Sophomore Booktalks

Fall 2011

Period 1

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Three Cups of Tea

One man's campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of Asia.

Curse of the ChupaCabraby Rudolfo Anaya Professor Rosa

Medina, a folklorist researching the ChupaCabra, goes to Mexico to track down recent sightings of the creature which kills its victims, particularly goats, by sucking their brains out.

Tropical Secretsby Margarita Engle Escaping from Nazi

Germany to Cuba in 1939, a young Jewish refugee dreams of finding his parents again, befriends a local girl with painful secrets of her own, and discovers that the Nazi darkness is never far away.

Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Storyby Lisa Fielder In a story based on the

Shakespeare play, sixteen-year-old Roseline, who is studying to be a healer, becomes romantically entangled with the Montague family even as her beloved young cousin, Juliet Capulet, defies the family feud to secretly marry Romeo.

Pharaoh’s Daughterby Julius Lester A fictionalized

account of a Biblical story in which an Egyptian princess rescues a Hebrew infant who becomes a prophet of his people while his sister finds her true self as a priestess to the Egyptian gods..

Everything Asianby Sung J. Woo Young David Kim

reunites with the father he has not seen in five years while working in the family strip-mall gift shop, an endeavor during which he harbors a secret shame about what he believes to be his father's character flaws.

Spudby John van de Ruit In 1990, thirteen-year-

old John "Spud" Milton, a prepubescent choirboy, keeps a diary of his first year at an elite, boys-only boarding school in South Africa, as he deals with bizarre housemates, wild crushes, embarrassingly dysfunctional parents, and much more..

Waiting for Odysseusby Clemence McLaren Presents the story

of Odysseus's epic journey through the eyes of his faithful wife Penelope, the sorceress Circe, the goddess Athena, and his old nanny Eurycleia.

Hiroshima Dreamsby Kelly Easton Description: Lin

O'Neil, a talented but shy girl growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, develops a close relationship with her Japanese grandmother, who shares Lin's gift of precognition.

Oh. My. Gods.by Tera Lynn Childs When her mother marries

a man from Greece and moves the family onto an island in the Aegean Sea, Phoebe's life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that her new classmates at her exclusive academy are all descendants of real Greek gods--and her very real competition on the track team!.

A Thousand Splendid Sunsby Khaled Hosseini Two women born a

generation apart witness the destruction of their home and family in wartorn Kabul, losses incurred over the course of thirty years that test the limits of their strength and courage

2nd Period

Important Information Books checked out today are due January 6th World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Quicksilverby Stephanie Spinner Hermes, Prince of

Thieves and son of Zeus, relates why the seasons change, the history of the Trojan War, his friendship with Pegasus, and many more adventures.

God Grew Tired of Usby John Buldau The harrowing

consequences and horrors of the Sudanese civil war come to life in an inspirational, eyewitness account that describes one man's experiences, from the terror and violence of his homeland, to his tortuous escape, to the culture shock he experienced as he struggled to adjust to a new life in America.

My Swordhand is Singingby Marcus Sedgwick In the dangerous dark of

winter in an Eastern European village during the early seventeenth century, Peter learns from a gypsy girl that the Shadow Queen is behind the recent murders and reanimations, and his father's secret past may hold the key to stopping her.

Shanghai Shadowsby Lois Ruby From 1939 to 1945, a

Jewish family struggles to survive in occupied China; young Ilse by remaining optimistic, her older brother by joining a resistance movement, her mother by maintaining connections to the past, and her father by playing the violin that had been his livelihood.

Radiant Darknessby Emily Whitman Persephone runs off to

the Underworld with Hades, with whom she has fallen in love, but when her mother Demeter threatens to destroy the earth to save her, Persephone finds a way to come back once a year, bringing Spring

Habibiby Naomi Shihab Nye When fourteen-year-old

Liyanna, her younger brother, and her parents move from St. Louis to a new home between Jerusalem and the Palestinian village where her father was born, they face many changes and must deal with the tensions between Jews and Palestinians.

Heaven of Drumsby Ana Gloria Moya During the Argentine

struggle for independence, national hero Manuel Belgrano lives through political and personal intrigue amid racial discrimination while harboring his own contempt for Rivas, a wealthy Spanish businessman who is haunted by his lover Maria's adoration for Belgrano.

Waiting: A Novel of Uganda at Warby Goretti Kyomuhendo

Alinda and her family experience fear, violence, and terror when the army invades their town while trying to escape rebel troops.

Nobody’s Princessby Esther Friesner Determined to fend for

herself in a world where only men have real freedom, headstrong Helen, who will be called queen of Sparta and Helen of Troy one day, learns to fight, hunt, and ride horses while disguised as a boy, and goes on an adventure throughout the Mediterranean world.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweetby Kashmira Sheth Growing up with her

family in Mumbai, India, sixteen-year-old Jeeta disagrees with much of her mother's traditional advice about how to live her life and tries to be more modern and independent.

Chenxi and the Foreignerby Sally Rippin When Anna, an

Australian art student, moves to Shanghai for her studies, she feels alienated as a foreigner until she befriends Chenxi, her fellow student and guide, and becomes entangled in his political activism.

Here’s to You, Jesusa!by Elena Poniatowska A story set against

seminal events in twentieth-century Mexican history follows Jesusa Palancares de Aguilar from her childhood, through her role in the Mexican Revolution and difficult marriage, to her post-revolutionary criminal career.

Purple Hibiscusby Chimanda Ngozi Adichie Growing up in a

wealthy Nigerian home with a tyrannical father, Kambili and her brother, find happiness during a visit to their Aunty Ifeoma, but as Kambili enjoys her freedom and falls in love, the country begins to fall under a military coup.

Anila’s Journeyby Mary Finn In late eighteenth-

century Calcutta, half-Indian half-Irish Anila Tandy finds herself alone with nothing but her artistic talent to rely on, searching for her father who is presumed dead.

Period 3

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Sphinx’s Princessby Esther Friesner Although she is a dutiful

daughter, Nefertiti's dancing abilities, remarkable beauty, and intelligence garner attention near and far, so much so that her family is summoned to the Egyptian royal court, where Nefertiti becomes a pawn in the power play of her scheming aunt, Queen Tiye.

Zoya’s Story

Follows the experiences of a 23-year-old member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan who witnessed the rise of the Taliban and risked her life to challenge the edicts against women in her country.

Mountains Beyond Mountainsby Tracy Kidder A portrait of infectious

disease expert Dr. Paul Farmer follows the efforts of this unconventional Harvard genius to understand the world's great health, economic, and social problems and to bring healing to humankind.

Once on a Moonless Nightby Dai Sijie Presents the story

of the search for an ancient silk scroll inscribed with a lost Buddhist sutra, and one woman's search for her lost love.

Gringolandiaby Lyn Miller-Lachmann In 1986, when seventeen-

year-old Daniel's father arrives in Madison, Wisconsin, after five years of torture as a political prisoner in Chile, Daniel and his eighteen-year-old "gringa" girlfriend, Courtney, use different methods to help this bitter, self-destructive stranger who yearns to return home and continue his work.

The Time it Snowed in Puerto Ricoby Sarah McCoy It is 1961 and Puerto Rico

is trapped in a tug-of-war between those who want to stay connected to the United States and those who are fighting for independence. Verdita has always been safe and secure in her sleepy mountain town, but she must find the strength to decide what sort of woman she'll become.

Absent a Miracleby Christine Lehner Losing her dream job as a

radio talk-show host, New Yorker Alice Fairweather takes a spelunking vacation with her family and ailing dog but finds the venture challenged by a family friend's effort to get his aunt canonized, a new friendship with an eccentric hagiographer, and an impulsive trip to Nicaragua.

Wanting Morby Rukhsana Khan Based on a true

story, Jameela, a young girl living in war-torn Afghanistan, must struggle to find her place in the world after her mother dies and she is moved to Kabul with her drunken father

Swift as Desireby Laura Esquivel Jublio is a telegraph

operator and interpretor until the telegraph becomes obsolete. Now Jublio lies on his deathbed, mute and estranged from his wife. The daughter must figure out how to begin communication again between her parents and make them see that keeping secrets always leads to unhappiness.

The Smileby Donna Jo Napoli In Renaissance Italy,

Elisabetta longs for romance, and when Leonardo da Vinci introduces her to Guiliano de Medici, whose family rules Florence but is about to be deposed, she has no inkling of the romance--and sorrow--that will ensue.

Period 4

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Things I’ve Been Silent Aboutby Azar Nafisi A memoir offers a

portrait of the author's family and childhood in Iran, centered around her powerful mother and her manipulative fictions about herself, as she reflects on women's choices and her own struggle to free herself from her mother's influence.

My Life as Emperorby Su Tong A naive fourteen-

year-old prince finds himself unexpectedly named as emperor of an entire nation and is shaped by the power, cruelty, decadence, and intrigues of the royal court.

Keeping Cornerby Kashmira Sheth In India during World

War I, thirteen-year-old Leela's happy, spoiled childhood ends when her husband since age nine, whom she barely knows, dies, leaving her a widow whose only hope of happiness could come from Mahatma Ghandi's social and political reforms.

Peony in Loveby Lisa See In seventeenth-

century China, three women become emotionally involved with "The Peony Pavilion," a famed opera rumored to cause lovesickness and even death.

Measuring Timeby Helon Habila LaMamo and Mamo are

separated when LaMamo escapes to pursue his dream of becoming a soldier, but when religious zealots incite the people to violence, he returns home to battle the enemy and to be reunited with his twin brother.

The Falconer’s Knotby Mary Hoffman Silvano and Chiara,

teens sent to live in a friary and a nunnery in Renaissance Italy, are drawn to one another and dream of a future together, but when murders are committed in the friary, they must discover who is behind the crimes before they can realize their love.

Like Water for Chocolateby Laura Esquirel At the beginning of

the 20th century, Tita, the youngest of three daughters, is expected to serve her mother for the rest of her life, but in order to show her love to Pedro, who is engaged to her sister, Tita cooks for him

Final Exam by Julio Cortazar Students Juan and

Clara put off studying for their final exams to wander the city of Buenos Aires which has been enveloped in a strange fog

Climbing the Stairsby Padma Venkatraman In India, in 1941, when

her father becomes brain-damaged in a non-violent protest march, fifteen-year-old Vidya and her family are forced to move in with her father's extended family and become accustomed to a totally different way of life.

The Dante Clubby Matthew Pearl In 1865, the preparations

of the Dante Club--led by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes--to release the first translation of Dante's "The Divine Comedy" are threatened by a series of murders that re-create episodes from "Inferno.".

The World in Halfby Cristina Henriquez Miraflores has never

known her father, and until now, she's never thought that he wanted to know her. She's long been aware that her mother had an affair with him while she was stationed with her then husband in Panama, and she's always assumed that her pregnant mother came back to the United States alone with his consent.

Saving the Worldby Julia Alvarez Suffering from writer's

block, Alma finds herself enamored of a story she stumbles upon which involves Isabel, director of La Casa De Expositos, who selected twenty-two orphan boys to be live carriers of the smallpox vaccine in 1803.

Under a Red Skyby Haya Leah Molnar Haya Leah Molnar,

recalls growing up in Bucharest, Romania, during the 1950s. Though she heard Yiddish and kept Kosher at home, Eva remained unaware of her Jewish heritage. This ignorance protected Eva at her Communist-run school.

Period 6

A Change in Altitudeby Anita Shreve Struggling to maintain

her sense of self and her understanding of the world while spending the first year of her marriage in Kenya, Geraldine participates in a climbing expedition to Mt. Kenya and is challenged to come to terms with a devastating accident.

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Beneath My Mother’s Feetby Amjed Qamar When her father is

injured, fourteen-year-old Nazia is pulled away from school, her friends, and her preparations for an arranged marriage, to help her mother clean houses in a wealthy part of Karachi, Pakistan, where she finally rebels against the destiny that is planned for her.

The Boy Who Daredby Susan Campbell Bartoletti In October, 1942,

seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hubener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.

Ana’s Storyby Jenna Bush The author reveals

the life of a young woman she met while on an internship with UNICEF and how, despite living with HIV and losing her family to AIDS, she is thriving and looking forward to giving her child a better life.

Under the Persimmon Treeby Suzanne Fisher Staples During the 2001

Afghan War, the lives of Najmal, a young refugee from Kunduz, Afghanistan, and Nusrat, an American-Muslim teacher who is awaiting her husband's return from Mazar-i-Sharif, intersect at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Akhenaten, Dweller in Truthby Naguib Mahfouz After the death of

Akhenaten, a young man searches for the truth about the "heretic pharaoh," interviewing Akhenaten's closest friends, most dangerous enemies, and even his enigmatic wife, Nefertiti, about the remarkable leader of ancient Egypt

Allah is not Obligedby Ahmadou Kourouma A ten-year-old

orphan from the Ivory Coast, is seized by rebels on the way to Liberia to live with his aunt and forced to become a soldier

Bewitching Seasonby Marissa Doyle In 1837, as seventeen-

year-old twins, Persephone and Penelope, are starting their first London Season they find that their beloved governess, who has taught them everything they know about magic, has disappeared.

Does My Head Look Big in This?by Randa Abdel-Fattah Year Eleven at an

exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without losing her identity or sense of style.

The Tomorrow Codeby Brian Falkner Two New Zealand

teenagers receive a desperate SOS from their future selves and set out on a quest to stop an impending ecological disaster that could mean the end of humanity.

The Kite Runnerby Khaled Hosseini Traces the unlikely

friendship of a wealthy Afghan youth and a servant's son, in a tale that spans the final days of Afghanistan's monarchy through the atrocities of the present day.

The Last Grail Keeperby Pamela Smith Hill After an archaeological

dig at Glastonbury Tor in England uncovers the Holy Grail, Felicity and her mother, a professor of Arthurian literature, find that their destinies are linked across time with the Grail and the legendary King Arthur

The Juliet Clubby Suzanne Harper When high school junior

Kate wins an essay contest that sends her to Verona, Italy, to study Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" over the summer, she meets both American and Italian students and learns not just about Shakespeare, but also about star-crossedlovers--and herself.

Say You’re One of Themby Uwem Akpan A collection of tales

about modern African children in crisis includes "An Ex-Mas Feast," in which an eight-year-old child shares in his family's sacrifices to obtain enough food and enable his education.

Period 7

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Quiverby Stephanie Spinner When her father

commands that she produce an heir, the huntress Atalanta gives her suitors a seemingly impossible task in order to uphold her pledge of chastity, as the gods of ancient Greece look on.

Iraqi Girl

Collects the online journal of Hadiya, a fifteen-year old girl living in Mosul, who shares her reflections on family, friends, and the devastation of the war on her home town.

The Vagrantsby Yiyun Li In 1979 Muddy River, a

provincial Chinese city, the Gu family struggles to deal with the imminent loss of their daughter, Gu Shan, about to be executed as a counterrevolutionary, while their neighbors deal with the realities of life in China.

The Dim Sum of All Thingsby Kim Wong Keltner A thoroughly modern

young American woman living in San Francisco, Lindsey Owyang has little in common with her Chinese heritage, until an unexpected event forces her to reexamine her family's history and the need to meld the old culture with the new

If I Die in Juarezby Stella Pope Duarte The lives of Evita, a

thirteen-year-old girl living on the streets, her nineteen-year-old cousin Petra, and Mayela, a twelve-year-old Tarahumara Indian, are bonded indelibly in the shadow of the rapes, tortures, and brutal murders of women occurring in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, without intervention by the police.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, two boys are sent to the country for reeducation, where their lives take an unexpected turn when they meet the beautiful daughter of a local tailor and stumble upon a forbidden stash of Western literature.

Let it Rain Coffeeby Angie Cruz Leaving her home in

the Dominican Republic to pursue an American lifestyle, Esperanza struggles with the realities of everyday hardships in a cramped apartment where she lives with her husband, children, and critical father-in-law.

Afrikaby Colleen Craig Thirteen-year-old Kim

travels to South Africa with her journalist mother and must come to terms with the country’s diverse and often shocking history with the realization that she is not as removed from this powerful story as she thought.

Casa Azulby Laban Carrick Hill In 1940, after traveling

from their country village to Mexico City to find their mother, fourteen-year-old Maria and her younger brother Victor are befriended by the artist Frida Kahlo and the talking animals and household objects that inhabit her home.

Escape from Slavery

A present-day escaped slave recounts his capture and enslavement at the age of seven, his escape to a refugee camp and finally America, his education, and his ongoing work as an anti-slavery activist.

Child of Dadelionsby Shenaaz Nanji In Uganda in 1972,

fifteen-year-old Sabine and her family, wealthy citizens of Indian descent, try to preserve their normal life during the ninety days allowed by President Idi Amin for all foreign Indians to leave the country, while soldiers and others terrorize them and people disappear.

Period 8

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

In the Country of Menby Hisham Matar On a hot day in Tripoli

in the summer of 1979, nine-year-old Suleiman spots his father, supposedly away on business, across from the market square and wearing dark glasses, the first portent of grave danger in a previously unsuspected world.

The Good Soldiersby David Finkel Relates the author's

experiences as an embedded reporter with Battalion 2-16. telling the story of the surge from the perspective of the someone who worked the soldiers every day.

A Little Piece of Groundby Elizabeth Laird During the Israeli

occupation of Ramallah in the West Bank of Palestine, twelve-year-old Karim and his friends create a secret place for themselves where they can momentarily forget the horrors of war.

Saving Julietby Suzanne Selfors Seventeen-year-old Mimi

Wallingford's stage fright and fight with her mother on the closing night of Romeo and Juliet are nothing compared to the troubles she faces when she and her leading man are transported to Shakespeare's Verona, where she decides to give the real Juliet a happy ending.

Romiette and Julioby Sharon Draper An African-

American girl and a Latino boy fall in love after meeting on the Internet, but they are harrassed by a gang who objects to their interracial dating.

Avalon Highby Meg Cabot Having moved to

Annapolis, Maryland, with her medievalist parents, high school junior Ellie enrolls at Avalon High School where several students may or may not be reincarnations of King Arthur and his court.

A Long Way Goneby Ishmael Beah In a heart-wrenching,

candid autobiography, a human rights activist offers a firsthand account of war from the perspective of a former child soldier, detailing the violent civil war that wracked his native Sierra Leone and the government forces that transformed a gentle young boy into a killer as a member of the army.

War Gamesby Audrey and Akila Couloumbis What were once just

boys' games become matters of life and death as Petros and his older brother Zola each wonder if, like their resistance-fighter cousin, they too can make a difference in a Nazi-occupied Greece.

Before We Were Freeby Julia Alvarez In the early 1960s

in the Dominican Republic, Anita learns that her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.

The Two Loves of Will Shakespeareby Laurie Lawlor

After falling in love, eighteen-year-old Will Shakespeare, a bored apprentice in his father's glove business and often in trouble for various misdeeds, vows to live an upstanding life and pursue his passion for writing.

Woman from Shanghaiby Xianhui Yang Presents the

fictionalized stories of twelve survivors from the Chinese work camps in Jiabiangou, exiled there by the Communist Party between 1957 and 1960 to undergo reeducation through hard labor for being rightists

Extra Books

Important Information Books checked out today are due _________ World Literature often contains themes of war and

oppression. By its very nature, literature derived from cultures that are much different than ours may contain some information and imagery that will shock audiences in the US. If you have objections (or believe your parents will have objections) to certain types of materials, please be sure to let your teacher and/or Mrs. Will know so that you can get a book that will be just right for you. Please keep in mind that what one student finds offensive might be perfectly appropriate for another student.

Gods Behaving Badlyby Marie Phillips The twelve gods of

Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse--and none too happy about it. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind

Ghosts of Warby Ryan Smithson Recounts the

author's experiences as an Army engineer in the Iraq War.

Girls of Riyadhby Rajaa Alsanea Every week after Friday

prayers, the anonymous narrator sends an email to the female subscribers of her online chat group. In fifty such emails over the course of a year, we witness the tragicomic reality of four university students negotiating their love lives, their professional success, and their rebellions, large and small, against their cultural traditions.

A Bottle in the Gaza Seaby Valarie Zenatti Seventeen-year-old Tal

Levine of Jerusalem, despondent over the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, puts her hopes for peace in a bottle and asks her brother, a military nurse in the Gaza Strip, to toss it into the sea, leading ultimately to friendship and understanding between her and an "enemy.".

The Enemy Has a Faceby Gloria D. Miklowitz

Netta and her family have relocated temporarily from Israel to Los Angeles, and when her seventeen-year-old brother mysteriously disappears, she becomes convinced that he has been abducted by Palestinian terrorists.

The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santosby Margaret Mascarenhas

Lily, about to give birth to her first child, begins having visions of Irene Dos Santos, her best friend who went missing fifteen years earlier in the Venezuelan rain forest. She is about to begin to search for the truth about the day Irene disappeared when she falls and is confined to bed, surrounded by family and friends who offer prayers and stories to guide the new baby safely into the world.

Mixing Itby Rosemary Hayes Steve, a British high

school student, and Fatimah, a devout Muslim and daughter of immigrants, must learn to overcome their community's prejudices after a picture of Fatimah nursing Steven after a terrorist attack is featured in a national newspaper.

Tell Me Something Trueby Leila Cobo Learning perplexing

truths about her late mother including her unhappiness in her marriage, her dislike of the family home, and her unwillingness to be a parent, Gabriella discovers a secret diary and considers the possibility that her mother was preparing to leave

The Shepherd’s Granddaughterby Anne Laurel Carter Amani, a young

Palestinian girl, looks to the meadows of the Firdoos to get her sheep the food they need, but when Israeli settlers impede her ability to get to the pasture, she must try to find a peaceful solution to the problem

Ask Me No Questionsby Marina Budhos Fourteen-year-old

Nadira, her sister, and their parents leave Bangladesh for New York City, but the expiration of their visas and the events of September 11, 2001, bring frustration, sorrow, and terror for the whole family

Winter Warby William Durbin When Russian troops

invade Finland during the winter of 1939-40, Marko, a young polio victim determined to keep his homeland free, joins the Finnish Army as a messenger boy

Serafina’s Storiesby Rudolfo Anaya Captured and

accused of plotting against the Spaniards in 1680 New Mexico, every day fifteen-year-old Serafina trades the governor one story for one Pueblo prisoner.

No Shame, No Fearby Ann Turnbull In England in 1662, a

time of religious persecution, fifteen-year-old Susanna, a poor country girl and a Quaker, and seventeen-year-old William, a wealthy Anglican, meet and fall in love against all odds.