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I love this book so much and my students love when we read it aloud.  The theme of friendship and sacrifice are so strong, and since the protagonist is their same age, it gives them a ton to think about.  Many of our conversations come from how we can advocate against injustices even at their age, as well as what it looks like to care for those who surround you. --Abbie R.

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While the characters in the story show no empathy, the students do! They start to talk about standing up for others and other really great live lessons. Is it OK to break traditions if it hurts others? Why do people keep these traditions? We talk about real world things and events that happen and how to stand up for what is morally right.

Kayla Osso

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This novel is amazing. It is a story of a group of boys who have been sent to a correctional school on an island located in an old building//lighthouse. Things go bad quickly and true characters come out as they are made to deal with a very large problem. This book makes you think about not judging someone based on information you think you have. Really taking the time to hear someones story... and that actions good or bad have consequences. - Abigail Lund

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This book is one of my favorite mentor texts to read to my students. It is all about this little boy who tries to draw but is not so great at it. His brother begins to make fun of him and discourages his drawing from continuing. His sister, however, loves his drawings and tells him that they look "ish." He drew a vase and she said it looked like a vase-ish. This sparked his wonder and love for drawing and writing all over again.

I use this book to help my students realize and be okay with not being perfect. We discuss ways that we are not perfect and how it should feel to not be perfect. I think remind my students that I, too, am an ish person, especially with my drawings. This typically becomes a year long joke and we constantly remind each other that we are ish drawers! This helps to build such strong community within the four walls of room 101.

Amanda

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This story is about a young girl who has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, nonverbal except for sounds, has limited control over body movements, but is very intelligent and has a lot to "say" by pointing to words on her talk board. This story is a part of our disabilities unit where students are asked the difference between sympathy and empathy, where we try to focus on having them realize that everyone is important and has something important to say or do, even though they do it in a different way.
Erika

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A short story about a man who is lonely and is learning atypical. He begins to venture out of his shell through gardening and building trust with a friend. The characters are all people who feel different from others. It helps students see different perspectives and different ways to be happy. Melissa

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Clemantine Wamariya's memoir toggles between her time trying to find refuge from the war in Rwanda and her time trying to assimilate culture in the United States. Students can benefit from a perspective that is different from their own, but also identify with struggles to find their identity, fit in (or stand out?), and discover how to use their voice. Also would be excellent for exposing many suburban students to a perspective far outside their usual "bubble."
~ Sarah J.

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This was a new novel to me and the setting was difficult for my students because it revolves around northern Ontario, Canada. Having said that, when they got past the Canadianisms, the questions that came from the plot were really interesting. Why would an entire group of people be targeted? How, in a progressive culture, did an entire group become so victimized.  Where is Indigenous culture in the U.S.? Do we have one? We don't see it around us. We happened to read this while they were learning about the Trail of Tears in social studies, which made them think about the consequences of the move west.

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I use this book as the first read aloud of the year. It revolves around a boy who finds himself supporting an alcoholic father while trying to better himself. The students can connect with the responsibility the character feels for his family while at the same time making choices that seem beyond his control. It continuously brings up questions about military enlistment, employment, family loyalty and the list goes on.

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I probably could have chosen any number of collections, from any number of authors, but the best poets (like Trethewey, former US Poet Laureate) can take a moment/image/experience and get to a universal emotional core. This collection belongs on every reader's shelf.

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The Outsiders is a classic teen novel by S.E. Hinton. It is the story of a gang of greasers learning about the hardships of life and importance of friendship in the 1960s. It's narrated by Ponyboy, the youngest member of the gang at only 14. This story has shocked me over the years in the ways in which it builds empathy in my classroom. Many of my students know what it's like to be poor or to struggle with the feeling of belonging, so they relate very much to the characters. It teaches that people cannot be defined by stereotypes and that everyone has a chance to shape their life by the choices they make.
-Alex

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The characters in this book are fighting to keep the owls safe and stop the construction where the owls live.  In joining the fight, kids of various backgrounds form friendships and make connections.  It allows middle school students to see the importance of standing up for what they believe in to make a change....and....gain some unexpected friends along the way. Robin

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The story follows the accused during the Salem Witch Trials. Though I'd hope my students have never been accused of witchcraft, many can relate to being accused of something they didn't do. - Haley

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Rabbit and Mouse plant a seed, only they don't want to share it with anyone else. Trouble and chaos ensure, and we learn what happens if we plant seeds of selfishness vs. seeds of kindness. This is a lesson you can revisit time and again with your students. -Jackie

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Teenage students have felt ostracized or ridiculed at some point by the time I get them in high school, so they can connect to the character who feels ostracized by her community. ~ Dawn