklewhiteMorris is a bright and wildly creative pre-school boy who likes to paint, do puzzles, sing, and wear the tangerine dress he finds in the dress-up center at school. But his classmates make fun of him. He is not welcome in the spaceship they are building because astronauts, they say, don’t wear dresses. On a day when Morris pretends to have a tummy ache and stays home from school, he has a wonderful dream about a space safari with his cat Moo, big blue elephants, and tigers the color of the sun. Inspired by this, he paints a beautiful picture. When he confidently returns to school and builds his own spaceship, the boys take an imaginary space adventure together, where it does not matter if astronauts wear dresses or not. Touches of tangerine in the charcoal, watercolor, and pastel illustrations highlight Morris’ world in this sensitive look at creativity, courage, and a boy who simply likes to dress up. mjw
Title: Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Author: Christine Baldacchino
Illustrator: Isabelle Malenfant
Publisher: Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. Toronto
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-55498-347-6
Hardcover pages: 32
Age range: 4-7
Genre: Picture book
Author’s ethnicity: Canadian
Author’s residence: Toronto
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Montreal
Awards: 2015 ALA Stonewall Book Award (Honor), 2014 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens
Subjects: Acceptance, Clothing, Differences, Dresses, Gender expression, Imagination, Sex role

My Happy Life

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my happy lifeDani is excited and nervous about starting kindergarten. She lives with her dad. Her mother has passed away. She starts school and finds Ella, who becomes her best friend. They eat triangle and square sandwiches together, play with Ella’s pet hamster Partyboy, and they each wear half-heart friendship necklaces. However, not everything in Dani’s life is happy. When Ella moves away, Dani’s new loneliness reminds her of her mother’s death. Happiness comes and goes during Dani’s day-to-day life. The story ends positively. There is always something to rejoice in. Dani and Ella write letters to each other and plan to spend a weekend together at Ella’s new home. Difficult subjects are handled in a caring way in this charming story. With its simple language, twenty short chapters, and fine pen-and ink drawings on just about every page, My Happy Life is a great first chapter book. mjw
Title: My Happy Life
Author: Rose Lagercrantz
Illustrator: Eva Eriksson
Publisher: Gecko Press,  Wellington, New Zealand
Copyright: 2013
Original Language: Swedish
Translator: Julia Marshall
Original Title: Mitt Lyckliga Liv
Original Publisher: Bonnier Carlsen Bokforlaget, Stockholm, Sweden
Original Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-877579-35-6
Hardcover pages: 136
Age range: 6-10
Genre: Novel
Book setting: Sweden
Author’s ethnicity: Swedish
Author’s residence: Sweden
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swedish
Illustrator’s residence: Sweden
Awards: Both author and illustrator have received the Astrid Lindgren Prize
Subjects: Best friends, Death, Grandmothers, Grief, Happiness, Loss, Kindergarten, Optimism, Primary school, Single fathers.

The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee

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Categorical UniverseTwelve-year-old, special-needs student Candice, who lives in Queensland, Australia, is given a school assignment to write an alphabetical autobiography – one paragraph for each letter. But Candice is different and quirky and she loves the dictionary, so she decides to write a chapter for each letter. She knows herself and she has a lot to say. She tells about her struggling family, her friend Douglas Benson from Another Dimension, her teacher Miss Bamford, her religiously-confused pet fish, and her Rich Uncle Brian. She is on a mission to make everyone in her life happy and to understand her world. Candice is smart, optimistic, endearing, and self-diagnosed as weird. This first-person narrative is wonderfully funny and thought-provoking. mjw
Title: The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee
Author: Barry Jonsberg
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: English
Original Title: My Life As The Alphabet
Original Publisher: Allen and Unwin, Australia
Original Copyright: 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4521-3351-5
Hardcover pages: 242
Age range: 10-13
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Albright, Queensland, Australia
Author’s ethnicity: English
Author’s residence: Darwin, Australia
Awards: 2014 Children’s Book Council of Australia Honor Book, 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Children’s Fiction Awards Shortlist
Subjects: Australia, Autism, Families, Friendship, Parents

Cowgirl

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CowgirlGemma is a young teenager, who lives in a sad, run-down Welsh community named Bryn Mawr, where burglaries and muggings are common. Her dad is in prison and her mum has lost hope. Kate, the legendary Cowgirl, who lives out-of-town on her father’s dairy farm, is the school outcast. Gemma and Kate are thrown into an odd friendship. When Gemma learns that Kate’s beloved cows are due to be slaughtered, she concocts an unexpected plan, with the help of her no-nonsense grandmother, that changes the whole community. This refreshing and uplifting story is about everyone peacefully working together toward a common goal. mjw
Title: Cowgirl
Author: G.R Gemin
Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd., London, England
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-85763-281-4
Paperback pages: 261
Age range: 9 up
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: South Wales
Author’s ethnicity: Welsh and Italian
Author’s residence: London and Italy
Awards: 2015 Carnegie Medal Nomination, 2015 UKLA Book Awards long list, 2015 Tir na n-Og Award (Welsh Book Council)
Subjects: Community, Cows, Dairy farming, Flute, Grandmothers, Hinduism, School, South Wales

Wanting Mor

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wanting morJameela, a young Islamic girl who has a cleft lip, lives with her mother and father in a war-torn village in Afghanistan. When her beloved mother, Mor, dies suddenly, her father takes Jameela with him to Kabul to seek a new life. He turns to drugs and alcohol and marries a new wife who treats Jameela like a slave and urges him to abandon Jameela in Kabul’s busy marketplace. Through the kindness of strangers, Jameela is placed in an orphanage, where she goes to school, learns the power of an education, and has surgery on her deformed lip. This, together with her strong faith and memories of her mother, allows her to turn her life around. This touching story, rich in cultural content, is set in 2001 and is based on real incidents. The many Pushto and Arabic words in Jameela’s first-person narrative are explained in a helpful glossary. The author has a teaching guide and book talk/tutorial for this book on her website at http://www.rukhsanakhan.com mjw
Title: Wanting Mor
Author: Rukhsana Khan
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Copyright: 2010
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-88899-862-0
Paperback pages: 192
Age range: 10-14
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Kandahar, Kabul, Afghanistan
Author’s ethnicity: Pakistani
Author’s residence: Toronto, Canada
Awards: 2009 Middle East Book Award, 2010 United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List
Subjects: Afghanistan, City and town life, Disabilities, Girls, Muslims, Orphanages, Taliban

Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words

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malalaWhen the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, fifteen-year-old Malala spoke out.  She began writing and speaking to everyone who would listen about her right to an education.  She wanted to prove that peaceful words have power over violence.  The Taliban responded by shooting her in the head as she sat in her school bus.  She recovered with no injury to her brain.  In 2012, she spoke at the United Nations on her sixteenth birthday and took her message – “Every child.  Every country.  Free school” – around the world.  The author highlights Malala’s bright personality, her favorite color pink, and her love of books.  Detailed cut-paper and photograph collage illustrations provide texture and color.  Back matter includes important facts about Pakistan, a map, Internet resources on Pakistan, and information about the Malala Fund, the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up program, and other organizations where we can all work together to make girls’ education a true priority.  This is an inspiring book for kids, but older readers will want to read Malala’s own story in I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, Little Brown and Company, 2013.  On November 10, 2014, Malala was awarded the Nobel Prize. mjw
Title: Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words
Author: Karen Leggett Abouraya
Illustrator: L.C. Wheatley
Publisher: Star Walk Kids Media, New York
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-63083-316-9
Paperback pages: 36
Age range: 8-11
Genre: Nonfiction picture book
Book setting: Pakistan
Author’s ethnicity: American
Author’s residence: U.S.
Subjects: Biography, Education, Girls, History, Muslim teenagers, Pakistan, Taliban

Marina

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marinaIn May 1980, fifteen-year-old boarding school student Oscar Drai vanishes for a week after he meets the beautiful, ethereal Marina and her aged, portrait painter father, German Blau. Oscar and Marina walk to a hidden cemetery in the old Barcelona quarter where they witness a strange ritual. A woman, shrouded in black, places a rose on a grave marked with a black butterfly emblem. The complicated plot evolves as they try to solve this mystery. They unravel thirty years of macabre adventure and tragedy, involving post-WWII high society, a young diva, inventors, and tycoons in Barcelona’s underworld. An enjoyable part of the twisted gothic horror tale is the rich and flowing language describing Barcelona, but because of the disturbing paranormal elements, it is not the sort of book to read before bedtime. mjw
Title: Marina
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Copyright: 2014
Original Language: Spanish
Translator: Lucia Graves
Original Title: Marina
Original Publisher: Edebe, Barcelona
Original Copyright: 1999
ISBN: 978-0-316-04471-4
Hardcover pages: 326
Age range: 12 up
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Book setting: Barcelona, Spain
Author’s ethnicity: Spanish
Author’s residence: Spain and U.S.
Awards: Author has won Spain’s Edebe Literary Prize for Young Adult Fiction
Subjects: Barcelona, History, Mystery, Paranormal, Spain, Supernatural

Saving Kabul Corner

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Saving Kabul Corner Book Cover12 year old Ariana Shinwali eagerly counts down the days until she will have her own room in a beautiful new house. Laila, Ariana’s perfect, well-mannered cousin,arrives from Afghanistan and seemingly intrudes on Ariana’s life: stealing her best friend, Mariam, and her personal space. Kabul Corner, the Shinwali family’s store, faces hardship when another Afghan grocery store competitor arises in Wong Plaza. An old family feud that supposedly was left in Afghanistan is reignited and the rival families blame each other for the vandalism and issues that take place at the two stores. Ariana, Laila, Mariam, and Wali (son of the rival store’s owner) set aside differences and meet to discuss suspicions about a third party being involved in the mishaps at each store. The mystery unfolds as the foursome uncover clues that point to the truth. A glossary of terms follows the compelling read which portrays the multicultural main characters in a manner that is not stereotypical.
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Title: Saving Kabul Corner
Author: N. H. Senzai
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
Copyright: 2014
Original language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8494-8
Hardcover pages: 288
Age range: 8-12
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: California
Author’s residence: United States
Subjects: Afghan Americans, California, Family life, Grocery trade, Immigrants, Mystery and detective stories, San Francisco Bay area, Vendetta

That Night’s Train

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That Night's Train Book CoverFive-year-old Banafsheh is traveling on a train with her grandmother. She meets a kindly teacher who reminds her of her dead mother. The teacher is also a writer, who reads her works-in-progress to her fifth grade students. She promises to call Banafsheh and to visit and tell her stories. But she does not call. The book is a curious look at metafiction, relationships, and how fiction and reality wrap together. This sophisticated read portrays contemporary Iranian society and universal experiences. mjw
Title: That Night’s Train
Author: Ahmad Akbarpour
Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault
Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, Toronto, Ontario
Copyright: 2012
Original language: Persian
Translator: Majid Saghafi
Original title: Ghatar-e An Shab
Original publisher: Cheshmeh Publications Co., Tehran, Iran
Original copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55498-169-4
Hardcover pages: 96
Age range: 9 up
Genre: Fiction
Book setting: Iran
Author’s ethnicity: Iranian
Author’s residence: Iran
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian
Illustrator’s residence: Canada
Subjects: Girls, Iran, Promises, Teachers

I See The Sun In Russia

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I see the sun in Russia jpgAnton is a young boy growing up in St. Petersburg, Russia, who plays the violin and hopes to be in an orchestra someday. The book offers a snapshot of the daily life of an average Russian family through a child’s eyes. Anton wakes to a snowy morning, attends a special public music school, visits the Hermitage Museum with his class, grocery shops with his mother, plays soccer with a friend, and enjoys dinner with his family. Colorful collage illustrations of St. Petersburg scenery combine photography, cut paper, and drawings. The book is in two languages, print English and cursive Russian. A cultural overview of St. Petersburg, a map, and a glossary are included. This is the fourth book in the I See The Sun series, which reflects both the diversity and similarity of children’s experiences throughout the world. The possibilities for learning are endless. mjw
Title: I See The Sun In Russia
Author: Dedie King
Illustrator: Judith Inglese
Publisher: Satya House Publications, Hardwick, Massachusetts
Copyright: 2014
Original language: English and Russian
Translator: Irina Ossapova
ISBN: 978-19358742-5-6
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 5 and up
Genre: Picture book
Book setting: St. Petersburg, Russia
Author’s residence: United States
Subjects: Dance-Ballet, Eastern Europe, Grandmothers, Music, Russian Language, St. Petersburg, Violin

Boy On The Edge

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boy on the edge18166941Teenage Henry, with a club foot, a terrible stutter, and dyslexia, is the target of unrelenting bullying.  After committing several violent acts at school and at home, he is sent to the Home of Lesser Brethren, a desolate farm for troubled boys, in the middle of the lava fields on the Icelandic coast.  The farm is run by the frightening and misguided Reverend Oswald and his loving wife. Henry finds some peace in tending the cows and sheep, but he is lonely and desperate for a friend.  Each time he trusts someone, he is betrayed.  The prologue explains that the story is a flashback written by Henry’s friend.  Not until the end, do we learn who the friend is.  This sophisticated and engrossing story of an outcast’s hope is a clear tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince.  The poetic language describes moments of tenderness and also unspeakable cruelty.  It will transport you to the cold, harsh, yet comforting Icelandic landscape.  mjw
Title: Boy On The Edge
Author: Fridrik Erlings
Publisher: Candlewick
Copyright: 2012
Original language: Written in English but based on a book the author had previously written in Icelandic.
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6680-4
Hardcover pages: 240
Age range: 14 and up
Genre: Fiction – novel
Book setting: Iceland
Author’s ethnicity: Icelandic
Author’s residence: Iceland
Subjects: Clergy, Club Foot, Dyslexia, Foster Children, Iceland, Northern Europe, Stutter, Teenage Boys

Mikis And The Donkey

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Mikis and the Donkey Book CoverWhen young Mikis receives a donkey from his grandpa, he falls in love with the animal and carefully (with the donkey’s help) names it Tsaki. Grandpa Pappou wants the donkey to be a working animal but Mikis convinces him that Tsaki can be a pet, too. Mikis plans a special stable for Tsaki, finds a donkey friend, and they all have some delightful adventures. Black and white pen and ink drawings bring the gentle story and the Greek island to life. An afterword provides information about a donkey sanctuary on the island of Corfu in Greece. mjw
Title: Mikis And The Donkey
Author: Bibi Dumon Tak
Illustrator: Philip Hopman
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 2014
Original language: Dutch
Translator: Laura Watkinson
Original title: Mikis de ezeljongen
Original publisher: Em. Querido Uitgeverij, B.V. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Original copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5430-8
Paperback pages: 89 (Advanced Reading Copy)
Age range: 8-12
Genre: Fiction- novel
Book setting: Corfu, Greece
Author’s ethnicity: Dutch
Author’s residence: The Netherlands
Illustrator’s ethnicity: Dutch
Illustrator’s residence: The Netherlands
Awards:  2015 Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Subjects: Animals, Donkeys, Grandfathers, Greece, Southern Europe