Salamanca, a thirteen-year girl who has “Indian-ness in her blood, only wants her mother to come back home to her and her father. Sal’s grandparents take a road trip to visit her mother. During the long road trip, Sal tells her grandparents the story of her friend, Phoebe, but during the story Sal’s story comes to light.
Amazing Grace is a story about a young african american girl that loves to read stories and act. In this story, Grace wants the lead role in the play, Peter Pan. The children in her class thought she was crazy. Peter Pan was NOT a girl, and he most certainly was NOT black. The children in this book tease Grace, but she tries out for the part anyway. Grace may not have had much support from her classmates, but her mother and granmother supported her to the fullest. They always tell her, “Grace, you can be anything you want to be.” Grace takes this advice and runs with it. She knows she can get the part and be the best for it. The best part of this story is that Grace does get the part and she does a great job as Peter Pan. This is a great book to read to children. It teaches them that anyone can be anything they want to be. Skin color and gender does not matter.
This is a wonderful book! It shows the innocence of children and the love they have in their hearts. Children are pure and loving, and this book exhibits how children see with their hearts. This book is about two girls separated by a fence and the color of their skin. They overcome others opinions and become friends because it is what feels right. This book is wonderful and inspirational.
This is a stroy about a young Chinese immigrant and his survival on American soil. He finds what he loves and defeats the odds. This is a story of a brave young man in a big new world.
Coolies is a wonderful book, written by Yin, that puts a spotlight on a sad time in America’s history, the labor of Chinese and other Asian workers for the building of our railroad systems. This is the story of two brothers who toil diligently under the authority of a harsh American labor-driver. The story ends on a happy note, with the brothers settling down in San Francisco.
Mr. Lincoln’s Way is about a young boy who thinks the same way as his father, who believes that anyone different from them is not as good as he is. Mr. Lincoln, a black principal, brings the young boy out of his way of thinking by using the analogy of birds. He says that birds are all different, but they all live together in harmony. In the end, the boy is accepting of everyone else, thanks to his principal, his grandfather, and the birds.
It is the time of the Great Depression, but thirteen-year-old Esperanza Ortega has lived all of her life on her family’s beautiful Mexican ranchero, El Rancho de las Rosas, and therefore has never known the despair of poverty or hunger. But, a sudden tragedy shatters Esperanza’s dreams for the future and forces her and her mama to flee their beloved home to find work in California at a Mexican farm labor camp. There, they must embark on a new way of life, and Esperanza learns the challenges of hard work and prejudice and even more importantly, the value of friendship and familia, family. Esperanza Rising offers a unique perspective on the Great Depression and eerily parallels the plight of many Mexican immigrants in America today. This beautifully written book, would be a wonderful selection for book-talks and class discussions.
This is a great multicultural book about a low-riding cat that tries to trick his new mice neighbors into being his supper for the night. The Chato makes tortillas, beans and salsa, fajitas, enchiladas, carne asada, chiles rellenos, flan, and a large pitcher of tamarindo. When the little mice show up with their friend, Chorizo, which is a dog, the Chato forgets his plans of mice for dinner. This book will bring a smile to the whole classroom.
A short biography about jazz legend Louis Armstrong. It tells about how he was a poor young man growing up in New Orleans. Every night, the city would come alive with the sound of music. Louis decided that he wanted to become a musician and started working for money so he could buy a trumpet. He and his friends sang for coins on the street. He has a bit of misfortune when he is arrested and taken away from New Orleans. The jail had a band and he is eventually invited to join and from their learns to play the trumpet and realize his dream.
This book is about a young boy, living in Cairo, who helps his family out by delivering gas cannisters throughout the city. Ahmed narrates the story, and points out, with pride, how hard he works and how proud he is of the work he does. The history of Cairo and the desert is intermingled with the sounds and sights of a city–both modern and ancient.