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Middle/Intermediate Grades (4-8)
This is a classic novel not only because of the year it was published (1989), but also because it won a Newbery Medal in 1990 and the National Jewish Book Award in 1990 as well. It is special to me personally, because I remember my 4th grade teacher reading it to our class. It is memorable and engaging and has great value for a middle school classroom.

Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

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1. How would you describe the character's traits in this story?
2. What is the central theme of this story?
3. How does the historical context of the story effect the plot (and or theme)?

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This is a powerful historical fiction book (and it's a New York Times Bestseller for 2017). My 6th graders were hooked on this book last year! This book tackles children who are refugees at three different times in history (Germany in the 1930s, Cuba in 1994, and Syria in 2015). One of my students last year said that she got in trouble for staying up too late to read this book, and that it moved her to tears. Some overlapping themes between this novel and the classic are...the loss of innocence & learning to be brave in the face of danger.

Gratz, A., & OverDrive Inc. (2017). Refugee (First edition.). New York: Scholastic Press.

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Allies Author:&nbspAlan Gratz;&nbsp Illustrator:&nbsp June 6, 1944: The Nazis are terrorizing Europe, on their evil quest to conquer the world. The only way to stop them? The biggest, most top-secret operation ever, with the Allied nations coming together to storm German-occupied France. Welcome to D-Day. Dee, a young U.S.

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This historical fiction book told in verse relates to the classic novel because of the similarities between the conflict in the main characters. In this novel, the main character, Ha, must find the bravery to flee her home in Saigon during the Vietnam War. This is similar to the experience of Annemarie and Ellen in Number the Stars. This book also similar to Refugee.

Lai, T., & Shappell, R. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York: Harper.

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Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai | Scholastic

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Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.

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The Boy at the Back of the Class- Onjali Q. Raúf

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The Boy at the Back of the Class- Onjali Q. Raúf

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This book was published very recently (2019) and can connect to all of the books included on this Padlet. This novel directly relates to Refugee by Alan Gratz because the main character is a 9-year-old Syrian refugee who starts school in London. Readers can find parallels between Ahmet and Mahmoud (Refugee), as well as Annemarie (Number the Stars) through using the skill of historical background knowledge and inferring.

Raúf, O. Q., & Curnick, P. (2019). The boy at the back of the class. New York : Delacorte Press.

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"This moving and timely debut novel tells an enlightening, empowering, and ultimately hopeful story about how compassion and a willingness to speak out can change the world." - School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Political and cultural undertones are undeniably present in Rauf's timely debut, but it's the themes of kindness, empathy, and tenacity that resonate strongest. Rauf excels at tapping into the thoughts and concerns of contemporary children, providing wholly believable characters who use their voices to help others and create change, as well as offering a safe space for readers to explore and better understand the refugee crisis." - Publishers Weekly
" Tearjerking and chuckle-inducing . . . . Above all it celebrates the power of kindness." - The Sunday Post (Scotland)

" Inspiring and sweet . . . this is a beautiful, open-hearted debut from Onjali Q Raúf that should help children be the best they can be and realise the power of kindness."- Booktrust (UK)

"Us[ing] humour to tackle a challenging and timely subject . . . [this is] an engaging exploration of the refugee crisis through the eyes of a child."-Readings (AU)

"Raúf's touching debut could hardly be more topical . . . utterly delightful." - Mail on Sunday

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The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf: 9781984850812 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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"This moving and timely debut novel tells an enlightening, empowering, and ultimately hopeful story about how compassion and a willingness to speak out can change the world." - School Library Journal, Starred Review "Political and cultural undertones are undeniably present in Rauf's timely debut, but it's the themes of kindness, empathy, and tenacity that resonate strongest.

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Nonfiction- What Was the Holocaust? Gail Herman 

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Nonfiction- What Was the Holocaust? Gail Herman 

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This book is a part of the nonfiction series "What Was?" which presents historical events for middle grade students on a range of topics. This specific edition would help students better understand the historical details leading up to the Holocaust.

Herman, G. (2018) What Was the Holocaust? United Kingdom: Penguin Workshop.

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What Was the Holocaust? by Gail Herman, Who HQ: 9780451533906 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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A thoughtful and age-appropriate introduction to an unimaginable event-the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a genocide on a scale never before seen, with as many as twelve million people killed in Nazi...

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This beautiful novel is a NYT Bestseller told from the point of view of a neighborhood tree. This novel incorporates themes of friendship & belonging, and literacy skills of point of view. Because of these reasons, Wishtree connects well to the other literature included here.

Applegate, K., & Santoso, C. (2017). Wishtree. New York, NY : Feiwel and Friends.

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Star of Fear, Star of Hope- Jo Hoestlandt

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Star of Fear, Star of Hope- Jo Hoestlandt

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This historical fiction picture book published in 1995 (and illustrated in 1996) employs the skills of point of view, and using historical background knowledge to understand when the Nazis invaded France from the point of view of a young girl (similar to the POV of Number the Stars). I actually remember reading this book in elementary school myself.

Hoestlandt, J. (1995). Star of Fear, Star of Hope. Bloomsbury USA Childrens.

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Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt | Scholastic

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In this sensitive story, Helen remembers her best friend of years ago, during Germany's invasion of France. She last saw Lydia on her birthday and regrets her l

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I have used this video this year, and in years past to support students in understanding point of view. A free trial membership is needed to show the full video to the students.

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Point of View - Third Person - Flocabulary

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Review techniques for identifying points of view with Flocabulary's educational rap song and lesson plan.

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This is a historical fiction picture book published in 2000. This picture book mirrors the themes relating to bravery and friendship that can be found in Number the Stars the other texts.

Polacco, P. (2000). The Butterfly. New York : Philomel Books

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The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco | Scholastic

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Monique awakens during the night to see a ghost sitting at the end of her bed. The ghost is actually a Jewish girl who is hiding in Monique's cellar. The girls

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-the challenges of growing up (coming of age)
-friendship & belonging
-the loss of innocence
-learning to be brave in the face of danger

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-Author's Purpose/Craft/POV
-Using historical background knowledge (The Holocaust/World War II/etc.)
-Inferring the main idea and theme
-Evaluating character traits using text evidence
-Drawing conclusions and making predictions

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This anchor chart is directly from the curriculum that my district uses, The Units of Study for teaching reading. This anchor chart is specifically for the historical fiction unit, which would help support students while they are interacting with one of the texts.