Asma Mobin-Uddin and Barbara Kiwak

Boyd Mills Press

(2005)

32 Pages

Grades 3-4

Children's Literature/Fiction

Identity, culture, religion, prejudice

Watercolor

Summary: This book tells the story of a young boy named Bilal who struggles with self acceptance after being isolated at his new school for being Muslim, and must learn to embrace his identity when facing adversity.

Connections: I loved this book and I remember thinking that Bilal was a character who modeled bravery, and this book would be perfect for opening up a discussion among elementary students about what adversity is and what it means to be brave. I would love to include this book in my classroom library in hopes that it would help a student like Bilal to feel welcome in my classroom.

Mazey Eddings

Wednesday Books

(2023)

320 Pages

Grades 7-9

Young Adult Fiction

Leaving home, neurodivergence, coming of age

Summary: Tilly has been struggling with keeping up in school while managing her struggle with executive dysfunction and anxiety. When Tilly meets Oliver, the two become friends rapidly, and make peace with the idea that there are parts of growing up that might be out of control, but still have the potential to be valuable. Both help each other with personal difficulties that they feel others can't relate to. 

Connections: This would be a great book to recommend to anyone struggling with anxiety or loneliness in an academic environment. I would absolutely keep this book in my classroom in the hopes that a student would pick it up and make a meaningful connection.

Instructional Activity: I think that because the themes of this book are of a more personal nature, and it is marketed toward higher grade levels, it would provide a perfect opportunity for a writing or journaling activity in which students wrote a personal essay or short story about a time when they had to turn to someone else for help, or maybe about something that they had struggled with in school. 

Cece Bell

Amulet Books

(2014)

248 Pages

Grades 5-10

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Self acceptance, friendships, overcoming challenges

Summary: Cece had lived a relatively peaceful life until she turned four years old and discovered that she was Deaf. Through her journey across different towns, new schools, and changing relationships, Cece's superhero alter ego helps her to speak up for herself and find value in friends who see her for who she is.

Connections: I think this books sets a strong example for any child who sometimes needs help remembering how to be brave, and I think that applies to every child. I initially read this book when it came out, when I was about ten years old, and I remember enjoying the idea that I might have the traits of a superhero too - I would love to include this book in my classroom library.

Gary Robinson

7th Generation

(2021)

40 Pages

Grades 4-7

Children's Fiction

Self esteem, positive influence, friendship

Summary: Jayla is a young girl who sometimes struggles with self doubt and negative thinking about herself. In this story, Jayla shares her advice for any other children and young people who might be struggling similarly, and provides a positive example of how to love yourself first.

Connections: Oh man, I don't think I even have words for how much I would have benefitted from this book when I was a younger girl. I thought that negative thoughts about myself were the beginning and end of every day, and I thought that I was the only one who felt that way. I would love to keep this book as a classroom resource for any student who might need a little assurance that they are not alone.

Jaqueline Woodson

Rafael Lopez

Nancy Paulson Books

(2018)

32 Pages

Grades K-5

Children's Fiction

Self acceptance, embracing diversity, and celebrating individual identities

Summary: this book tells the story of two children who are made to feel that they are different from their classmates due to their food, physical traits, and backgrounds, and who learn to celebrate their differences rather than feeling isolated.

Connections: This is such a sweet book, and I would love to use it for a read aloud in any elementary grade starting with kindergarten. The two main characters are easy both to root for and to relate to.

Shel Silverstein

Harper and Row Publishers

(1974)

309 Pages

Children's Poetry

Nature, exploration, satire, metaphors

Summary: This anthology of poems by Shel Silverstein uses more absurd imagery and art in tandem with humorous poems that are meant to both entertain and make more difficult topics easy to manage for young readers.

Connections: I think that this book is an important reminder that children are capable of enjoying and understanding more absurd types of humor, and it was a classroom favorite when I was growing up. I think that keeping books like this in the classroom is critical not just to allow children of all ages to experience poetry, but also to keep in mind that not every book in the classroom has to have a overarching theme in order to provide value.

Sarah Jean Horwitz

Algonquin Young Readers

(2019)

331 Pages

Grades 4-8

Children's Fiction

Friendship, belonging, right and wrong

Summary: Clementine was born and raised to become the most evil overlord in history, but questions her abilities to commit wrongdoings when she is forced to take over the responsibilities of her father and mentor. She is forced to question the rules she was taught concerning good and evil with the help of the friends she makes along the way.

Connections: I think that this book would be a great recommendation for any young person who struggles with facing unrealistic expectations from others. The grade levels that this book is recommended for include the age at which children branch out and seek their own identities and views on right and wrong, and I would love to include this book in my classroom library for that purpose.

Madeleine L'Engle

Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

(1962)

256 Pages

Grades 4-8

Children's Fiction

Nonconformity, good vs. evil, individuality

Summary: Meg Murray's family has been short one since the disappearance of her father. With the help of a mysterious old woman and her even more mysterious friends, Meg and her brother have to travel through space and time to find her father and to prove that there is hope in creating a world where good can triumph over evil.

Connections: Throughout this book, Meg struggles with feeling isolated from her peers due to her family, her intelligence, her appearance, and her methods of thinking and problem solving. One of the strongest themes in the book is that individuality is an asset, which is why I would love to recommend this book to any young person, and I would love to include it in my classroom library.

Campbell Whyte

Top Shelf Productions

(2017)

228 Pages

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Change, coming of age, acceptance

Summary: On the last day of school, a young group of friends leave ready for summer and scared of the changes on the horizon when summer ends. After falling through the river to the other side, the group discover a world that might need their help more than they expected. Conflicted between staying to avoid the changes associated with growing up and leaving to seek normalcy, the group of friends must find a way to stick together in search of a solution.

Connections: This is a book that reminds me so much of being nervous to begin a new year at school because of the uncertainty that comes with being in a new place. This story is illustrated to demonstrate the differing perspectives of its characters, and is relatable to just about any student. i would love to include this in my classroom library.

Anne Wynter & Daniel Miyares

Balzer and Bray

January 31, 2023

40 pages

Ages 4-8

Children's literature

Themes: family, generations, growth, nurturing, conservation

Summary: This book tells the story of a young girl who plants a tree and nurtures it to watch it grow, paralleling the growth of the generations of Nell's family until they all look back on the growth of the tree together.

Connections: I read this book and immediately wished that there had been a story like this written about my family. I would love to use this book for a read aloud with any elementary grade level beginning with kindergarten, and I think students will love Nell's surprise ending.

Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt

Chronicle Books

May 2015

40 pages

Grades 1-3

Fairy Tale

Themes: STEM learning, independence, resourcefulness

Summary: this book provides a retelling of the classic Cinderella story with a twist: our Cinderella is an interstellar mechanic who must prepare her spacecraft.

Connection: When I was a young student, I remember being unimpressed with fairy tales because there didn't seem to be any protagonists worth relating to; their fates were either gruesome or uninteresting. I would have loved to read a book like this, and I would love to include this in my classroom library in hopes that it would empower my students to feel represented and capable.

Tomie dePaola

G.P. Putnam's Sons

(2002)

40 pages

Grades K-3

Fairy Tale

Themes: resilience, the power of loyalty and kindness, cultural identity

Summary: Adelita, who lives with her cruel stepmother and stepsister, wants to attend the fiesta, and is helped by a family housekeeper following the death of her mother. This story provides another cultural perspective on the classis Cinderella tale.

Connections: I loved completing the assignment that included this reading because I got a chance to see all the different versions of Cinderella stories from various cultural backgrounds. I hope that one day, I have a classroom library that is just as diverse as my students.

Lila Mehta, Meredith Brucker, and Youshan Tang

Lee and Low Books

(2002)

32 pages

Grades 1-4

Fairy tale

Themes: luck, fate, kindness, good vs evil

Summary: This book provides another retelling of the classic Cinderella story, this time set in India where Cinduri seeks help from a magical snake to attend the festival and meet the prince.

I loved the illustrations in this book, and I liked that it provided yet another example of how different the fairy tales can be across various cultures while still espousing the same ideals and themes.

Kate Albus

Margaret Ferguson Books

(2021)

320 Pages

Grades 7+

Historical Fiction

Themes: family, acceptance of self and others, comfort of stories, coming of age

Summary: Following the death of their parents during WWII, William, Edmund, and Anna try to find a place for themselves to call home in the countryside due to evacuation. Their search for belonging leads them to befriend a librarian who provides refuge from harsh life in their new home

Connections: I think that this book would be a wonderful read for any student struggling with a lack of belonging. I remember being an elementary student and loving historical fiction for the way it connected me to other children in the past who may have experienced the same things I did, and I would love to include a book like this in my classroom library. I think that between the three main characters, readers of any age could find a way to connect personally with A Place to Hang the Moon.

Malcolm Mitchell and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

Orchard Books

(2015)

32 pages

Grades K-3

Children's fiction

Themes: Magic, imagination, and pursuing dreams

Summary: At the local library, a magician uses the contents of his magic hat to help children picture the possibilities held in their future.

Connections: what I love most about this book is that the magic comes from the books in the library. I absolutely agree with this idea, and I think I would be lucky to create a classroom environment that views books and reading as magical.

Vicki Johnson and Gillian Reid

Little Bee Books

June 27, 2023

40 pages

Grades K-3

Children's fiction

Themes: being true to yourself, identity and expression, self acceptance

Summary: Molly is confident that she wants to wear her suit on picture day, and her family has some catching up to do when they find out that Molly doesn't feel like her best self in the dress that they picked out for her.

Connections: This book hit so close to home for me, and it made me remember feeling like there just wasn't a right way to feel confident as a younger student. I would love to do a read aloud with this book in any elementary grade beginning in kindergarten, in hopes that my classroom would be full of students who know that there's no wrong way to express themselves.

Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison

Candlewick Press

April 11, 2023

40 Pages

Grades 2-5

Children's fiction

Themes: Race and racism, determination, succeeding in the face of adversity

Summary: During her competition in the national spelling bee, Macnolia Cox faces racial discrimination that showcases the unfair aspects of her experience in competing

Connections: This book will land well with any student with a strong sense of justice, and might instill one even in those without. I absolutely loved this book for introducing historical content with a familiar concept that all students will likely relate to: unfairness.

Sneed B. Collard III and Howard Gray

Charlesbridge

January 24, 2023

32 Pages

Grades K-3

Autobiographical fiction

Themes: freedom, natural world vs humans, ecosystems and environmental conservation

Summary: two ocelots wander the desert as they attempt to cross a border to find a home, and struggle to do so because manmade structures hinder their journey.

Connections: This story reads as a beautiful account of two wandering animals and can already be appreciated enough for that, and then readers remember its autobiographical nature and are forced to consider a new perspective. I would love to use this story to discuss the feeling of being kept out with an elementary classroom, and to make a classroom effort to avoid making our friends and neighbors feel that way.

Meg Eden Kuyatt

Scholastic Press

(2023)

288 Pages

Grades 3-7

Children's Fiction

Self acceptance and advocacy, neurodivergence

Summary: Selah spends most of her time in school following a set of rules she has to contain herself in order to feel normal. As tension builds, Selah experiences an outburst causing her to harm another student, and must take a deeper look at her needs in order to help people understand that she isn't scary, just a little different.

Connections: I will always appreciate a book that might help my future students understand more about themselves and each other, and for that reason I would love to include this book in my classroom library. I don't remember reading a single book about autism in children when I was growing up, and I'm curious to know what might have been different if I had had access to a story like this. I would absolutely recommend this to any student in a middle grade classroom.

Toni Morrison

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Penguin Publishing Group

November 1973

192 Pages

Grades 9-12

Literary fiction

Themes: Motherhood, gender roles, community identity and suffering, race and racism

Summary: This novel takes place in an impoverished community in Ohio known as The Bottom, where the effects of enslavement are extremely impactful on Sula, whose household and family face difficulties from their community for being different. 

Connections: This book could serve as a great connector in a high school classroom to lessons and impactful conversations on division and the effects of racial segregation, and could provide a powerful connection to a social studies curriculum as well.

Toni Morrison

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

(1970)

224 pages

Grades 9-12

Literary fiction

Themes: Destructive beauty standards, internalized racism, societal oppression, gender roles

Summary: This novel takes place in author Toni Morrison’s hometown in Ohio following the Great Depression, and tells the story of a young girl named Pecola. Pecola believes that her perceived “ugliness” and skin color hold her back from experiencing love and happiness. 

Connections: This book has the potential to provide a great introduction to topics like the harmful effects of societal beauty standards and the power of narrative and perspective, and would be impactful in a high school classroom. 

Cristina Garcia

Ballantine Books

(1992)

272 pages

Grades 9-12

Literary fiction

Themes: intergenerational conflict, history and personal identity, religious diversity, family dynamics, political division

Summary: This novel takes place during the Cuban revolution and tells the story of three generations of the del Pino family and the ways they experience tragedy that holds them back from attaining the futures that they desire. 

Connections: This book could serve as a great way to teach a high school level class about intergenerational struggle and conflict, and could provide a powerful connection to a social studies curriculum as well.

Ellen Hopkins

Margaret K. McElderry Books

August 26, 2008

576 pages

Grades 9-12

Young Adult Literature

Themes: Nature vs nurture, effects of abuse, family dynamics

Summary: Identical by Ellen Hopkins tells the story of two identical twin sisters who prove their differences by responding to a family crisis that alters their lives. Both turn to different harmful behaviors to cope with grief.

Connections: This book would be most appropriate in a high school setting and could provide a basis for a lesson on nature vs nurture, or the contrasting effects of environment vs genetics and family contributions. 

Louis Sachar

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

August 20, 1998

272 pages

Grades 6-8

Children's fiction

Themes: friendship, perseverance, fate, family, justice

Summary: Holes tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, a boy who is sent to a juvenile detention camp after being wrongfully accused of a crime, and must undo the wrongs of his grandfather before his family can break their generational curse.

Connections: I read this with my tutoring client because I remembered loving it as a younger student with a strong sense of justice. He loved it! I would love to include this in my classroom library.

Arnold Lobel

Harper and Row

(1970)

64 pages

Grades K-3

Children's fiction

Themes: accepting differences, the value of friendship, overcoming challenges together

Summary: This book tells the story of two best friends, frog and toad, who navigate various entertaining situations together despite thinking differently

Connection: This was another childhood favorite for me, and I would love to keep it relevant by having a copy of the frog and toad books in my future classroom. I think that elementary students of all ages will enjoy these books because they impart important morals while still being fun and a little bit silly.

Margarita Engle and Rafael Lopez

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

(2015)

48 pages

Grades K-3

Children's fiction

Themes: gender roles and equality, perseverance, cultural heritage, and the power of music

Summary: This book tells the story of a young girl who aspires to play the drums. However, she lives in a community where that is not considered acceptable because she is a girl, and must work hard to prove her dedication and talent to her family.

Connections: One of my favorite kinds of book is the kind where a protagonist hears "no, you can't" and proves "yes, I can." This book is no exception, and the artwork is beautiful. I would love to keep a copy of this book in my classroom library.

Hiba Masood and Hoda Hadadi

Daybreak Press

(2016)

28 pages

Grades K-5

Children's fiction

Themes: gender roles, perseverance, religious tradition

Summary: this book tells the story of a young girl who dreams of playing the drums during a ceremony where no girl has ever been the drummer, and who is forced to work hard and lean on her family for guidance in proving her determination and capability.

Connections: What I like most about this story is that our protagonist had a supportive family that she could rely on when other doubted her. I remember hearing, "no, girls can't do that" from my own family and feeling immensely discouraged, which is part of the reason I think that books like this are necessary to set a strong positive example.

Gene Luen Yang

First Second Books

(2006)

233 pages

Grades 7-12

Graphic novel

Themes: identity, cultural assimilation, self acceptance, and stereotypes and prejudice

Summary: this book weaves together three different stories about perceived Chinese identity, and the relationship between these stories and the characters they represent is explained in the end. Jin, the main character, experiences difficulties attending school after moving to a new city, while the other more stereotypes characters represent his insecurities.

Connections: What I enjoyed most about rereading this book again was the possibility it presented in teaching graphic novels in a literacy setting, which I previously would not have been able to do without guidance! I think that any student dealing with feelings of isolation, especially on a cultural level, should read this book. It reminded me again why I am an advocate for graphic novels in the classroom.

Alan Gratz

Starscape

August 29, 2017

256 pages

Grades 4-6

Children's fiction

Themes: censorship, justice, challenging authority

Summary: this book tells the story of Amy-Anne, who comes to school one day only to find that her favorite book has been banned, and who has to find a way to challenge censorship in her school, and to fight for her right to read.

Connections: This might be my favorite book we've covered in class so far. I think that the protagonist is a great role model for students of any age who want to get involved in advocating for their learning and questioning unfair rules and practices. I would absolutely love to include this book in my classroom library, banned or not.

Craig Thompson

Faber and Faber

September 20, 2011

672 pages

Grades 10+

Graphic novel

Themes: religion, survival, connected spiritualities

Summary: this book, set in a fictional Islamic setting, tells the story of two escaped slaves who must learn to survive and whose relationship represents the changing of the natural world.

Connections: This one made me cry. This book has been banned from numerous libraries for its depictions of controversial topics that usually accompany religion in history, and I would recommend it only to mature readers, maybe in a late high school setting or an accelerated program.

Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney

Little, Brown and Company Books

September 12, 2007

288 pages

Grades 7-12

Young adult fiction

Themes: race and racism, self acceptance, cultural assimilation

Summary: This book tells the story of a boy named Junior, and his experiences attending an all white public school after growing up on a reservation in Washington. Junior is faced with the idea that he must choose between his home and identity and his education and peers.

Connections: I had read some of Sherman Alexie's work before this, and was just as impressed. I think that there are so many lessons embedded in this book that it would be difficult to know where to start in teaching it.

Kimiko Aman and Komako Saka

Chronicle Books

March 14, 2017

32 Pages

Grades P-K

Children's fiction

Themes: generosity, the magic of wishes, and seeing from the perspective of others

Summary: In this story, two siblings stumble across a group of foxes playing with their jump rope in the park, and have to find a way to get along with the foxes in order to understand their wish.

Connections: This book is beautifully illustrated, and I think it would provide the basis for a productive discussion on sharing with others at a kindergarten level.

Yann Martel

New York: Harcourt

(2001)

352 pages

Grades 9-12

Young adult fantasy

Themes: surviving difficult situations, the power of narrative and perspective, science and religion

Summary: An old man tells the story of a boy named Pi, who struggles to reconcile his spiritual upbringing with the disaster that left him stranded on a lifeboat in the ocean with a group of wild animals. Pi has to learn to survive by adopting new perspectives to maintain faith in god.

Connections: This book is haunting in the best way possible, and I think it is another strong example of a method of introducing philosophy, spirituality, and abstract thinking into classroom discussion at a higher grade level. I would love to keep a copy in my classroom library, even if just to watch students react to the surprise ending.

Jonny Sun

HarperCollins

June 27, 2017

304 pages

Grades 4-6

Graphic novel

Themes: embracing individuality, relating to others, universal experiences

Summary: Jomny is an alien whose community sends him to earth to study humans, but Jomny quickly realizes that all humans are different and it can be difficult to determine what it means to be a human. Jomny feels like an outsider on earth, and has to find a way to relate to all the different kinds of human despite feeling different.

Connections: this has been another one of my favorites since I was a kid because I related to Jomny. I think that this book will be a hit in an elementary or middle classroom due to its sense of humor and simple illustrations.

Judy Schachner

Penguin Random House

(2003)

32 pages

Grades 1-5

Children's fiction

Themes: the power of imagination, accepting differences

Summary: Skippyjon is a Siamese cat who knows that he was really meant to be a Chihauhau named el Skippito, a sword fighting bandit. Skippyjon has numerous adventures as his alterego from his closet, where he battles imaginary villians.

Connections: This is another classic that I'm confident most teachers my age read as children, and I would love to incorporate it into a read aloud at a primary grade level to encourage the imagination of my students. I would absolutely include this book in my classroom library.

Sabine Jorg

Arena Verlag GmbH

November 1, 2009

44 pages

Grades 1-5

Children's fiction

Themes: the importance of curiosity and imagination

Summary: this book tells the story of a young boy who likes to play detective and find clues to solve mysteries around his neighborhood, but he has to learn to stay out of trouble.

Connections: I originally read this book in its original language, German, but I think it would be fun to translate it for my class to point out similar and different words!

Ludwig Bemelman

Penguin Group

(1939)

46 pages

Grades K-2

Children's fiction

Themes: breaking free, courage and adventure

Summary: Madeline is a young girl who sticks out from the other girls at her boarding school while they go on adventures with their teacher, and demonstrates bravery by being the most adventurous of the group.

Connections: Madeline was one of my childhood favorites because she looked like me; I loved that there was a story about a little red haired girl who stuck out so badly. I think this story is a great example of making the best of difficult circumstances, and I think its so exciting that I can still read this with my future students almost one hundred years after its original publication.

Don Freeman

Viking Books for Young Readers

(1968)

32 pages

Grades K-4

Children's fiction

Themes: belonging, friendship, and looking beyond first impressions

Summary: Corduroy tells the story of a bear who lives in a department store and dreams of having a home and a friend, but who is often overlooked because of his missing button. A young girl finally brings Corduroy home and gives him a place to belong.

Connections: This book is another classic, and I would love to use it in a read aloud in a younger elementary setting to open a discussion about belonging and first impressions.

Carolyn Keene

Grosset and Dunlap

April 28, 1930

210 pages

Grades 3-7

Children's fiction

Themes: perseverance, justice, and truth

Summary: Protagonist Nancy Drew, a young girl who solves mysteries in her spare time, helps to find the missing will of a recently deceased man whose family is attempting to unfairly inherit his belongings.

Connections: when I was little, I wanted to be Nancy Drew when I grew up. I thought that solving mysteries was one of the most interesting occupations imaginable, and I would love to teach this book, especially now that it is almost one hundred years old.

Alice McLerran and Barbara Cooney

HarperCollins

April 22, 1991

32 pages

Grades K-3

Children's fiction

Themes: imagination, community, coming of age

Summary: a group of children create their own town using the materials that they can find and reenact the creation of a civilization through playing.

Connections: This is another childhood favorite; it made me want to go outside with my friends and create our own village. I remember convincing my little sisters and brothers to find boxes with me to try to build a tiny city in the backyard because I was so inspired (it didn't work.) I think that this book would be helpful in teaching young elementary students about currency, and community standards and responsibilities.

L.A. Meyer

Harcourt Children's Books

September 1, 2002

304 pages

Grades 7-9

Themes: adventure, courage, gender roles

Summary: this book tells the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to begin a life at sea and escape poverty as an orphan in London.

Connections: Yet another childhood favorite. My strongest connections to this book include the childhood notion that everything would be easier for boys, and that this book was the first one banned from my school's library.

Eric Carle

World Publishing Company

June 3, 1969

26 pages

Grades K-1

Children's fiction

Themes: transformation and growth

Summary: this book tells the story of a caterpillar who gets so hungry that he eats everything he can find while demonstrating the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly.

Connections: I would love to use this book as a read aloud to teach the life cycle of a butterfly to a primary class.

ND Stevenson

HarperCollins

May 12, 2015

272 pages

Grades 6-12

Comic books and graphic novels

Themes: transformation, magic, found family

Summary: this book tells the story of a young creature who can take on various magical forms, and who learns about good and evil from a mad scientist who might not be as bad as he thinks.

Connections: In a higher grade level setting, this graphic novel could be a great way to introduce a unit on folklore and fairy tales. I would use it to prompt a creative writing assignment that subverts one traditional element of classic folklore.

Ann M. Martin

Scholastic Paperbacks

August 1986

176 pages

Grades 3-7

Children's fiction

Themes: acceptance of difference, community, taking responsibility

Summary: this book tells the story of a group of girls who get together and decide to start a business caring for children in their neighborhood, but they have to remember to get along with each other despite their differences in order to demonstrate responsibility.

Connections: one of my favorite things about these books is their ability to make mundane things seem exciting. Babysitting was a chore when I was growing up, and this book offered a new perspective on the ways that taking responsibility can actually feel really important and fulfilling, even for a kid.

Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall

Chronicle Books

April 2006

120 Pages

Grades 1-5

Children's fiction

Themes: benefits of friendship and cooperation

Summary: This book tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two girls who think they have nothing in common, and who come to realize that this works out perfectly for their adventures together.

Connections: I would love to include this book in my classroom library as a reminder to students not to judge others based on surface level impressions, because a lifelong friend can be found anywhere.

Maurice Sendak

HarperCollins

April 9, 1963

40 pages

Grades K-3

Children's fiction

Themes: Adventure, imagination, the importance of home and family

Summary: a young boy named Max sails away to an island in his bedroom after getting into an argument with his mother, but he soon grows tired of being king of all the wild things and has to find his way back home.

Connections: I think that this book would make a great read aloud with a Kindergarten or first grade class, and could lead into a discussion about what the best way to deal with anger or other big emotions is. I also read this one with my tutoring client this year and he loved it.

Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake

George Allen and Unwin

June 1, 1970

112 pages

Grades 3-7

Children's fiction

Themes: family, survival, and class struggle

Summary: this book tells the story of a fox who outsmarts three farmers in order to feed his family, but has to struggle to evade capture for stealing.

Connections: while this book has elements of Roald Dahl's silly storytelling, it can also be used to prompt classroom discussion about right and wrong. I think it would be fun to pair a reading of this book with a classroom contract outlining how we would like to be treated at school.

Roald Dahl and Lane Smith

Knopf Books for Young Readers

(1961)

176 pages

Grades 3-7

Children's fiction

Themes: relationships between children and adults, growing up, adventure and resilience

Summary: following the death of his parents, a young boy named James lives with his aunts and dreams of leaving to go on an adventure. When a giant peach grows in the garden, James befriends a group of bugs and leaves to create a new life.

Connections: What I loved most about this book as a younger student was its absurdity. I think that it takes a great writer to create a silly book while still imparting a strong moral or message, and I would love to read this with a future class of elementary students.

Christopher Paul Curtis

Random House Children's Books

(1999)

288 pages

Grades 5-7

Historical fiction

Themes: race and racism, economic hardship, belonging, and perseverance

Summary: This book tells the story of an orphaned boy named Bud, who runs away in search of his father and finds a city that feels like home and a jazz band that feels like family.

Connections: I think that this book would be a great introduction to a social studies or history unit for younger grade levels, and provides a relatable character who young readers can identify with to make history applicable on a personal level.

Roald Dahl

Puffin Books

October 1, 1988

256 pages

Grades 3-7

Children's fiction

Themes: found family, magic, gender roles

Summary: Matilda is a young girl who experiences cruelty at the hands of her family and her school administration until she discovers that she can use magic, and finds family in her kind teacher who she lets in on her secret abilities.

Connections: Besides being about magic, I think one of the most impactful features of this story is a good teacher who changes the lives of her students by presenting a kind and understanding figure. I aspire to be like Ms. Honey!