Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that’s been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father’s actions. In this novel Jerome learned about the cruel side of life. The book shows racism hurts and such history should never repeat itself. This a heart-moving and thought-provoking story, leaving powerful messages about bullying, racism, and gun violence.

The people of a dingy, fog-covered town, nicknamed the City of Sorrows, are convinced that every year they must sacrifice their youngest child to an evil witch or she will destroy them all. The town’s pompous, prissy Elders perpetuate this lie. They don’t believe in the witch, but they know the lie makes for “a frightened people, a subdued people, a compliant people.” It is a governing style that deserves thinking about. The Elders don’t know that the babies are collected by a good witch named Xan, who carries them to a happier city with waiting families. They are called Star Children because on the journey Xan feeds them starlight. Unlike the morose children in the town, the babies thrive and their eyes sparkle. It’s an exquisite metaphor for the benefits of love and compassion. This novel educates about oppression, blind allegiance and challenging the status quo while immersing the reader in a story full of magical creatures and derring-do. 

Thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan may be the world’s last survivor in this funny graphic novel. When a “monster apocalypse” comes to the town of Wakefield, some escape, others are “zombified,” and still others--Jack hopes--are in hiding. As a foster child, Jack has had his share of hard knocks, so he tries to take his situation in stride and with humor. With a tree house refuge Jack searches for sustenance, other living people, especially his best friend Quint, and his dream girl June, and weapons to fight monsters and undead neighbors. Douglas Holgate’s cartoons throughout the novel mix splatter and slime heavy action sequences with humorous character profiles, all playing into Jack’s gamified take on post-apocalyptic life.

Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, the narrator of Harper Lee’s coming-of-age novel set in the Depression-era South, tells the story of how her lawyer father, Atticus, defended Tom Robinson, a black man who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman in the fictional Alabama town of Maycomb. By the end of the novel, Robinson has been murdered while trying to escape prison. Scout has lost her innocence; for the first time, she truly understands the racial dynamics of her environment. I think this book should not be on the banned list because it teaches several great lessons that young children/young adults should have the opportunity to learn about. The morals of the characters in the story are really eye opening to be honest. It’s definitely a controversial topic now a days, but why not push the boundary a bit? I think it may be necessary for the betterment of today’s children’s education. 

Sincerely, 

Your Student, Alex.

Young, self-reliant, resilient Rodzina (from the Polish for “family”) Brodski is an orphan at age 12 in the winter of 1881—her father, mother, and young brothers all dead. She is gathered up in Chicago with other orphans and street children and sent west on one of the “orphan trains” that took children to be placed out on the farms and in the towns of the prairies and mountain states. Among her companions are several younger children Rodzina has known from her days on the street and in the orphanage. As the eldest girl, she is put in charge of these children on the train, and demonstrates her warmth and competence through her grudging attention to them. Along the way, Rodzina goes twice, unwillingly, to unsuitable new homes: once to a couple of women who plan for her to be not only a nursemaid but a farmhand as well, and once to the father of a large hardscrabble family—his wife is dying and he plans to make Rodzina his new wife. Each time Rodzina resourcefully makes her escape and returns to the train. As she continues westward, Rodzina gradually befriends the formidable lady doctor who accompanies the orphans, and begins to long for a new home for herself. The story is undemanding and engaging, rolling along with the journey, subtly letting readers into Rodzina’s memories of the home she once had and of her immigrant parents and her Polish heritage.

I have always loved Frida Kahlo, as a person and as an artist. In high school I did two of my art projects over and inspired by Frida. I love her story and how she’s this strong independent woman that inspires.

Morales’s handmade Frida Kahlo doll from Kahlo’s self-portraits; Morales’s doll has the same haunting beauty and direct gaze, and she wears the same Mexican peasant clothing. In a series of composed photographs, Frida gazes at her pet monkey, another handmade creation, who slips the artist a key. The key opens a locked box, which holds a marionette, a jointed skeleton. Spare, lyrical text is set in English and, in fainter type, in Spanish, and each page turn reveals a new word or phrase. “Juego/ I play,” Frida says, manipulating the marionette while the monkey sits on her shoulder. Now a paper cut out, Frida is shown dreaming, rescuing an injured fawn, then awakening, restored to doll form, as her husband, a plump, affectionate Diego Rivera, gives her a kiss on the cheek. “¡Vivo!” she says. “I live!” Frida is presented less as a historical figure than as an icon who represents the life Morales holds sacred; Frida lives because she loves and creates. A detailed biography is included. 

Now after a long summer, Harry is back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with his trusty best friends: Ron and Hermione. Yet, secret and mysterious things are happening in the wizarding world, and Harry is not safe from the dark and dangerous people at large. Who is the infamous Sirius Black, who escaped from the notorious wizard prison: Azkaban? And what could the fugitive Black possibly want with Harry? Harry, Ron and Hermione, spend another magical year at Hogwarts, where Harry learns far more about his past then he could have expected. As always with Rowling's books, I loved Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! JK Rowling's words have a curious habit of coming to life, and her characters are funny, and realistic. One of the greatest things about Harry Potter, is that they improve with each book, and you can clearly glimpse the clever, intricate plot Rowling has wove, with cleverly placed foreshadowing and seemingly innocent hints.This book is undoubtedly darker than the previous ones, as Harry learns more and more about the sinister forces that threaten the wizarding world. The characters begin to get more developed and more complex, and an awful lot more interesting. I must warn you though, that once you begin, you'll find it almost impossible to stop! 
I favorite characters include Lupus and Sirius Black. I love the connections Harry makes with them in this story and how close he gets to Sirius, a connection he needs in order to feel like he's with true family. 

“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.

‘So do I, said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’” 

Gandalf is reminding Frodo that as much as it hurts to be alive during dark, frightening and tumultuous times, it’s best to focus on the choices we do have, and what we can control. This one never ceases to be relevant since all time periods are at least a little bit dark sometimes. 

To me this means I need to remember what is important for me and what I need to do to get through the tough times to get to the better, happier times. I have always loved this quote as it gets me through my darker times and when I feel like I can’t control my life, I realize I can in a way. I get to decide what I want to be, where I work, who I’m friends with. Things that make my life more enjoyable and the way it is, that is what I have to decide. 

Snow is falling, preparations for a family feast are underway and the air is thick with excitement. Maria is making tamales, kneading the masa and feeling grown-up. All she wants is a chance to wear her mother's diamond ring, which sparkles temptingly on the kitchen counter. When her mother steps away, Maria seizes her opportunity and dons the ring, then carries on with her work. Only later, when the tamales are cooled and a circle of cousins gathered, does Maria remember the diamond. She and the cousins search every tamale--with their teeth. Of course the ring turns out to be safely on Mom's finger. I loved this book as a kid, it was honestly one of my favorite books to read! Plus of course, I love tamales!

After forging a magnificent samurai sword, a Japanese swordsmith of the Tokugawa period seeks a worthy owner for it. Swordsmith Sensei Masa and his apprentice Michio spend days hammering, shaping, polishing and sharpening the blade. Sensei knows it will be difficult to find the right owner since many samurai are “thugs and bullies who do not follow the Bushido.” When a strong, confident warrior tries to buy the sword, Sensei dismisses him as too cruel and arrogant. When wealthy Lord Toda argues he deserves the sword because he is noble, Sensei refuses him as too privileged. When a ronin dedicated to Kenjutsu argues the sword should be his, Sensei finds him too selfish. Many candidates are eliminated before Sensei finds the perfect samurai for his perfect sword. Dramatic oil illustrations emphasize samurai mannerisms, facial expressions and moves while the text captures the rhythms of the Japanese language. An attractive and informative introduction to sword-making in ancient Japan with insight into the samurai code of honor.

I chose to recommend this book because, to me, it shows a lesson of patience and knowledge. Also on how good things take time and are patient. At the end of the book it explains some of the Japanese terms used throughout the book, this would be helpful for a vocabulary lesson on a different language. 

After a brief introduction to the bustling town and the Mt. Vesuvius eruption that buried it in AD 79, the narrative fast forwards about 1,500 years to when the first ruins were unearthed. Osborne's thorough text and Christensen's (The Daring Nellie Bly ) original frescoes vividly depict what archeology revealed about life in the Roman town. The discoveries span a range of subjects, from food  to gladiator helmets. A pleasing design presents spreads organized into three sections: a large two-thirds panel offers a typical everyday scene (e.g., one shows the busy forum where townspeople shopped) and the last third, broken into two inset images, houses the text plus a related archeological find (e.g., coins and scales in the marketplace illustration).

You can visit this site to learn more about frescos:

This site to learn more about Pompeii: 

This fictionalized tale featuring a real-life hero addresses the contemporary nightmare of child slavery in the second treatment based on the same subject this year (Iqbal, p. 1310). Nadeem toils in a carpet factory, knotting threads on a loom, to pay back a debt incurred by his desperately poor parents. One day, legendary 12-year-old Iqbal Masih marches past the factory urging the child workers to break away from their illegal bondage. Nadeem tries, but his boss shackles him to the loom—probably for years. Only news of Iqbal’s murder inspires Nadeem to try again. He leads the children outside, and an exhilarating illustration shows them in the spacious fresh air. This ending is hopeful, though not fully explained—wouldn’t the boss simply bring them back? Watercolor illustrations focus on figures and faces, emphasizing humanity but giving little sense of the actual factory setup and working conditions.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a fictional poetic picture book. It is about a symbolist relationship between a loving tree that gives and gives to a selfish little boy. “Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy” – this quote is how the book starts, symbolizing a loving relationship between the tree and a boy which will slowly fade away. In the story, the little boy visited the tree every day. He came to eat her apples, swing on her branches, rest, and sit on her trunk. The tree was very happy to have this boy, but one day he stopped coming because he “grew up”. Whenever he did return, he only came to get things from the tree, and the tree happily continued to give, give, and give. The little boy equally loved the tree until the point where he developed something all humans have, an ego. The author portrayed the little boy as an example of human ego and how our needs and wants tend to be more important than loving and caring for one another. It is as if the tree symbolized a parent who will happily do anything for their child because they love them. However, the child does not appreciate the “gift of giving”, he only takes and takes. My “giving tree” is my parents. They provide me food, shelter and love. Even when the world shuts you down, your parents will always be there for you. The essential moral here is that unconditional love does exist. I personally connected with this book because it made me think of how like the little boy, I too am going to grow up. I wondered if I would be just like him – selfish and always taking. Ultimately, it made me realize how grateful I should be for all those people who care for me and I too will take care of them in return. As a whole, Shel Silverstein created a connection within this story and gave out a very powerful message for young readers, it is better to give than receive. Overall, I would like to recommend this book to not just children, but everyone.

It’s nearly time for the moon to rise, and all of nature knows what that means. “The moon’s almost here./ Mama duck drifts to shore,” writes Newbery Medalist MacLachlan in lullaby-like verse. “Ducklings swim after:/ One, two, three, and four.” On the porch of a house, a dog “curls in a ball/ And closes his eyes.” The sky gradually turns from light turquoise to lavender to deep navy, and the moon makes its much-heralded entrance in the final pages, a glowing white ball. Witnessing it all are two figures: a redheaded boy in an old-fashioned nightgown and an adult in a white clown outfit and white makeup.

I have another Lord of the Rings quote! 

“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.” -Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Gandalf is saying that there are things worth fighting for in this crazy world of ours (well of theirs I suppose). To me, this quote means never give up, don’t get discouraged, etc. I think that there is good in the world, even if everything seems bleak and terrible, just take a look at the daily news. I think if you want something bad enough, say the good in life, then you need to be willing to fight for it. I struggle with things a lot but I don’t give up, I may consider it at times, but there is always something worth fighting for.