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Social Studies
Social Studies > sociology
Social Studies > sociology > social issues
    Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World
      Minute biographies of 26 illustrious women with quotes from each. Discover woman who have changed people's lives and read about their childhood, hardships and successes to inspire girls and women of all ages.
      Author: Chin-Lee, Cynthia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World
      Minute biographies of 26 illustrious women with quotes from each. Discover woman who have changed people's lives and read about their childhood, hardships and successes to inspire girls and women of all ages.
      Author: Chin-Lee, Cynthia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine and the Lawless Years of Prohibition
      This book is an in-depth look at the people and motivations behind prohibition and the factors that lead to the repeal of the amendment. It is an example of well written nonfiction. Engaging text is supported by primary source photos and newspaper article
      Author: Blumenthal, Karen HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Chess Rumble
      Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
      Author: Neri, G.

    Chess Rumble
      Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
      Author: Neri, G.

    Fannie in the Kitchen
      Accompanied by delightful Victorian-style illustrations, this biography of Fannie Farmer, the cookbook writer, is told in a storybook format with a recipe and cooking tips thrown in for good measure.
      Author: Hopkinson, Deborah

    Riding the Tiger
      This is an allegory that features a bored, lonely 10-year-old's who is offered a ride by an exciting and somewhat scary tiger and discovers that it is easier to get on the tiger than to get off.
      Author: Bunting, Eve HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    War, The
      A young prince, who dislikes war, cleverly provides an alternative to fighting.
      Author: Vaugelade, Anais

    Why War Is Never A Good Idea
      This beautifully illustrated poetic essay uses images of water and earth to communicate the destructiveness of war. Dscribes war as a "something which has grown old, but not wise as it destroys beautiful things and nice people."
      Author: Walker, Alice HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > abortion
    Hip-Pocket Papa
      The story of an Australian male frog, the size of a thumbnail, who has special pouches to carry his tadpoles until they mature. This little papa is entrusted with the responsibility to nurture and care for his children as they grow from tadpoles to young
      Author: Markle, Sandra HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | science

    More Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers
      These three stories fit with George Ella Lyon's collection Choices, but were not included in the original collection because some readers found them too controversial. Our readers found them powerful and moving, addressing life situations that m
      Author: Lyon, George Ella

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > aging
    Angel for Solomon Singer, An
      In this urban story, a transplanted Hoosier lives a lonely life in New York City and looks for warmth and companionship.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia

    Every Living Thing
      Each story in this collection features an animal, and in every case the existence of the animal helps to foster the feelings of love or compassion in the people. The stories touch upon topics such as alcoholism, aging, loneliness, and foster parenting.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia

    Hired Hand, The
      When Old Sam hires a new hand to work at the sawmill, the hired hand teaches Sam's lazy son a lesson when the son tries to con an old man. Retold from an oral African American tale, the story is beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
      Author: San Souci, R. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Kamishibai Man
      The award-winning author/illustrator introduces the reader to the street storytelling tradition of the "paper-theater man" from his Japanese childhood.
      Author: Say, Allen

    Mind's Eye
      This is a novel in play form. Courtney, 16 and paralyzed, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman and a game they play--taking an imaginary trip to Italy using a 1910 Baedeker's guidebook.
      Author: Fleischman, Paul HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Miss Rumphius
      The Lupine Lady, the great-aunt of the narrator, travels around the world but returns to Maine to plant lupines and make her world a better place.
      Author: Cooney, Barbara HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa
      Shonto Begay's artwork has been celebrated throughout the southwestern U.S. for decades. Twenty of his paintings are the illustrations for this book. Each painting is accompanied by a poem.
      Author: Begay, Shonto

    Stone Water
      Grant, a 15-year-old boy, grapples with his grandfather's request to remove him from life support systems. This is a realistic and emotionally riveting portrayal of issues surrounding death.
      Author: Gilbert, Barbara

    Sweet Music in Harlem
      Inspired by a real photograph of jazz musicians taken in 1958, the fictional story recounts young C. J.'s search through Harlem for his uncle's hat, a hat his uncle wants to wear in a photograph. Included is the historical photograph with the identities
      Author: Taylor, Debbie HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Very Best of Friends, The
      When a farmer dies, his wife deals with her grief by ignoring (hating) his favorite cat, until she finally realizes that they could find companionship with each other.
      Author: Wild, Margaret

    Wolf on the Fold
      Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
      Author: Clarke, Judith

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > aging > senior citizens
    Bucking the Sarge
      Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
      Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul

    Hundred Penny Box, A
      A young boy loves his Great Aunt Dew, her stories, and her box of one hundred pennies, one for each of her birthdays. But Michael's mother is impatient with them both and wants to throw the box out.
      Author: Mathis, Sharon

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > assisted suicide
    Stone Water
      Grant, a 15-year-old boy, grapples with his grandfather's request to remove him from life support systems. This is a realistic and emotionally riveting portrayal of issues surrounding death.
      Author: Gilbert, Barbara

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > change
    America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories
      This is a collection of 14 short stories about people with many different cultural heritages and ethnic backgrounds.
      Author: Mazer, Anne (ed.) HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Eleanor Roosevelt
      Freedman relates this biography of Eleanor Roosevelt with the interest of suspense fiction which is accompanied by extensive archival photographs. The book traces her evolution from a shy young girl from an unhappy home to America's most acclaimed First
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Flood
      As Sarajean and her family prepare for and deal with the devastating Midwest floods of 1993, they discover what is truly important during a time of trouble.
      Author: Calhoun, Mary

    Freedom's Children
      Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
      Author: Levine, Ellen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Giver, The
      This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
      Author: Lowry, Lois

    Gold Coin, The
      A thief follows an old woman and learns a lesson about giving.
      Author: Ada, Alma F.

    Maria De Sautuola: The Bulls in the Cave
      The scientific world did not accept until 1902 the discovery of prehistoric cave painting in Altamira, Spain, which was discovered by 9-year-old Maria De Sautuola in 1879.
      Author: Fradin, Dennis HSE Descriptors: social studies

    My Place
      This award-winning Australian picture book shows life in one specific spot in Australia, while moving backward in time (two pages for each depiction). It begins in 1988 with a child describing her community and her pet, and each subsequent set of pages m
      Author: Wheatley, Nadia & Rawlins, Donna HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Native Americans
      Rather than focus on individual tribes, the editors chose to organize the text and illustrations by cultural topics such as dress, transportation, rituals, and livelihood. Information boxes augment the brief text, giving the appearance of an intermediate
      Author: Thomas, David & Pendleton, Lorann (Eds.) HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Our House
      Based on her research and interviews, the author tells fictional stories of families in Levittown-one chapter for each decade since the 1940's when the community was developed. The stories are told from a child's point of view but involve the family unit
      Author: Conrad, Pam HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand
      Pearl M., a long-time resident of her city street, refuses to let the city chop down the last gingko tree on the block. The book depicts the different ethnic groups that have moved on the street, but shows a real community of people interacting and livin
      Author: Levine, Arthur A.

    River Ran Wild, A
      This book recounts the history of the Nashua River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire life from idyllic Algonquin Indian times to industrial pollution to a restored river due to the efforts of Marion Stoddart who coordinated a citizen campaign. The text
      Author: Cherry, Lynn HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    Seedfolks
      Thirteen people of different ethnic backgrounds who are strangers to each other tell their stories of a vacant lot in Cleveland that becomes a neighborhood garden. The book jacket refers to the "harvest of hidden lives" and a "hymn to the power of plants
      Author: Fleischman, Paul

    Theodoric's Rainbow
      Although Theodoric of Freiberg lived, wrote, and experimented from 1250 AD to 1311 AD, the author has created a fictionalized personal life of this man who studied reflection and refraction of light in a period in which science was in conflict with religi
      Author: Kramer, Stephen HSE Descriptors: science

    Veil of Snows, The
      In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
      Author: Helprin, Mark HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Wall, The: Growing up behind the iron curtain
      Author-illustrator Peter Sis documents his growing up in Czechoslovakia behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, using extraordinary drawings in black, white, and red that precede two-page spreads of journal entries. Because the running text at the b
      Author: Sis, Peter HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading | language arts - writing

    What You Know First
      A young girl does not want to leave the family farm that is being sold. She resolves her feelings realistically. The woodcut illustrations that look like old color-tinted photographs add veracity to the text.
      Author: MacLachlan, Patricia

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > child labor
    Boy of the Deeps
      On his first day in the coal mines, a boy with his father survive an accident.
      Author: Wallace, Ian HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Cheap Raw Material: How Our Youngest Workers Are Exploited and Abused
      This book is a chronological nonfiction account of children as laborers. Child labor in the U.S. is the focus, but historical background (e.g., Rome, England) is also provided. This history is chronicled through quotations from primary sources, stories
      Author: Meltzer, Milton HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Chimney Sweeps
      From the 12th century to today, here is a look at the folklore and history surrounding the chimney sweep.
      Author: Giblin, James Cross HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Growing Up in Coal Country
      Based on primary documents and oral histories, this book tells the stories of life in the coal mines in eastern Pennsylvania around the turn of the 20th century.
      Author: Bartoletti, Susan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Immigrant Kids
      In this unique book, noted nonfiction writer Russell Freedman offers a rare glimpse of what it meant to be a young newcomer to America in the early 1900s.
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Kids At Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor
      This book tells the story of Lewis Hine, a teacher and photographer who became so concerned about children working in factories that he became an investigative reporter for the National Child Labor Committee in the early 20th century. The pictures he too
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Marven of the Great North Woods
      Marven's immigrant Russian Jewish family sends him alone by train and by ski to a logging camp in Minnesota to escape the diphtheria epidemic in the city of Duluth. He finds a niche for himself in very different cultural surroundings through the friendsh
      Author: Lasky, Kathryn

    Stolen Dreams
      This collection of photographic essays on child labor around the world explores the physical and political conditions, the economic and health effects, and what can be done to reduce it. The author/photographer includes a list of questions, a bibliograph
      Author: Parker, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America
      An historical look at the influence cotton has had on the economy and people of the United States. The author traces the cotton industry from colonial times through the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the Southern plantations to the mill towns lik
      Author: Hopkinson, Deborah HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America
      An historical look at the influence cotton has had on the economy and people of the United States. The author traces the cotton industry from colonial times through the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the Southern plantations to the mill towns lik
      Author: Hopkinson, Deborah HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Voices from the Fields
      Photographs, poems, and interviews capture glimpses of life for today's migrant children.
      Author: Atkin, S. Beth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Waiting for the Owl's Call
      This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
      Author: Whelan, Gloria HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Waiting for the Owl's Call
      This narrative is rich in beautiful language - similes, personifications that describes the daily lives of Afghanistani children who work at rug looms looms using ancient patterns handed down from their ancestors. The narrator mentally creates new patter
      Author: Whelan, Gloria HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Working Children
      The author presents the history of child labor in America in four chapters, written with two easy-to-read paragraphs per page , and illustrated with archival black-and-white photogaphs. What distinguishes this book for use in a classroom is the back matt
      Author: Saller, Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > civil disobedience
    Butterfly, The
      During the Nazi occupation of France, Monique discovers that her mother is a member of the Resistance, and that a secret trap door conceals a Jewish family in hiding. Monique and the secret "guest" become nighttime playmates until terror threatens.
      Author: Polacco, Patricia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Forbidden Schoolhouse
      With the help of her family and a few powerful friends, Prudence Crandall began a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833 despite boycotts, vandalism, and legal battles. An appendix provides historical research on the student
      Author: Jurmain, Suzanne HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom on the Menu
      The author portrays the 1960's Civil Rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina through the eyes of a young Southern black girls. Richly muted paintings illustrate the story.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom Walkers
      This detailed account of the Montgomery bus boycott that began the Civil Rights Movement includes material on the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, but also focuses on other heroes like Rev. Robert Graetz, Joanne Robinson and
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Gandhi
      The remarkable life of Mahatma Gandhi is told through simple text and beautiful Moghul-inspired illustrations. An author's note includes additional information and maps locate the principle places involved in his life.
      Author: Demi HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Hoot
      This charming and funny young adult mystery by the well-known adult mystery writer, Carl Hiassen, involves corporate greed, suburban expansion, environmental protection, child abuse and neglect, bullying, and social protest.
      Author: Hiassen, Carl

    John Brown: One Man Against Slavery
      This book tells the story of John Brown, White abolitionist and dissident, from the point of view of his daughter Annie. The book brings historical ideas and moral conflicts alive in a personal and elaborate way. The book answers the question: Can one p
      Author: Everett, Gwen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Mandela
      This picture book biography tells Nelson Mandela's story, from his childhood to his imprisonment and ultimate freedom.
      Author: Cooper, Floyd HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Miss Crandall's School
      In innovative sonnet form, the authors tell the story of Prudence Crandall who ran a school for "young ladies and little misses of color" in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1831 until boycotts, vandalism and persecution forced the school to close. An introdu
      Author: Alexander, Elizabeth & Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    My Dream of Martin Luther King
      The author tells the story of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a dream with King as a young boy suffering the injustices of segregation. Her strong paintings, more somber than her usual colorful quilt-like illustrations, give a solidity to the drea
      Author: Ringgold, Faith HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, The
      This two-act play is about Thoreau's nonviolent acts of civil disobedience and about his waning friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson.
      Author: Lawrence, Jerome & Lee, Robert E. HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, The
      Margaret Rose Kane, 12 years old, escapes oppressive summer camp with the help of her great-uncles and then helps them rescue from urban renewal the sculptural "towers" that they have been creating for 45 years.
      Author: Konigsburg, E. L.

    Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand
      Pearl M., a long-time resident of her city street, refuses to let the city chop down the last gingko tree on the block. The book depicts the different ethnic groups that have moved on the street, but shows a real community of people interacting and livin
      Author: Levine, Arthur A.

    Persepolis 2
      This graphic novel sequel to Persepolis, depicts the author's rebellious adolescence and early adulthood among dissident outsider friends in Vienna and her voluntary return to her family in fundamentalist Tehran. Readers should be cautioned about referen
      Author: Satrapi, Marjane HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Picture Book of Sojourner Truth, A
      As with the other Adler biographies, most readers will find this book engaging and thought provoking. It tells the life story of Sojourner Truth, an African-American woman who lived through most of the 19th century. The book ends with author's notes and
      Author: Adler, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Rose Blanche
      A young girl shares her food with those behind barbed wire in Nazi Germany. The title was the name of the German resistance movement during Hitler's regime.
      Author: Innocenti, Roberto HSE Descriptors: social studies

    This Is the Dream
      Accessible poetry and vivid illustrations portray the dreams and accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. The illustrator uses interesting collages for some borders and the endpapers.
      Author: Shore, Diane & Alexander, Jessica HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Underground Railroad, The
      The photos and illustrations and text combine into a wonderful teaching tool on slavery. Several readers commented on how much new information they gleaned from this book of nonfiction. The book includes a timeline.
      Author: Bial, Raymond HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa
      The true story of how Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan educated in the USA, started a movement to replant trees in Kenya, one seedling at a time. Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize for replenishing of the forests in her country.
      Author: Winter, Jeanette HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Wanted Dead or Alive: The True Story of Harriet Tubman
      This is a spellbinding yet simply written account of Harriet Tubman and how she led hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
      Author: McGovern, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

    We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin
      Bayard Rustin's biography not only emphasizes his well-known role as advisor and organizer to leadership in the Civil Rights Movement but expands our view with his activities as speaker, singer, actor, artist, and non-violent activist. This biography pro
      Author: Brimner, Larry Dane HSE Descriptors: social studies

    We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
      Tells the story of the Birmingham Children's March through four participants. As the events unfold, the different perspectives and motivations of the participants shed light on the dynamics of the civil rights movement. In addition to the personal stori
      Author: Levinson, Cynthia HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > crime
    Farewell, John Barleycorn
      This book tells the story of what happened after Prohibition began (1/17/20). Authentic illustrations and photographs illustrate the volume.
      Author: Hintz, Martin HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Holes
      This story-within-a-story tells of Stanley Yelnats (and his distant relatives, one of whom "cursed" the family), mistakenly sent to a juvenile corrections camp in Texas. At the corrections camp, Stanley finds a real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of
      Author: Sachar, Louis

    Rite of Passage
      The book is set in Harlem in the late 1940s. Protagonist Johnny Gibbs, 15, is a model child and student until he learns that he is a foster child who must go to live with another family. Johnny feels betrayed and reacts by running away. What follows pu
      Author: Wright, Richard HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > crime > murder
    Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure
      Alice Ramsey and three other women face floods, mud, and travel without maps as they drive from New York to San Francisco--in 1909. The charming watercolors add realistic humor to the narrative.
      Author: Brown, Don HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Blanche on the Lam
      A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
      Author: Neely, B. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
      This somewhat repetitive account of the brutal death of Emmett Till, the Chicago 14-year-old boy visiting Mississippi, argues that the media coverage of the trial and the subsequent outrage of the public provided the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement
      Author: Crowe, Chris HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Good Brother, Bad Brother
      Subtitled "The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth," this long biography portrays their lives before and after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. This is a GED level book.
      Author: Giblin, James Cross HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Monster
      16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. This riveting book tells his story in the form of his journals and a film script he is writing.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean

    October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
      On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
      Author: Newman, Leslea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Perfect Shot, The
      Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
      Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > crime > stealing
    Day's Work, A
      When a Mexican-American boy tries to help his Spanish-speaking grandfather find a day's work, he lies about what the man is qualified to do. After a full day, the lie is exposed, and the grandfather teaches the boy a lesson about honesty.
      Author: Bunting, Eve

    smoky night
      1
      Author: bunting, eve HSE Descriptors: literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > drug addiction
    Teacup Full of Roses
      Three brothers live with their mother, disabled father and aging aunt in Washington, D.C. during the Vietnam war. Paul, the oldest and his mother's favorite, returns home from another drug rehabilitation program just as Joe, the middle very responsible s
      Author: Mathis, Sharon HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > drug addiction > alcoholism
    Because of Winn-Dixie
      10-year-old Opal and her preacher father move to a small Florida town. Opal finds a dog (Winn-Dixie), gradually eases her loneliness, and learns to accept some losses.
      Author: DiCamillo, Kate

    Dog Lost
      An eleven-year old boy and pit bull terrier become best of friends. In an angry rage, the father throws the dog out into the street and the dog is forced to survive. Eventually the boy and his dog are reunited but not before the dog becomes a local hero
      Author: Lee, Ingrid HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Every Living Thing
      Each story in this collection features an animal, and in every case the existence of the animal helps to foster the feelings of love or compassion in the people. The stories touch upon topics such as alcoholism, aging, loneliness, and foster parenting.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia

    Finding Lincoln
      Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
      Author: Malaspina, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Finding Lincoln
      Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
      Author: Malaspina, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice
      These are stories about the Freedom Riders during the early years of the Civil Rights movement. The detail and "human" perspective provided goes well beyond most written descriptions. This is an engaging account of the actions of incredibly brave heroes.
      Author: Haskins, James HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
      Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
      Author: Walls, Jeannette

    Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
      Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
      Author: Walls, Jeannette

    To Hell with Dying
      Because of the controversial subject matter and the language of the title, this book would have to be introduced carefully and treated sensitively. The author tells the story of growing up down the road from old alcoholic Mr. Sweet, who would fall on his
      Author: Walker, Alice

    Young Man and the Sea, The
      In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
      Author: Philbrick, Rodman

    Young Man and the Sea, The
      In an attempt to push his father out of the alcohol-fueled funk he's been in since his wife died, 12-year-old Skiff Beaman repairs the family fishing boat and meets a 900-lb. tuna 30 miles at sea.
      Author: Philbrick, Rodman

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > epidemics
    American Plague, An
      Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boy Who Saved Cleveland, The
      During a malarial epidemic in the late 18th century Cleveland, Ohio, ten-year-old Seth Doan surprises his family, his neighbors, and himself by having the strength to carry and grind enough corn to feed everyone.
      Author: Giblin, James Cross HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Fever 1793
      This is a very compelling fictionalization of life for one teenaged girl, her family, and her friends during the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
      Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Invisible Enemies
      This well-written but long book describes seven deadly diseases--Small Pox, Leprosy, Plague, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Cholera, and AIDS--the epidemics they caused, and the treatments developed by courageous scientists. The author includes a glossary, a bib
      Author: Farrell, Jeanette HSE Descriptors: science

    Marven of the Great North Woods
      Marven's immigrant Russian Jewish family sends him alone by train and by ski to a logging camp in Minnesota to escape the diphtheria epidemic in the city of Duluth. He finds a niche for himself in very different cultural surroundings through the friendsh
      Author: Lasky, Kathryn

    Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History
      A look at the spread of six major diseases and how they changed history and culture. Included are bubonic plague, smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, and influenza. A glossery of terms used is included.
      Author: Barnard, Bryn HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    When Plague Strikes: The Black Death, Smallpox, AIDS
      This carefully written book contains three parts: a prologue, a five-chapter account of the Black Plague, a five-chapter account of the causes and effects of smallpox, a seven-chapter account of AIDS, and a fascinating conclusion on the failures of antibi
      Author: Giblin, James Cross HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > epidemics > AIDS
    Chanda's Secrets
      Sixteen-year-old Chanda, who lives in a fictional sub-Saharan country that is feeling the impact of HIV/AIDS psychologically(fears, lies, and sundered relationships)and socially (ostracism of tainted people, necessity of hiding), takes a courageous stand
      Author: Stratton, Allan HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > exploitation
    Bucking the Sarge
      Teenage Luther, who is exploited by his slumlord mother, keeps his equilbrium through many humorous misadventures before finding his own way.
      Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul

    Full Steam Ahead: The Race to Build a Transcontinental Railroad
      The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 granted a company in California the right to lay railroad tracks east and another to lay tracks west beginning at the Mississippi River. Payment for the work, in land and money, was based on the number of miles covered. T
      Author: Blumberg, Rhoda HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Me, All Alone, at the End of the World
      A boy enjoys living quietly by himself at the End of the World until Constantine Shimmer arrives and begins to "improve" the area with an inn and amusement park, demanding that tourists come and have "fun without end.
      Author: Anderson, M.T. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    My Heroes, My People
      Portraits of native American, Africans, and people of mixed race--both images and brief biographies--present a less well-known history of the American West. A Note on Sources and Further Reading and an index promote classroom use. The unusual illustratio
      Author: Monceaux, Morgan & Katcher, Ruth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    My Sister's Keeper
      Set in modern day Rhode Island, this novel tells the story of two sisters: Kate, the elder sister, has a rare form of leukemia and Anna, the younger sister, was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister. This book deals with medical and moral ethics
      Author: Picoult, Jodi

    Rabbits, The
      A myth/allegory about rabbits who take over a country and destroy the environment. The illustrations are simultaneously thought-provoking, beautiful, and ominous. The type face may confuse new readers although it is large and easy to read.
      Author: Marsden, John

    Sold
      Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
      Author: McCormick, Patricia HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Swan Song
      The poet and artist collaborated to create poetic, humorous post-mortems for extinct creatures. A timeline crawls across the bottom margin and back matter provides more information about the creatures and their habitats.
      Author: Lewis, J. Patrick HSE Descriptors: science

    Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side
      Lots of photographs and a fairly easy-to-read text tell the story of the tenements that were built to house immigrants during the turn of the century (19th - 20th). Further reading includes books for adults and children as well as related WWW sites.
      Author: Bial, Raymond HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America
      An historical look at the influence cotton has had on the economy and people of the United States. The author traces the cotton industry from colonial times through the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the Southern plantations to the mill towns lik
      Author: Hopkinson, Deborah HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America
      An historical look at the influence cotton has had on the economy and people of the United States. The author traces the cotton industry from colonial times through the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the Southern plantations to the mill towns lik
      Author: Hopkinson, Deborah HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Why War Is Never A Good Idea
      This beautifully illustrated poetic essay uses images of water and earth to communicate the destructiveness of war. Dscribes war as a "something which has grown old, but not wise as it destroys beautiful things and nice people."
      Author: Walker, Alice HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > gangs
    Monster
      16-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. This riveting book tells his story in the form of his journals and a film script he is writing.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean

    Rite of Passage
      The book is set in Harlem in the late 1940s. Protagonist Johnny Gibbs, 15, is a model child and student until he learns that he is a foster child who must go to live with another family. Johnny feels betrayed and reacts by running away. What follows pu
      Author: Wright, Richard HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Voices from the Fields
      Photographs, poems, and interviews capture glimpses of life for today's migrant children.
      Author: Atkin, S. Beth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Your Move
      When gang initiation threatens his younger brother, James summons the courage to make up his own mind.
      Author: Bunting, Eve

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > homelessness
    Bird House, The
      This is a modern-day fairy tale that features a homeless girl, an old woman, and birds with magical powers.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia

    Black Cat
      A black cat explores an urban neighborhood. The stunning illustrations are a combination of painting and photography.
      Author: Myers, Christopher HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    December
      Simon and his mother celebrate Christmas in the cardboard house they built for themselves. They offer to share the little they have with an old woman. Later, Simon sees a miracle.
      Author: Bunting, Eve HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Fly Away Home
      A homeless boy and his dad live at the airport while the father tries to find an apartment and a job. They hide out from airport officials but receive support from another down-on-their-luck family.
      Author: Bunting, Eve

    Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
      Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
      Author: Walls, Jeannette

    Glass Castle, The: A Memoir
      Jeannette Walls' memoir of her dysfunctional but vibrant family and the resilience and loyalty they exhibited.
      Author: Walls, Jeannette

    Gowanus Dogs
      A homeless man meets some homeless dogs. The meeting changes everyone's life.
      Author: Frost, Jonathan

    Mud City
      Shauzia, with her dog, has fled Afghanistan and survives on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan, and in a refugee camp. This is the second part of a trilogy.
      Author: Ellis, Deborah HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > immigration
    Ajeemah and His Son
      This very powerful, short chapter book (83 pages) is set first in Africa, then on a slave ship, and then in Jamaica where Ajeemah and his son are taken. It tells the story of a father and son who are captured outside of their village and torn from their
      Author: Berry, James HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Amazing Potato, The
      A wonderful example of thematic writing, this book about the potato includes everything you want to know--and then some. The photographs, fact boxes, sketches, annotated bibliography, index, and interestingly written text produce a self-contained integra
      Author: Meltzer, Milton HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories
      This is a collection of 14 short stories about people with many different cultural heritages and ethnic backgrounds.
      Author: Mazer, Anne (ed.) HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Angel Island
      An historical account of the discrimination against the Asian immigrants in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Angel Island, located near Alcatraz Island, was the Ellis Island of the west coast of the U.S. but was more of a prison than a welcoming center. Drawi
      Author: Russell Freedman HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Arrival, The
      An amazing and complex immigration story told in a wordless format. Once you start "reading", it's hard to stop - each picture draws you to the next.
      Author: Tan, Shaun HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Arrival, The
      An amazing and complex immigration story told in a wordless format. Once you start "reading", it's hard to stop - each picture draws you to the next.
      Author: Tan, Shaun HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Barrio
      Photographs present the life of Jose and his family who live in a barrio or Hispanic neighborhood in San Francisco. A glossary contains Spanish words used in the story. One reviewer felt that the glorification/simplification of the issues addressed may m
      Author: Ancona, George HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black Potatoes
      The causes and consequences of the Irish potato famine are examined, using individual portraits and anecdotes. Archival photographs, a map of the counties of Ireland, a bibliography, and a timeline complement the text.
      Author: Bartoletti, Susan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Block, The
      This collection of Langston Hughes poems is complemented by the illustrations of Romare Beardon. An introduction by Bill Cosby precedes the collection, and biographies of the poet and artist conclude it.
      Author: Hughes, Langston HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Butterfly Seeds, The
      When Jake sails with his family for America, his grandfather gives him a gift of special seeds that will evoke memories of his grandfather in his new home.
      Author: Watson, Mary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Full Steam Ahead: The Race to Build a Transcontinental Railroad
      The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 granted a company in California the right to lay railroad tracks east and another to lay tracks west beginning at the Mississippi River. Payment for the work, in land and money, was based on the number of miles covered. T
      Author: Blumberg, Rhoda HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Ghost Train
      Choon-yi is a painter. Her father leaves China for North America to find work. He asks her to join him, but when she arrives, she discovers that he has been killed on the job. As Choon-yi tries to paint the train, a ghostly presence beckons her.
      Author: Yee, Paul

    Grab Hands and Run
      Based on a true story, this 165-page book tells of twelve-year-old Felipe, his sister, and his mother as they flee El Salvador when his father disappears. The family escapes, hides, and runs until, caught, they are finally placed in a new home in Canada.
      Author: Temple, Frances HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Grandfather's Journey
      This book shows through its photographic-like illustrations and through its minimal text the displacement people feel when they immigrate, the longing they have for the old country and old ways, and the confusion that new loyalties bring.
      Author: Say, Allen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Grandmother and the Runaway Shadow
      When she was a young girl, Grandmother immigrated to America from Russia accompanied by her shadow. Together, they made a new home.
      Author: Rosenberg, Liz HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Growing Up in Coal Country
      Based on primary documents and oral histories, this book tells the stories of life in the coal mines in eastern Pennsylvania around the turn of the 20th century.
      Author: Bartoletti, Susan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    How Many Days to America?
      The narrator, a child from an unnamed Caribbean island, escapes the soldiers and the island with his family and takes a dangerous boat trip back to the US. At the end they celebrate with a meal and give thanks.
      Author: Bunting, Eve HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Immigrant Kids
      In this unique book, noted nonfiction writer Russell Freedman offers a rare glimpse of what it meant to be a young newcomer to America in the early 1900s.
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    In Nueva York
      This collection of short, interlocking stories depicts life in one of New York City's Puerto Rican communities.
      Author: Mohr, Nicholasa HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    In the Promised Land
      From Asser Levy in 1654 to Steven Spielberg today, this book provides one-page illustrated biographies of thirteen famous Jews. In addition, the author includes other print and web resources.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Kids At Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor
      This book tells the story of Lewis Hine, a teacher and photographer who became so concerned about children working in factories that he became an investigative reporter for the National Child Labor Committee in the early 20th century. The pictures he too
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Lotus Seed, The
      A young girl tells her grandmother's story of carrying a lotus seed with her from Vietnam, losing it, and then regaining it. The author wants to share "how a family's heritage is passed from one generation to the next and how hope, like the lotus seed, ca
      Author: Garland, Sherry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Matchbox Diary, The
      An Italian immigrant grandfather uses objects he's preserved in matchboxes to tell his granddaughter the story of his life. He created this unique diary because he could not read or write.
      Author: Fleischman, Paul HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Memory Coat, The
      In order to flee persecution as Jews in Russia, Rachel and her cousin Griska emigrate with their extended family to America where they encounter difficulty at Ellis Island. The author provides additional information on immigration from Russia in the endm
      Author: Woodruff, Elvira HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
      When offered a choice between a ceramic clock and a shovel as a gift before leaving for America, Bridie chooses the latter and uses it throughout her resourceful life.
      Author: Connor, Leslie

    My Grandmother's Journey
      The narrator tells the story of the grandmother's life and of the many wars and troubles she experienced in Eastern Europe, until she came to the U.S.
      Author: Cech, John HSE Descriptors: social studies

    My Own True Name
      This partially bilingual collection of uniformly thoughtful and accessible poems includes many verse forms.
      Author: Mora, Pat

    N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
      The author researched the first years of the Pilgrims at Plymouth to create a text to accompany murals painted by N.C. Wyeth. The text includes detailed descriptions, end papers from the Mayflower log, an author's note about his research, and a section a
      Author: San Souci, Robert HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Our Century--1920-1930
      This is a series of short articles about life, events, and people who made news in the decade of the 20s. (Teachers should note that no African-American history is reported.)
      Author: Hill, Prescott HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Peppe the Lamplighter
      A young Italian immigrant boy has to find a job lighting the lamps to help support his invalid father and many sisters. His proud father thinks it is inferior work until the night the boy refuses to light the lamps, and his little sister does not return
      Author: Bartone, Elisa HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Pick and Shovel Poet
      This moving biography recounts the life of Italian immigrant poet Pascal D'Angelo. The author includes some of D'Angelo's poems as well as archival photos of immigrant life, an extensive bibliography and an index.
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Picnic in October, A
      At the insistence of the immigrant grandparents, a family celebrates coming to America and the October birthday of the Statue of Liberty.
      Author: Bunting, Eve HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Places in Time
      This story atlas describes on facing pages activities at a particular place and time in U.S. history, e.g. Fort Laramie during the westward expansion on the Oregon Trail in 1849. Included are community and building diagrams with numbered points of intere
      Author: Leacock, Elspeth & Buckley, Susan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Shutting Out the Sky
      Subtitled "Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924,," the chapters in this book offer information and perspectives on all aspects of immigration and life in NYC. Photographs and text document the experiences of five individuals from Belarus, Italy, L
      Author: Hopkinson, Deborah HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Step Toward Heaven, A
      When Young Ju emigrates with her immediate family to America from Korea, she misses her grandparents. As she grows older, she finds a refuge from her father's physical abuse in school achievement. The author mimics the style of narration with the age of
      Author: Na, An

    Streets of Gold
      This story of a Russian family's life in Russia and then in the U.S. is based on an actual immigrant's journals.
      Author: Wells, Rosemary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Tea With Milk
      May (the author's mother) is learning American ways when her family moves back to Japan. When her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a husband, May moves to Osaka, begins a career, and finds her own happiness.
      Author: Say, Allen

    Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side
      Lots of photographs and a fairly easy-to-read text tell the story of the tenements that were built to house immigrants during the turn of the century (19th - 20th). Further reading includes books for adults and children as well as related WWW sites.
      Author: Bial, Raymond HSE Descriptors: social studies

    They Sought A New World
      Through Kurelek's art and Margaret Englehart's additional text, this book tells the story of European immigrants to North America. In addition to describing issues like finding work and shelter, aspects of culture -- religion, maintaining cultural tradit
      Author: Kurelek, William HSE Descriptors: social studies

    This Our Dark Country: The American Settlers of Liberia
      This is a history of Liberia which was established on the west coast of Africa in 1822 as a haven for free African Americans. Some U.S. history is also included as background context. End matter includes photos, maps, endnotes, bibliography, and index. Th
      Author: Reef, Catherine HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Tonight, By Sea
      A Haitian girl, Paulie, joins with her village to secretly build and launch a boat and escape to Miami. The book is full of dialect and may be too difficult for some readers, but the subject matter and compelling story make it good reading.
      Author: Temple, Frances HSE Descriptors: social studies

    When Jessie Came Across the Sea
      Jesse leaves her village for America where she earns money to bring her grandmother to America in time for her wedding.
      Author: Hest, Amy HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Working Children
      The author presents the history of child labor in America in four chapters, written with two easy-to-read paragraphs per page , and illustrated with archival black-and-white photogaphs. What distinguishes this book for use in a classroom is the back matt
      Author: Saller, Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > mental illness
    Lincolns, The
      Using a scrapbook format with blocks of stories and archival photographs, the author provides a chatty, up-close biography of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Since the book is in a scrapbook format, students can start reading anywhere in the book or read in the
      Author: Fleming, Candice HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Silent Boy, The
      Katy,the young and curious daughter of a small-town doctor living in 1908, learns about life, death, and social distinctions from her family and her friend, Jacob, who is "touched."
      Author: Lowry, Lois

    Snake Pits, Talking Cures, and Magic Bullets: A History of Mental Illness
      This is a roughly chronological history of thinking about and treatment for persons with mental illness. Boxed text throughout focuses on special issues. End material offers many opportunities for follow-up.
      Author: Kent, Deborah HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > migrant workers
    Calling the Doves
      The author joyously recounts the songs, the food, and the love of his parents of his boyhood in a migrant Mexican family in rhythmic, lyrical language with a bilingual format. The colorful illustrations recall both Diego Rivera and Marc Chagall in their
      Author: Herrera, Juan

    Children of the Dust Bowl
      The book recounts the migration of the "Okies" during the Great Depression to the camps in California. School Superintendent Leo Hart began the Weedpatch School where children of the migrants escaped the ostracism of the locals in a model learn-by-doing
      Author: Stanley, Jerry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Christmas Gift, The
      This beautifully illustrated bilingual story tells of the Christmas of a migrant family in California, which first appeared as a chapter in The Circuit. His family has to move again a few days before Christmas in order to find work, and Panchito
      Author: Jimenez, Francisco HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Day's Work, A
      When a Mexican-American boy tries to help his Spanish-speaking grandfather find a day's work, he lies about what the man is qualified to do. After a full day, the lie is exposed, and the grandfather teaches the boy a lesson about honesty.
      Author: Bunting, Eve

    Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
      This is a picture biography of Cesar Chavez. It focuses on his childhood and initial efforts at organizing farm workers in the mid-60s, creating The National Form Workers Association.
      Author: Krull, Kathleen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Lights on the River
      A migrant girl keeps memories of her grandma close as she deals with hard times in the United States. Her voice is strong, and the illustrations are stunning.
      Author: Thomas, Jane Resh

    Stolen Dreams
      This collection of photographic essays on child labor around the world explores the physical and political conditions, the economic and health effects, and what can be done to reduce it. The author/photographer includes a list of questions, a bibliograph
      Author: Parker, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Tomas and the Library Lady
      This is the true, if somewhat fictionalized, story of a librarian in Iowa who befriends Tomas, a migrant child from Texas. Tomas discovers the world of books and the librarian learns some Spanish phrases. The author includes a note at the end of the boo
      Author: Mora, Pat

    Voices from the Fields
      Photographs, poems, and interviews capture glimpses of life for today's migrant children.
      Author: Atkin, S. Beth HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > orphans
    Brothers In Hope
      The author, who worked with the International Rescue Committee, tells the story of the "lost boys" of Sudan, orphaned by war, who walked to refuge in Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. The first person narrative and vibrant illustrations add immediacy to the
      Author: Williams, Mary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Gifts from the Sea
      The lives of a lighthousekeeper and his daughter are changed by the discovery of a baby washed ashore after a shipwreck on the coast of Maine in the 1850's.
      Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie

    Locomotion
      Lonnie, a.k.a. Locomotion, is encouraged by his teacher Ms. Marcus to write poetry. His poems, in many, many forms but all accessible, tell his story of losing parents in a fire, separation from his sister, group homes, and foster care.
      Author: Woodson, Jacqueline

    Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story
      Between 1859 and 1929, more than 200,000 children were sent "west" on Orphan Trains. The chapters in this book alternate between telling the larger history of this event and telling the individual story of one Orphan Train Rider, Lee Nailling.
      Author: Warren, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Peace, Locomotion
      This book is a collection of the letters and poems Lonnie, hero of the book Locomotion, writes to his sister Lili, who lives with a different foster parent than Lonnie does. The book is remarkably upbeat while dealing with the family issues that Lonnie an
      Author: Woodson, Jacqueline HSE Descriptors: language arts - writing

    Peace, Locomotion
      This book is a collection of the letters and poems Lonnie, hero of the book Locomotion, writes to his sister Lili, who lives with a different foster parent than Lonnie does. The book is remarkably upbeat while dealing with the family issues that Lonnie an
      Author: Woodson, Jacqueline HSE Descriptors: language arts - writing

    Train to Somewhere
      Marianne heads west with 14 other children on an Orphan Train, certain that her mother will be waiting for her at one of the stops. No one shows interest in adopting Marianne until the train arrives at a place called Somewhere, where Marianne meets her n
      Author: Bunting, Eve HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > poverty
    American Plague, An
      Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Auld Lang Syne
      Told from first person perspective, this life story of Robert Burns from childhood to adulthood highlights the poets efforts to keep alive Scottish songs and verses. Most familiar to many will be the song of the book's title.
      Author: Findon, Joanne HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Big Annie of Calumet
      Big Annie is the story of Annie Clemenc who led the miners' strike of 1913 in Calumet, Michigan against the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. The book contains many photographs of the strike and conditions in the mines and a brief overview of the Industri
      Author: Stanley, Jerry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Charlie Chaplin
      This interesting biography of Charlie Chaplin discusses his life and work from his impoverished boyhood in London through his Hollywood film career to exile in Europe, ending with knighthood in England. The author expands the use of the book with a bibli
      Author: Turk, Ruth HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Cheap Raw Material: How Our Youngest Workers Are Exploited and Abused
      This book is a chronological nonfiction account of children as laborers. Child labor in the U.S. is the focus, but historical background (e.g., Rome, England) is also provided. This history is chronicled through quotations from primary sources, stories
      Author: Meltzer, Milton HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Children of the Dust Bowl
      The book recounts the migration of the "Okies" during the Great Depression to the camps in California. School Superintendent Leo Hart began the Weedpatch School where children of the migrants escaped the ostracism of the locals in a model learn-by-doing
      Author: Stanley, Jerry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    FDR's Alphabet Soup
      The author documents FDR's New Deal agencies from 1932-1939 with lively text, extensive research, and marvelous archival materials and photographs that is extremely timely for the economic conditions of 2012. A postscript, glossary, notes, selected resou
      Author: Bolden, Tonya HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Home Lovely
      Janelle and Tiffany move to a trailer, where Tiffany is alone after school while Janelle works. Tiffany finds some plants, makes a garden, and becomes friends with the mailman. (NOTE: Teachers may want to be aware that the child, clearly elementary-scho
      Author: Perkins, Lynne Rae

    Josepha
      A boy narrates the story of his friend and protector, the immigrant young man Josepha, who had to leave school to work.
      Author: McGugan, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Make Lemonade
      When fourteen-year-old LaVaughn takes a job baby-sitting for seventeen-year-old Jolly's two children, neither girl realizes how much she'll learn from the other. Despite no job, a lousy apartment, and a bleak future, Jolly, with the help of LaVaughn and
      Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer

    Molly Bannaky
      This is a biography of the grandmother of the famous mathematician, Banjamin Banneker, who came to America in 1683 as an indentured servant and married her freed slave. The author includes an historical note.
      Author: McGill, Alice HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Peppe the Lamplighter
      A young Italian immigrant boy has to find a job lighting the lamps to help support his invalid father and many sisters. His proud father thinks it is inferior work until the night the boy refuses to light the lamps, and his little sister does not return
      Author: Bartone, Elisa HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Silver Packages
      A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia

    Six Days in October
      This is a detailed summary if the events surrounding the Stock Market crash of 1929. Side bars explain some common financial/ investment concepts. Archival photographs, newspaper articles, and cartoons illustrate the material.
      Author: Blumenthal, Karen HSE Descriptors: social studies | math

    Something Permanent
      Walker Evans' photographs of southern United States during the Depression years are stark and haunting, and Cynthia Rylant's short poems describe their stories beautifully.
      Author: Rylant, Cynthia HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side
      Lots of photographs and a fairly easy-to-read text tell the story of the tenements that were built to house immigrants during the turn of the century (19th - 20th). Further reading includes books for adults and children as well as related WWW sites.
      Author: Bial, Raymond HSE Descriptors: social studies

    True Believer
      This is not exactly a sequel to Make Lemonade, but the style is similar and many of the characters are the same-- LaVaughn, her mother, Jolly and her children [they have a minor role in this book]. LaVaughn is 15, lives in the inner city, and str
      Author: Wolff, Virginia Euwer

    Wolf on the Fold
      Six linked storeis follow an Australian family from 1935 to 2002 as different generations cope with discord and violence. The use of flashbacks may cause some readers difficulty.
      Author: Clarke, Judith

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism
    47
      In this part fictional slave narrative and part science fiction story, 47, a young slave without a name, learns from mysterious Tall John how to "neither a master nor a nigger be".
      Author: Mosley, Walter HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
      When slaves on the ship Amistad rebelled and tried to return home to Africa, they were captured and embroiled in legal battles of slavery and abolition in the U.S. The book includes sections on Further Reading, Bibliography, Epilogue, and endpaper courtr
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Birmingham Sunday
      This powerfully told story of the horrific bombing of a church in Birmingham, ALABAMA which ended with the killing of three young girls and galvanized the civil rights movement across the country. The photographs and writing style of the author make for a
      Author: Brimner, Larry Dane HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Birmingham, 1963
      A fictional narrator tells, in poetry, about the day she turned 10, which was also the day of the church bombing in Birmingham
      Author: Weatherford, Carole HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black Hoops: The History of African Americans in Basketball
      This book provides a history of basketball and African Americans in basketball. To help readers understand these issues, the author provides historical backdrops that address racism, segregation, the struggle to desegregate sports, and the civil rights mo
      Author: McKissack, Frederick, Jr. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Brothers War, The: Civil War Voices in Verse
      Well-known poet J. Patrick Lewis includes archival photographs and factual information to expand the emotional of his poems that give voice to individuals who were caught up in the Civil War. The book also includes a map, a timeline, a bibliography, and
      Author: Lewis, J. Patrick HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea
      This well illustrated book of poetry uses the metaphor of nurturing tea for the extended family.
      Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Building a New Land
      Each of the short chapters in this well written picture book addresses the lives, rights, changing roles, and contributions of African Americans in a different area of Colonial America. The author includes a timeline and a bibliography.
      Author: Haskins, James & Benson, Kathleen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
      In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
      In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Children of Topaz, The
      The authors provide an introduction to the history of the Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II as well as a Reference and Reading List. The book is a journal kept by a third-grade class taught by Anne Yamauchi in such a camp
      Author: Tunnell, Michael & Chilcoat, George HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Dear Willie Rudd
      Miss Elizabeth, thinking 50 years back, remembers Willie Rudd, the African American housekeeper who raised her, her mother, and her grandmother. She writes a letter to the long-dead Willie Rudd in which she explains the past and expresses her feelings.
      Author: Gray, Libba Moore

    Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words
      This edited and illustrated book provides generous excerpts from Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. No textbook description of slavery could have even a tiny portion of the power of this chilling account.
      Author: McCurdy, Michael (Ed.) HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom on the Menu
      The author portrays the 1960's Civil Rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina through the eyes of a young Southern black girls. Richly muted paintings illustrate the story.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom Riders
      This book, illustrated with historical photographs, tells the story of two young men, one white and one black, whose common goal in life is to bring equality between the races. Their story is set during the historic freedom rides of the Civil Rights Move
      Author: Bausum, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
      This somewhat repetitive account of the brutal death of Emmett Till, the Chicago 14-year-old boy visiting Mississippi, argues that the media coverage of the trial and the subsequent outrage of the public provided the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement
      Author: Crowe, Chris HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Harlem Hellfighters, The
      This book is mostly about the "Harlem Hellfighters," the 369th Infantry Regiment in WWI. This story is set in the larger context of the role of African American men in war prior to WWI.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Harlem Stomp!
      Subtitled "A cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance," this book has 10 chapters that address how Harlem came to be a cultural "magnet" in the 1920s. The book interweaves history, poetry, and archival photos that brings the cultural history of Harlem t
      Author: Hill, Laban Carrick HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    How I Discovered Poetry
      Marilyn Nelson describes her childhood in America in the 1950s, as the daughter of an African American Army officer. The poems span from her fourth to fourteenth year and touch aspects of civil rights, "Red Scare," atom bomb and the stirrings of the femin
      Author: Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing

    I See the Rhythm
      The author and illustrator use different type faces, colors, a timeline, and paintings to involve the reader in the history, mood and movement of African American music. Types of music included are blues, ragtime, jazz, swing, bebop, cool jazz and gospel.
      Author: Igus, Toyomi HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Let Them Play
      This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of the 1955 state champion little league team from South Carolina, who were all African-American and who encountered segregation problems as they continued to win.
      Author: Raven, Margot HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Letters from a Slave Girl
      Drawn from her 1861 autobiography, these fictionalized letters tell the story of Harriet Jacobs, a slave from North Carolina who went through great struggles to escape slavery. The book ends with two family trees, one a Black family and one White, a glos
      Author: Lyons, Mary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone
      Well-known children's author Joyce Carol Thomas has collected pieces by 12 writers to commemorate the Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education. The reading level varies significantly from piece to piece.
      Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Mandela
      This picture book biography tells Nelson Mandela's story, from his childhood to his imprisonment and ultimate freedom.
      Author: Cooper, Floyd HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom
      This is a beautifully illustrated collection of true stories about the struggle that African Americans faced in gaining their freedom. The book is divided into 3 parts: Slavery in America; Running-Aways; and Exodus to Freedom. An Afterword, bibliogra
      Author: Virginia Hamilton HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing

    Marching for Freedom
      The compelling story of the events in Selma, Alabama that led to the voter rights march to Montgomery in 1965. Interviews with some of the marchers and black and white photographs highlight the struggles of African Americans to get the right to vote.
      Author: Partridge, Elizabeth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Martin Luther King
      Folk art paintings accompany this biography of Dr. King. A timeline of important events in his life concludes the book.
      Author: Bray, Rosemary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Mei Ling in China City
      Twelve year old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents during the Moon Festival celebration and raises money for Chinese women and children refugees in 1942. She also has a friend whose family was relocated to Manzanar War Relocation Center because she is Japanes
      Author: Smith, Icy HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Mei Ling in China City
      Twelve year old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents during the Moon Festival celebration and raises money for Chinese women and children refugees in 1942. She also has a friend whose family was relocated to Manzanar War Relocation Center because she is Japanes
      Author: Smith, Icy HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Miss Crandall's School
      In innovative sonnet form, the authors tell the story of Prudence Crandall who ran a school for "young ladies and little misses of color" in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1831 until boycotts, vandalism and persecution forced the school to close. An introdu
      Author: Alexander, Elizabeth & Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Nightjohn
      An escaped slave returns to the South to teach others how to read. This 92-page book is very bleak, and the violence is quite graphic.
      Author: Paulsen, Gary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    No Crystal Stair
      Nelson combines research with family stories to document the life of her great-uncle Lewis Michaux, an extraordinary literary pioneer of the Civil Rights era and his Harlem bookstore's role in the Civil Rights movement.
      Author: Nelson, Vauna, Micheaux HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Oh, Freedom!
      Most of the book is transcripts of interviews children conducted with people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Several essays that provide a chronology of African-American life and a foreword by Rosa Parks complement the interviews.
      Author: King, Casey, & Osborne, Linda HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Othello, A Novel
      The author retells Shakespeare's play Othello as a novel, relocating the setting to late 15th century England and changing the racial identities of Iago and Emilia to African. Boldface type calls attention to passages from Shakespeare. Iago manipulates
      Author: Lester, Julius HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Other Side, The
      Spurred by a letter from her grandmother saying that "they're pulling Shorter down," the poet returns to the people and places of her childhood in Shorter, Alabama. The poems are accessible and concise but filled with powerful feeling. Photographs from
      Author: Johnson, Angela

    Pink and Say
      This long picture book tells the story of Pinkus Aylee, an African-American soldier in the Civil War, and of his mother, Moe Bay and of his friendship with a young White boy. A moving book that may be more appropriate for adults than for children, it cel
      Author: Polacco, Patricia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Princess of the Press
      This biography of Ida Wells- Barnett chronicles her remarkable career in civil rights as a journalist against lynching, publisher of African American newspapers, speaker and activist for women's right to vote, and founder of the National Association for t
      Author: Medearis, Angela HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Remembering Manzanar
      Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered forced evacuation of Japanese Americans who lived in the western U.S. This is the story of one relocation camp, Manzanar. The text is supported with archival photographs, end notes, Int
      Author: Cooper, Michael L. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Richard Wright and the Library Card
      This is a 'slice of life' biography about the author Richard Wright set in his late adolescence/ young adulthood. Events deal with discrimination, Richard's discovery of literature, and how he decided to become an author.
      Author: Miller, William HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Secret Life of Bees, The
      Fourteen-year-old Lily and Rosaleen, the black servant who has look after her since her mother died 10 years earlier, run from Lily's abusive father and the brutality and racism of the police. Against the historical events of 1964 in South Carolina, they
      Author: Kidd, Sue Monk

    She Would Not Be Moved
      Kohl tells the historically correct version of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Park's role in it. This revised biography of Rosa Parks stresses her activist background and the violent environment of racism to counter the prevailing picture of her as a
      Author: Kohl, Herbert HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Sioux, The
      This book is part of the "Lifeway Series," which also includes titles called The Cherokee, The Iroquois, and The Navajo. This title examines the origins, history, culture, beliefs, and language of the Native American tribe the S
      Author: Bial, Raymond HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
      Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
      Author: Yoo, Paula HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
      Faced with discrimination for being Korean-American in the 1930s did not deter Sammy Lee from wanting to become an Olympic diver - a dream he realized with great determination.
      Author: Yoo, Paula HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence
      This biography of the African American painter Jacob Lawrence, known for his series Migration and Toussaint L'Ouverture, is illustrated by the painter's works.
      Author: Duggleby, John HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Sweethearts of Rhythm: The story of the greatest all-girl swing band in the world
      The 16-member, all-woman, racially diverse swing band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm from the war years of the 1940's are brought to life by the idiomatic speech and rhythms of Nelson's poetry and by Pinkney's vibrant illlustrations. The individ
      Author: Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    This Is the Dream
      Accessible poetry and vivid illustrations portray the dreams and accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. The illustrator uses interesting collages for some borders and the endpapers.
      Author: Shore, Diane & Alexander, Jessica HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Toussaint L'Ouverture
      The author wrote the biography of Haiti's hero, Toussaint L'Ouverture, who led the fight for liberation from France and Spain, to accompany Jacob Lawrence's paintings.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Unbreakable Code, The
      A young Navajo boy, who must leave his Southwest home, draws courage from his grandfather's story about being a "Code Talker" during WWII.
      Author: Hunter, Sara HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Wake Up Our Souls
      Well-written biographies and stunning reproductions of the work of approximately 30 African American artists introduce us to painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists born between 1830 and the present. The design makes the book beautiful and the e
      Author: Bolden, Tonya HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball
      This book is about the beginnings and history of Negro League Baseball. The accomplishments of many of the better players are described. Paintings of the players are included. There is a bibliography and filmography at the end of the book.
      Author: Nelson, Kadir HSE Descriptors: | social studies

    Well, The
      Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
      Author: Taylor, Mildred

    Witness
      Structured as a play with characters, acts, and text, this story depicts a small Vermont town facing issues of racism and bigotry introduced by the Klu Klux Klan in the 1920's. The courage of two young girls and the adults who support them leads the way t
      Author: Hesse, Karen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Wreath for Emmett Till, A
      Told in a poetic form known as heroic crown sonnets, the thoughtfully illustrated poem causes the reader to experience the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in Mississippi. The author provides an introduction to the poetic form, biographical information
      Author: Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > integration
    As Good as Anybody
      Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who had both experienced discrimination, joined forces in the Civil Rights Movement.
      Author: Michelson, Richard HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black Hoops: The History of African Americans in Basketball
      This book provides a history of basketball and African Americans in basketball. To help readers understand these issues, the author provides historical backdrops that address racism, segregation, the struggle to desegregate sports, and the civil rights mo
      Author: McKissack, Frederick, Jr. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom on the Menu
      The author portrays the 1960's Civil Rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina through the eyes of a young Southern black girls. Richly muted paintings illustrate the story.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom Walkers
      This detailed account of the Montgomery bus boycott that began the Civil Rights Movement includes material on the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, but also focuses on other heroes like Rev. Robert Graetz, Joanne Robinson and
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Hammerin' Hank Grenberg: Baseball Pioneer
      The story of Hank Greenberg, first Jewish ballplayer inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sommer explores the world of baseball as it became more inclusive and gives details of how Greenberg was an exceptional player.
      Author: Sommer, Shelley HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    In Nueva York
      This collection of short, interlocking stories depicts life in one of New York City's Puerto Rican communities.
      Author: Mohr, Nicholasa HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone
      Well-known children's author Joyce Carol Thomas has collected pieces by 12 writers to commemorate the Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education. The reading level varies significantly from piece to piece.
      Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Martin's Big Words
      Brief and easy-to-read biographical statements are accompanied by MLK's words and award-winning illustrations. An abbreviated Civil Rights chronology and bibliography conclude the book.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Miss Crandall's School
      In innovative sonnet form, the authors tell the story of Prudence Crandall who ran a school for "young ladies and little misses of color" in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1831 until boycotts, vandalism and persecution forced the school to close. An introdu
      Author: Alexander, Elizabeth & Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Raisin in the Sun, A
      When an African-American family chooses to integrate an all-white neighborhood, all of their value systems and relationships come under pressure.
      Author: Hansberry, Lorraine HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Separate Is Never Equal
      A Spanish family's children are barred from attending the school of their choice in California. They fight the ruling in court and win the past practice of segregation based on ethnicity.
      Author: Tonatiuh, Duncan HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    She Would Not Be Moved
      Kohl tells the historically correct version of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Park's role in it. This revised biography of Rosa Parks stresses her activist background and the violent environment of racism to counter the prevailing picture of her as a
      Author: Kohl, Herbert HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > prejudice
    Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
      This nonfiction reference book is filled with photographs and details about Anne Frank, her family, and the world in which she lived.
      Author: Verhoeven, Rian & van der Rol, Ruud HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Baseball Saved Us
      A young boy in an internment camp finds baseball to be his saving grace, although his determination and spirit is what sees him through.
      Author: Mochizuki, Ken HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Bearing Witness
      This selection of powerful personal stories of the Holocaust in various literary and artistic forms gives testimony of the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people. A map of concentration camps, a bibliography, and brief introductory notes for each excer
      Author: Rochman, Hazel & McCampbell, Darlene (Eds.) HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Becoming Billie Holiday
      Weatherford uses the titles of Billie Holiday songs as titles for poems that tell the story of Billie's life and road to fame.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Borning Room, The
      The narrator remembers growing up in southern Ohio in the 19th century, remembers farm life, celebrates her relatives with their varying ideas about slavery and religion, remembers her part in hiding slaves.
      Author: Fleischman, Paul HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The
      Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-with" (Auschwitz) in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence. Bruno climbs into the camp to spend more time with hi
      Author: Boyne, John HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
      In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Champions on the Bench: The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars
      In 1955, the Cannon St YMCA's Little League team (from SC) cannot play in the Little League World Series because all-white teams refuse to play them. The story told in this book is based on these real events.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Chicken Sunday
      Two African-American boys and their white friend, a girl, try to earn enough money to buy Miss Eula Mae the Easter bonnet she's been longing for. The children befriend a Jewish shopkeeper who helps them succeed.
      Author: Polacco, Patricia

    Christmas Menorahs, The
      This picture book recreates the true story of how families and a community decided to stand together to combat bigotry and acts of hatred.
      Author: Cohn, Janice

    Code Talkers
      After attending a white boarding school where his Navajo language and culture were belittled and punished, Ned Begay served as a code talker with the US Marines during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The narrator tells his story to his gra
      Author: Bruchac, Joseph HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Do I Dare Disturb the Universe:
      Charlise Lyles grew up in Cleveland in the 1960s and 1970s. This memoir focuses on life in the projects, her family's struggle to survive, her mother's relentless work to provide opportunities for children. Mostly, though, it's about Charlise-- her though
      Author: Lyles, Charlise

    Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice
      These are stories about the Freedom Riders during the early years of the Civil Rights movement. The detail and "human" perspective provided goes well beyond most written descriptions. This is an engaging account of the actions of incredibly brave heroes.
      Author: Haskins, James HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Golem
      Illustrated with beautiful cut-paper collages, the author/illustrator retells the legend of the Golem (a man created from clay), who saves the Jews of 16th Century Prague from persecution. A lengthy endnote recounts the history of the Golem and the perse
      Author: Wisniewski, David HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
      Bessie was 103 and Sadie was 105 when they collaborated with Amy Hill Hearth to write this story of their lives and times. Additionally the Delany sisters offer their perspectives on society, living conditions, people, events, etc. from the past century.
      Author: Delany, Sarah & Delany, A. Elizabeth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Heroes
      Donnie, a Japanese American boy, finally escapes the role of "bad guy" in war games with his peers with the help of his father and uncle.
      Author: Mochizuki, Ken

    I Am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment
      Both the close, personal view and the broader societal view of the U.S. and especially Japanese Americans during WW II are portrayed here. The text is illustrated with photographs taken at the time. An index and a few maps are also included.
      Author: Stanley, Jerry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Indian School
      Subtitled "Teaching the White Man's Way," this book chronicles efforts to "civilize" Native American children and youth in the late 19th and early 20th century. Archival photographs, an index, a reading list, a bibliography, and a list of web sites comple
      Author: Cooper, Michael L. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Jim the Boy
      In a coming-of-age story set in Appalachia, Jim grows up as a town boy with his mother and uncles but finally makes friends with a mountain boy and meets his mountain grandfather.
      Author: Early, Tony

    Journey, The
      The text tells the history of the Japanese in America. The photographs depict sections of an enormous mural which the author created to "open the past, hoping to chase away the demons of prejudice and injustice."
      Author: Hamanaka, Sheila HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Let Them Play
      This beautifully illustrated book tells the true story of the 1955 state champion little league team from South Carolina, who were all African-American and who encountered segregation problems as they continued to win.
      Author: Raven, Margot HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Perfect Shot, The
      Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
      Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Picture Book of Jesse Owens, A
      This very readable biography tells the life story of Jesse Owens, the 1936 Olympic star, and the prejudice he combated throughout his life. The book ends with a page of notes and a page of dates.
      Author: Adler, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Princess of the Press
      This biography of Ida Wells- Barnett chronicles her remarkable career in civil rights as a journalist against lynching, publisher of African American newspapers, speaker and activist for women's right to vote, and founder of the National Association for t
      Author: Medearis, Angela HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Richard Wright and the Library Card
      This is a 'slice of life' biography about the author Richard Wright set in his late adolescence/ young adulthood. Events deal with discrimination, Richard's discovery of literature, and how he decided to become an author.
      Author: Miller, William HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Salt: A Story of Friendship in Time of War
      Set in the Indiana Territory, this story of two friends - Anikwa, a Miami Indian and James, the son of a white trader become friends despite the conflict of their heritage. This book is uniquely crafted in two style of poetic verse. Salt plays a symbolic
      Author: Frost, Helen HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    smoky night
      1
      Author: bunting, eve HSE Descriptors: literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts

    Star of Fear, Star of Hope
      As a young girl living in France during the Nazi occupation, Helen can't understand why her best friend Lydia must wear a yellow star. The friends part when Lydia leaves a birthday party to warn her family that the Nazis are rounding up Jews. The friend
      Author: Hoestlandt, Jo HSE Descriptors: social studies

    This Land is My Land
      By telling his own story in words and in art, Littlefield describes what it is to be Native-American in the United States. He pays tribute to his ancestors and to the Native-American culture and history.
      Author: Littlechild, George

    To Kill A Mockingbird
      In this classic American novel set in the 30s, Lee tells the story of two children growing up in the South with their lawyer father who represents an African-American man accused of raping a white woman. The novel is rich and complex in plot and theme.
      Author: Lee, Harper HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Walking the Choctaw Road
      A collection of twelve stories from the Mississippi and Oklahoma branches of the Choctaw People, including traditional lore arising from beliefs and myths, historical tales pased down through generations, and personal stories of contemporary life.
      Author: Tingle, Tim HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Widow's Broom, The
      A widow helps a witch recover from a fall, and in gratitude the witch leaves behind her broom to help the woman do her work. Suspicious neighbors try to burn the broom, but in the end the broom settles in with the woman.
      Author: Van Allsburg, Chris

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > race relations
    Abraham's Battle
      An ex-slave named Abraham, a young Confederate soldier, and a girl from Gettysburg meet in the cataclysmic days of the Civil War battle. Abraham meets Lincoln after the President gives his famous address.
      Author: Banks, Sara Harrell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
      When slaves on the ship Amistad rebelled and tried to return home to Africa, they were captured and embroiled in legal battles of slavery and abolition in the U.S. The book includes sections on Further Reading, Bibliography, Epilogue, and endpaper courtr
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    At Her Majesty's Request
      Queen Victoria oversees the education and upbringing of an African princess after she was rescued from execution by a ship captain who brought her to England.
      Author: Myers, Walter Den HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope
      Framed by the story of an African American mother and her son, who keeps interjecting questions and comments, the narrative tells the story of Barack Obama around the theme of hope and the importance of education. Both the words of Nikki Grimes and the ar
      Author: Grimes, Nikki HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Birmingham, 1963
      A fictional narrator tells, in poetry, about the day she turned 10, which was also the day of the church bombing in Birmingham
      Author: Weatherford, Carole HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black and White Airmen: Their True Story
      The history of airmen in WWII is told through the experiences of two men from Cincinnati, one African American and one Caucasian. Information about race relations at the time is woven throughout the narrative.
      Author: Fleischman, John HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Blanche on the Lam
      A spunky African-American woman, who works as a housekeeper for a wealthy southern family with many secrets, must solve a murder in order to clear herself. Blanche relies on her own intelligence and an "old girl" network of domestics. The language is oc
      Author: Neely, B. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Boy Named Reckoning, A: A: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero
      The author has pieced together the writings of Dr. Carlos Montezuma to tell his life story in letter form. He was a Native American boy who was kidnapped, sold into slavery and eventually educated in Chicago. He devoted the rest of his life to lobbying fo
      Author: Capaldi, Gina HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Chicken Sunday
      Two African-American boys and their white friend, a girl, try to earn enough money to buy Miss Eula Mae the Easter bonnet she's been longing for. The children befriend a Jewish shopkeeper who helps them succeed.
      Author: Polacco, Patricia

    Do I Dare Disturb the Universe:
      Charlise Lyles grew up in Cleveland in the 1960s and 1970s. This memoir focuses on life in the projects, her family's struggle to survive, her mother's relentless work to provide opportunities for children. Mostly, though, it's about Charlise-- her though
      Author: Lyles, Charlise

    Fiery Vision: The Life and Death of John Brown
      Brown is one of the controversial figures in American history who continues today to evoke both anger and admiration. This gripping biography of John Brown, abolitionist and crusader for equality of races, describes the events of his life that led to Har
      Author: Cox, Clinton HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Fiery Vision: The Life and Death of John Brown
      Brown is one of the controversial figures in American history who continues today to evoke both anger and admiration. This gripping biography of John Brown, abolitionist and crusader for equality of races, describes the events of his life that led to Har
      Author: Cox, Clinton HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom School, Yes
      When their house is attacked because her mother volunteered to take in the young white woman who has come to teach black children at the Freedom School, Jolie is afraid, but she overcomes her fear after learning the value of education. Based on interviews
      Author: Littlesugar, Amy HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom's Children
      Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
      Author: Levine, Ellen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom's Fruit
      Mama Marina, a conjure woman in the Low Country of the Carolinas in the time of slavery, uses a magic spell to free her daughter and the man she loves. The book includes an Author's Note that compares the American folktale with the Greek myth of Persepho
      Author: Hooks, William

    Great Migration, The
      This book consists of reprints of a series of sixty paintings, by Jacob Lawrence, depicting the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North. In search of a better life, people moved by the thousands, from rural lifestyles to urban poverty.
      Author: Lawrence, Jacob HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Gwendolyn Brooks
      This biography describes the influences and hardships of the early years and the political activism of the later years of the African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. The book includes a chronology, archival photos, an index, a list of published works and
      Author: Hill, Christine M. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing

    Hammerin' Hank Grenberg: Baseball Pioneer
      The story of Hank Greenberg, first Jewish ballplayer inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sommer explores the world of baseball as it became more inclusive and gives details of how Greenberg was an exceptional player.
      Author: Sommer, Shelley HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
      A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
      Author: Woodson, Jacqueline

    I Have a Dream
      The text of the "I Have a Dream" speech is accompanied by illustrations from noted Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book artists. The Foreword by Mrs. King explains the project, and notes from each artist explain details of the illustrations.
      Author: King, Dr. Martin Luter, Jr. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    January's Sparrow
      After a fellow slave is beaten to death, Sadie and her family flee the plantation for freedom through the Underground Railroad. As they make a new life in Michigan, they must remain alert for the slave catchers.
      Author: Polacco, Patricia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    January's Sparrow
      After a fellow slave is beaten to death, Sadie and her family flee the plantation for freedom through the Underground Railroad. As they make a new life in Michigan, they must remain alert for the slave catchers.
      Author: Polacco, Patricia HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Life Is So Good
      This is the autobiography of George Dawson, grandson of slaves, who began to learn to read at age 98. Like Having Our Say, this book offers an African American perspective to 100 years of history. Moreover, Dawson's character and philosophy for l
      Author: Dawson, George & Glaubman, Richard HSE Descriptors: language arts - writing | social studies

    Malcolm X
      In a clear, simple, and beautifully illustrated text, Walter Dean Myers emphasizes the life not death of Malcolm X as he grew to be a great leader for racial equality. Quotations and a timeline make the text especially useful in the classroom.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Martin's Big Words
      Brief and easy-to-read biographical statements are accompanied by MLK's words and award-winning illustrations. An abbreviated Civil Rights chronology and bibliography conclude the book.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Princess of the Press
      This biography of Ida Wells- Barnett chronicles her remarkable career in civil rights as a journalist against lynching, publisher of African American newspapers, speaker and activist for women's right to vote, and founder of the National Association for t
      Author: Medearis, Angela HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Remember
      Spare text and very moving photographs recount times surrounding Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation from the perspective of children.
      Author: Morrison, Toni HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Remember the Bridge
      Illustrated by prints and black-and-white photographs and bracketed by two "bridge" poems, the poetry relates the experience of African Americans from Africa to the Civil Rights Movement.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Rosa
      Giovanni tells the story of Rosa Parks' infamous bus ride. In the telling, the author speaks to the strength of the African-American community in their struggle for equal rights. The author weaves other tales (Emmett Till) into the story to give the rea
      Author: Giovanni, Nikki HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Shake Rag
      As a boy, Elvis Presley discovers "good news" music at a traveling church that gives his guitar playing a distinctive sound when he records later in 1954.
      Author: Littlesugar, Amy

    This Vast Land
      A fictional account of a young man on the real Lewis and Clark Expedition emphasizes and personalizes the confrontation of races and the conflict between civilization and the wilderness. There are allusions to sex, though minimal.
      Author: Ambrose, Stephen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    To Be a Slave
      Reminiscences of slaves and ex-slaves report their experiences of being owned and sold as property in the United States during the 19th Century. Many accounts of brutality are unsettling. This is a reprint of a 1968 edition with new introductory materia
      Author: Lester, Julius HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Uncle Jed's Barbershop
      A woman tells the story of her Uncle Jed, an African-American barber who traveled a regular route, saving his money for his own shop. When she became sick, he gave up his money for her operation, and when the Depression came, he lost everything again. F
      Author: Mitchell, Margaree K. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Under the Sun
      After his father sends him and his mother to relatives outside Sarajevo to escape the perils of the war in the former Yugoslavia, 13-year-old Ehmet must find the way through land mines, burned villages, and hostile bands of armed men to his grandparents i
      Author: Dorros, Arthur HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > racism > segregation
    Abe's Honest Words
      As part of Rappaport's series of well researched biographies that includes excerpts from speeches this is equally engaging and well developed. The narrative that contextualizes the life and times of Abraham Lincoln is enhanced by quotes from Lincoln's wri
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Abe's Honest Words
      As part of Rappaport's series of well researched biographies that includes excerpts from speeches this is equally engaging and well developed. The narrative that contextualizes the life and times of Abraham Lincoln is enhanced by quotes from Lincoln's wri
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black and White Airmen: Their True Story
      The history of airmen in WWII is told through the experiences of two men from Cincinnati, one African American and one Caucasian. Information about race relations at the time is woven throughout the narrative.
      Author: Fleischman, John HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black Hoops: The History of African Americans in Basketball
      This book provides a history of basketball and African Americans in basketball. To help readers understand these issues, the author provides historical backdrops that address racism, segregation, the struggle to desegregate sports, and the civil rights mo
      Author: McKissack, Frederick, Jr. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson
      An interesting account of fightin' Black Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight of the world in 1910. The prejudicial issues of the era made this a monumental task. Bold words and bold color art combine to create a rhythmic text that captures the ener
      Author: Smith, Charles R., Jr. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Duke Ellington
      This is the story of one of the greatest musicians and composers of the 20th century, Duke Ellington. (Coretta Scott King Award Winner; Caldecott Honor Book)
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea Davis HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Finding Lincoln
      Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
      Author: Malaspina, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Finding Lincoln
      Louis needs to write an essay but in Alabama in 1951, he's not allowed in the "whites only" library. Lewis solves his dilemma with bravery and the help of a kind librarian. Historical notes are included at the end of the story.
      Author: Malaspina, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Forbidden Schoolhouse
      With the help of her family and a few powerful friends, Prudence Crandall began a school for African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833 despite boycotts, vandalism, and legal battles. An appendix provides historical research on the student
      Author: Jurmain, Suzanne HSE Descriptors: social studies

    From Miss Ida's Porch
      People from the street gather on Miss Ida's porch to hear stories, especially stories about important Black musicians (Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Marian Anderson) and their personal connections to them. These I-remember-when stories are both heartfelt a
      Author: Belton, Sandra HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Grandmama's Pride
      This is a most beautiful book focusing on the segregation practiced in the south during the 1950's leading to the civil rights laws passed in the 60's. The illustrations make the book come alive with details showing the inequalities practiced in every day
      Author: Birtha, Becky HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Grandmama's Pride
      This is a most beautiful book focusing on the segregation practiced in the south during the 1950's leading to the civil rights laws passed in the 60's. The illustrations make the book come alive with details showing the inequalities practiced in every day
      Author: Birtha, Becky HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Hell Fighters: African American Soldiers in World War I
      This book tells the story of the "Hell Fighters," a voluntary infantry that was one of the few African American regiments to see action during World War I.
      Author: Cooper, Michael L. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Home of the Brave
      In a dream-like story and illustrations, Allen Say captures the infamy, dislocation, and loss experienced by Japanese Americans in the internment camps during World War II.
      Author: Say, Allen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    I Am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment
      Both the close, personal view and the broader societal view of the U.S. and especially Japanese Americans during WW II are portrayed here. The text is illustrated with photographs taken at the time. An index and a few maps are also included.
      Author: Stanley, Jerry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Keep on Singing
      The story of the life of the singer Marian Anderson is told in ballad form. The author's notes at the end of the book include additional biographical information.
      Author: Livingston, Myra Cohn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Momma, Where Are You From?
      When a young girl asks her mother where she comes from, she receives a loving description of her hard-working childhood in the segregated South told in rich, rhythmic language with lush illustrations.
      Author: Bradby, Marie HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Nazi Olympics, The
      Published by the U. S. National Holocaust Museum, this history documents the manipulation of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin by Hitler and the Nazi party and presents the controversy of whether to participate or not on the part of nations and individuals. Ar
      Author: Bachrach, Susan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Ruth and the Green Book
      An easy narrative about travel in this country by car for African Americans in the 50s and 60s. Ruth's story is fiction, but the "The Negro Motorist Green Book" and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indigniti
      Author: Ramsey, Calvin A. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow
      The story of Satchel Paige's baseball career told by a fictional baseball player who once batted against Paige. Biographical and historical information are included in a preface and appendix.
      Author: Sturm, James and Tommaso, Rich HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Shattered
      This collection contains twelve stories about the impact of war on children and teenagers, some fictional, some personal experiences. A trailer with historical background crawls across the bottom of the page. Biographies of the authors are included.
      Author: Armstrong, Jennifer (ed.) HSE Descriptors: social studies

    So Far From the Sea
      A Japanese American visits Manazar, a Japanese relocation camp in World War II, to visit the grave of a grandfather.
      Author: Bunting, Eve HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Sweethearts of Rhythm: The story of the greatest all-girl swing band in the world
      The 16-member, all-woman, racially diverse swing band The International Sweethearts of Rhythm from the war years of the 1940's are brought to life by the idiomatic speech and rhythms of Nelson's poetry and by Pinkney's vibrant illlustrations. The individ
      Author: Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Uncle Jed's Barbershop
      A woman tells the story of her Uncle Jed, an African-American barber who traveled a regular route, saving his money for his own shop. When she became sick, he gave up his money for her operation, and when the Depression came, he lost everything again. F
      Author: Mitchell, Margaree K. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Voice of Her Own, A
      This biography of Phillis Wheatley, a American Revolution era slave who became the first Black woman poet, includes excerpts of her poetry, an epilogue, and notes by the author and illustrator.
      Author: Lasky, Kathryn HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - writing

    We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
      Tells the story of the Birmingham Children's March through four participants. As the events unfold, the different perspectives and motivations of the participants shed light on the dynamics of the civil rights movement. In addition to the personal stori
      Author: Levinson, Cynthia HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    When Marian Sang
      This book is an introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, depicting her music, her inspiration, and her struggles as a singer against segregation .
      Author: Ryan, Pam Munoz HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > riots
    Armageddon Summer
      Fourteen-year-old Marina and 16-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to the top of a mountain to await the end of the world. The book is narrated in three "voices"--Marina, Jed, and objective accounts such as the newspaper
      Author: Yolen, Jane & Coville, Bruce HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Birmingham Sunday
      This powerfully told story of the horrific bombing of a church in Birmingham, ALABAMA which ended with the killing of three young girls and galvanized the civil rights movement across the country. The photographs and writing style of the author make for a
      Author: Brimner, Larry Dane HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Martin Luther King
      Folk art paintings accompany this biography of Dr. King. A timeline of important events in his life concludes the book.
      Author: Bray, Rosemary HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > social action
    Birmingham Sunday
      This powerfully told story of the horrific bombing of a church in Birmingham, ALABAMA which ended with the killing of three young girls and galvanized the civil rights movement across the country. The photographs and writing style of the author make for a
      Author: Brimner, Larry Dane HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
      Andrea and Brian Pinkney bring their considerable talents to tell the story of the Montgomery bus boycott in wonderfully poetic language and blues rhythms. An Author's Note gives more historical information.
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Diego Bigger Than Life
      These short poems tell about the life of the artist Diego Rivera, his various loves, his life as an artist, and his unusual and intense life. It ends with a one paragraph comment by his last wife, Frida Kahlo. Back matter includes a wealth of information
      Author: Bernier-Grand HSE Descriptors: social studies

    FDR's Alphabet Soup
      The author documents FDR's New Deal agencies from 1932-1939 with lively text, extensive research, and marvelous archival materials and photographs that is extremely timely for the economic conditions of 2012. A postscript, glossary, notes, selected resou
      Author: Bolden, Tonya HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
      This somewhat repetitive account of the brutal death of Emmett Till, the Chicago 14-year-old boy visiting Mississippi, argues that the media coverage of the trial and the subsequent outrage of the public provided the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement
      Author: Crowe, Chris HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Giver, The
      This Newbery Award-winning novel is set in a utopian community in which all conflict and social problems are unheard of. After a coming-of-age ceremony, Jonas begins to interact with The Giver and learns about the secrets that underlie his perfect world.
      Author: Lowry, Lois

    Great Depression, The
      This reference book covers the period of the Great Depression told with highlighted examples of the many ways Americans kept a positive outlook as they faced an uncertain future.
      Author: Fremon, David K. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone
      Well-known children's author Joyce Carol Thomas has collected pieces by 12 writers to commemorate the Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education. The reading level varies significantly from piece to piece.
      Author: Thomas, Joyce Carol HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Malcolm X
      In a clear, simple, and beautifully illustrated text, Walter Dean Myers emphasizes the life not death of Malcolm X as he grew to be a great leader for racial equality. Quotations and a timeline make the text especially useful in the classroom.
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Mandela
      This picture book biography tells Nelson Mandela's story, from his childhood to his imprisonment and ultimate freedom.
      Author: Cooper, Floyd HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Marching for Freedom
      The compelling story of the events in Selma, Alabama that led to the voter rights march to Montgomery in 1965. Interviews with some of the marchers and black and white photographs highlight the struggles of African Americans to get the right to vote.
      Author: Partridge, Elizabeth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    On the Wings of Peace
      This is a collection of illustrations and various types of text, all provided by noted authors and illustrators, that focus on issues related to peace. Many cultures are represented among characters and in illustrations.
      Author: Hamanaka, Sheila (comp.) HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
      One family in the USA begins an effort to help those in Europe suffering from the aftermath of WWII by sending shoes and other needed supplies.
      Author: Judge, Lita HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Only Passing Through
      Strong illustrations help tell this biography of Sojourner Truth. An Author's Note updates the relevance of Sojourner Truth and provides a helpful timeline.
      Author: Rockwell, Anne HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story
      Between 1859 and 1929, more than 200,000 children were sent "west" on Orphan Trains. The chapters in this book alternate between telling the larger history of this event and telling the individual story of one Orphan Train Rider, Lee Nailling.
      Author: Warren, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Passage to Freedom
      Hiroki Sugihara tells the true story of how his father, who was Japanese consul to Lithuania during World War II, issued visas to Jews to escape the Nazis without the approval of his government. The afterword supplements the story with the consequences o
      Author: Mochizuki, Ken HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Perfect Shot, The
      Ostensibly a murder mystery, this book explores many issues--civil rights, prejudice, judicial system, stereotyping, meaningful teaching--while offering exciting descriptions of basketball. Brian must decide whether to speak out when his girlfriend, her
      Author: Alphin, Elaine Marie HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Shadow Children, The
      While visiting his grandfather in France, Etienne discovers a secret from the days of World War II and the Nazis.
      Author: Schnur, Steven HSE Descriptors: social studies

    She Would Not Be Moved
      Kohl tells the historically correct version of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Park's role in it. This revised biography of Rosa Parks stresses her activist background and the violent environment of racism to counter the prevailing picture of her as a
      Author: Kohl, Herbert HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Tin Forest, The
      An old man living in a wasteland of scrap metal dreams of a green forest full of birds and animals. This charming, beautifully illustrated modern legend extolls the benefits of dreaming and ideas in accomplishing change.
      Author: Ward, Helen

    Way Things Never Were, The
      The eight chapters of this interesting book, subtitled "The Truth About the 'Good Old Days,'" contrast life in the 50s and 60s with today. Topics addressed include communication, health, transportation, education, world events, etc. The print insets for p
      Author: Finkelstein, Norman HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Where the Wild Horses Roam
      Text and accompanying photographs portray the "ways" of the wild horses in the U.S. West. Issues related to the necessity of managing these animals, especially on public lands, are also addressed.
      Author: Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > social action > activism
    Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
      When slaves on the ship Amistad rebelled and tried to return home to Africa, they were captured and embroiled in legal battles of slavery and abolition in the U.S. The book includes sections on Further Reading, Bibliography, Epilogue, and endpaper courtr
      Author: Myers, Walter Dean HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Big Annie of Calumet
      Big Annie is the story of Annie Clemenc who led the miners' strike of 1913 in Calumet, Michigan against the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. The book contains many photographs of the strike and conditions in the mines and a brief overview of the Industri
      Author: Stanley, Jerry HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Cats in Krasinski Square, The
      With a simple text and marvelous watercolors, Hesse tells a true story of the bravery of the Jewish Resistance who helped the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. End matter provides more historical background.
      Author: Hesse, Karen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Cool Drink of Water, A
      Colorful photographs and simple text present people around the world obtaining water to drink. End matter includes a map, geographic locations of photos, and an essay on water conservation that teachers will find useful.
      Author: Kerley, Barbara HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Facing the Lion
      Enhanced by a few, vivid color photos, this memoir recounts the Maasi childhood and first encounters with European and American culture of an American teacher who spends part of each year working in Kenya. An afterword brings the reader up to date with L
      Author: Lekuton, Joseph HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom on the Menu
      The author portrays the 1960's Civil Rights sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina through the eyes of a young Southern black girls. Richly muted paintings illustrate the story.
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom River
      In this true story, John Parker, an ex-slave in Ripley, Ohio, helps a family on the Underground Railroad. Beautiful watercolor collages illustrate the story. Historical notes, additional books, suggested websites, and maps make this useful in the classr
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Freedom's Children
      Thirty African Americans tell their youthful experiences in the civil rights movement. The book includes a chronology, a who's who, a list of acronyms, and a bibliography.
      Author: Levine, Ellen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Gandhi
      The remarkable life of Mahatma Gandhi is told through simple text and beautiful Moghul-inspired illustrations. An author's note includes additional information and maps locate the principle places involved in his life.
      Author: Demi HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Girls
      The subtitle, A History of Growing Up Female in America, tells it all. The 10 chapters cover history from colonial America to the Millennium. A good index and Selections for Further Reading make this a good reference text. The author selects girls from
      Author: Colman, Penny HSE Descriptors: science

    Gwendolyn Brooks
      This biography describes the influences and hardships of the early years and the political activism of the later years of the African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. The book includes a chronology, archival photos, an index, a list of published works and
      Author: Hill, Christine M. HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing

    Hoot
      This charming and funny young adult mystery by the well-known adult mystery writer, Carl Hiassen, involves corporate greed, suburban expansion, environmental protection, child abuse and neglect, bullying, and social protest.
      Author: Hiassen, Carl

    In the Promised Land
      From Asser Levy in 1654 to Steven Spielberg today, this book provides one-page illustrated biographies of thirteen famous Jews. In addition, the author includes other print and web resources.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Journey of the Red Wolf
      The author-photographer traces the red wolf from near extinction in 1971 to their current reintroduction into their native habitat. The book includes and Afterword, a list of Where to See Red Wolves, and an Index.
      Author: Smith, Roland HSE Descriptors: science

    Let It Shine
      These ten essays on African American women introduce well-know and some lesser known freedom fighters. The colorful illustrations, the informative text, and the chatty tone will attract readers. The author's introducation and suggestions for further read
      Author: Pinkney, Andrea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Letting Swift River Go
      This book tells the story of a community's act of selling up the houses and land to the government so that a water reservoir can be built. It is told from the view point of a woman who felt as though she lost her childhood because all her landmarks had
      Author: Yolen, Jane

    Martin Luther King
      Folk art paintings accompany this biography of Dr. King. A timeline of important events in his life concludes the book.
      Author: Bray, Rosemary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Martin's Big Words
      Brief and easy-to-read biographical statements are accompanied by MLK's words and award-winning illustrations. An abbreviated Civil Rights chronology and bibliography conclude the book.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
      Grace, an 11 year-old girl writes a letter to Abraham Lincoln suggesting that he grow whiskers to help him win the election.
      Author: Winnick, Karen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Nobody Particular
      A graphic novel format depicts the activist Diane Wilson and her fight against water pollution along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The illustrations contain diagrams to explain problems of pollution.
      Author: Bang, Molly HSE Descriptors: science

    One and Only Ivan, The
      When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall,he decides that he must find them a better life. Although a work of fiction, this story comes from a true story
      Author: Applegate, Katherine HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | science

    Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, The
      Margaret Rose Kane, 12 years old, escapes oppressive summer camp with the help of her great-uncles and then helps them rescue from urban renewal the sculptural "towers" that they have been creating for 45 years.
      Author: Konigsburg, E. L.

    Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand
      Pearl M., a long-time resident of her city street, refuses to let the city chop down the last gingko tree on the block. The book depicts the different ethnic groups that have moved on the street, but shows a real community of people interacting and livin
      Author: Levine, Arthur A.

    Persepolis I: The Story of a Childhood
      In this first of two volumes about the author's life, Satrapi tells of her childhood and coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran/Iraq war.
      Author: Satrapi, Marjane HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - writing

    Princess of the Press
      This biography of Ida Wells- Barnett chronicles her remarkable career in civil rights as a journalist against lynching, publisher of African American newspapers, speaker and activist for women's right to vote, and founder of the National Association for t
      Author: Medearis, Angela HSE Descriptors: social studies

    River Ran Wild, A
      This book recounts the history of the Nashua River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire life from idyllic Algonquin Indian times to industrial pollution to a restored river due to the efforts of Marion Stoddart who coordinated a citizen campaign. The text
      Author: Cherry, Lynn HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    Seek
      For a senior class autobiography assignment, Robbie creates "a sound portrait" in a radio script format, which includes his extended family and his search for his long-absent father. One reviewer thought that the text is too disjointed and confusing for
      Author: Fleischman, Paul

    Si, Se Puede (Yes, We Can!)
      Text in both English and Spanish on each page tells the story of a mother who becomes active in union organization. This story is based on the 2000 janitors' strike in Los Angeles. An essay by Luis J. Rodriguez describes a real-life activist whose goals a
      Author: Cohn, Diana HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Stand for Children
      Marian Wright Edelman delivered this speech at the Stand for Children demonstration in 1996 in Washington, D.C. Pictures of photo-transfer quilts with multicultural themes illustrate the book. An Author's Note gives background on the demonstration.
      Author: Edelman, Marian Wright

    Stolen Dreams
      This collection of photographic essays on child labor around the world explores the physical and political conditions, the economic and health effects, and what can be done to reduce it. The author/photographer includes a list of questions, a bibliograph
      Author: Parker, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Sweet Smell of Roses, A
      The book jacket says it all: "There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice?--with Martin Luther King, Jr.
      Author: Johnson, Angela HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving
      After years of lobbying, Sarah Hale, an editor and writer, won the battle to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. Back matter includes historical and biographical information. Adults may find the tone of voice and some illustrations childish a
      Author: Anderson, Laurie Halse HSE Descriptors: social studies

    We Shall Not Be Moved
      This is the story of the shirtwaist industry in New York (early 1900s) and the young women who formed a union, managed a months-long strike, and brought the nation's attention to their low pay and cruel working conditions.
      Author: Dash, Joan HSE Descriptors: social studies

    When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders
      This book features 17 figures who fought against injustice and oppression all over the world. Against overwhelming odds and heartbreaking loss, they stood, they hoped, they spoke! These well and lesser known leaders are portrayed in poetry as heroes who h
      Author: Lewis, J. Patrick HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies | language arts - writing

    With Courage and Cloth
      This story of women's suffrage in the U.S. concentrates on the early 20th century, although previous activities serve as a context. Illustrated with archival photos from the time,the book includes a chronology, bibliography, profiles, and other sources.
      Author: Bausum, Ann HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology >social issues> social action > activism > Chavez, Cesar
    Barrio
      Photographs present the life of Jose and his family who live in a barrio or Hispanic neighborhood in San Francisco. A glossary contains Spanish words used in the story. One reviewer felt that the glorification/simplification of the issues addressed may m
      Author: Ancona, George HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Dear Mr. Rosenwald
      This is a fictionalized story of one community's efforts to build a school based on the historical Rosenwald schools. These schools in the American South were financed by Julius Rosenwald of Sears Roebuck and required collaboration of black and white com
      Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
      This is a picture biography of Cesar Chavez. It focuses on his childhood and initial efforts at organizing farm workers in the mid-60s, creating The National Form Workers Association.
      Author: Krull, Kathleen HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > social action > advocacy
    A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
      This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
      Author: Neufeld, Josh HSE Descriptors: social studies

    A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
      This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
      Author: Neufeld, Josh HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Cheap Raw Material: How Our Youngest Workers Are Exploited and Abused
      This book is a chronological nonfiction account of children as laborers. Child labor in the U.S. is the focus, but historical background (e.g., Rome, England) is also provided. This history is chronicled through quotations from primary sources, stories
      Author: Meltzer, Milton HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Eleanor, Quiet No More
      The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Eleanor, Quiet No More
      The author tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's life simply, each phase emphasizing a quote of hers. In addition to lovely, soft illustrations, the author includes a timeline, selected bibliograph, and web sites.
      Author: Rappaport, Doreen HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Light Shining through the Mist
      Lush color photographs and text tell the story of how Dian Fossey studied the gorillas in Africa and died trying to protect them and their habitat during a time of political unrest.
      Author: Matthews, Tom HSE Descriptors: science

    Snake Pits, Talking Cures, and Magic Bullets: A History of Mental Illness
      This is a roughly chronological history of thinking about and treatment for persons with mental illness. Boxed text throughout focuses on special issues. End material offers many opportunities for follow-up.
      Author: Kent, Deborah HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Stolen Dreams
      This collection of photographic essays on child labor around the world explores the physical and political conditions, the economic and health effects, and what can be done to reduce it. The author/photographer includes a list of questions, a bibliograph
      Author: Parker, David HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom
      This is an enlightening text illustrating the importance of the bicycle as a way to change the world by cultivating independence. The photographs, newspaper articles, advertisements, etc., beautifully depict the history, ending with a timeline comparing w
      Author: Macy, Sue HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > teenage mothers
    Like Sisters on the Homefront
      When 14-year-old Gayle gets into "trouble," she and her baby Jose leave New York City to live with family in rural Georgia. At first bored with and distressed about her situation, Gayle eventually makes friends with her cousin Cookie. Through "tellings" b
      Author: Williams-Garcia, Rita HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > violence
    Armageddon Summer
      Fourteen-year-old Marina and 16-year-old Jed accompany their parents' religious cult, the Believers, to the top of a mountain to await the end of the world. The book is narrated in three "voices"--Marina, Jed, and objective accounts such as the newspaper
      Author: Yolen, Jane & Coville, Bruce HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
      In this engrossing 266-page book, Matt, age 17, is falsely accused of trying to blow up his high school. His friends desert him, but a girl who calls herself "Ugly Girl" befriends him, and together they weather public opinion, the police, parents, teache
      Author: Oates, Joyce Carol

    Just One Flick of the Finger
      Young Jack brings his father's gun to school hoping to scare a bully, but events take an unexpected and violent turn.
      Author: Lorbiecki, Marybeth

    More Choices: Stories for Adult New Readers
      These three stories fit with George Ella Lyon's collection Choices, but were not included in the original collection because some readers found them too controversial. Our readers found them powerful and moving, addressing life situations that m
      Author: Lyon, George Ella

    Night the Bells Rang, The
      This short novel (76 pages), told from the point of view of a farm boy, tells the story of Mason's struggles with a bully, and of his growing up. Although the book has the feel of a reminiscence, the emotions are complex and the characters ring true.
      Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie

    Nightjohn
      An escaped slave returns to the South to teach others how to read. This 92-page book is very bleak, and the violence is quite graphic.
      Author: Paulsen, Gary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
      On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The book is a collection of 68 poems from various perspectives concerning this crime.
      Author: Newman, Leslea HSE Descriptors: social studies

    On the Wings of Peace
      This is a collection of illustrations and various types of text, all provided by noted authors and illustrators, that focus on issues related to peace. Many cultures are represented among characters and in illustrations.
      Author: Hamanaka, Sheila (comp.) HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Real Time
      A gripping story told in real time (hence the title)from the viewpoints of several characters involved in the bombing of an Israeli bus.
      Author: Kass, Pnina Moed HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Rite of Passage
      The book is set in Harlem in the late 1940s. Protagonist Johnny Gibbs, 15, is a model child and student until he learns that he is a foster child who must go to live with another family. Johnny feels betrayed and reacts by running away. What follows pu
      Author: Wright, Richard HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Shattered
      This collection contains twelve stories about the impact of war on children and teenagers, some fictional, some personal experiences. A trailer with historical background crawls across the bottom of the page. Biographies of the authors are included.
      Author: Armstrong, Jennifer (ed.) HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Soldier's Heart
      15-year-old Charley Goddard lies about his age to enlist in the Civil War. This book chronicles his war experiences (some very graphic) with the First Minnesota Volunteers. At the end of the book we learn a bit about how the War affected Charley's mind a
      Author: Paulsen, Gary HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Speak
      This compelling story recounts Melinda's freshman year in high school. She is an outcast because she called the police to an end-of-the-summer party. Her reasons for doing this and her gradual emotional acceptance and psychological healing are the focus o
      Author: Anderson, Laurie

    Tree Girl
      Based on true experiences that were shared with the author, Gabriela, a Guatemalan girl who loves to climb trees, escapes a massacre, eventually reaching a refugee camp where she is reunited with her little sister, both of whom must overcome the trauma an
      Author: Mikaelsen, Ben

    Under the Sun
      After his father sends him and his mother to relatives outside Sarajevo to escape the perils of the war in the former Yugoslavia, 13-year-old Ehmet must find the way through land mines, burned villages, and hostile bands of armed men to his grandparents i
      Author: Dorros, Arthur HSE Descriptors: social studies

    War and the Pity of War
      This large collection of powerful poems and very moving illustrations on war ranges over time and place and level of difficulty. The editor includes an index of writers, and index of poems, and an introduction thate gives his reasons for selecting partic
      Author: Philip, Neil HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Well, The
      Set in Mississippi in the early 1900's, African American David Logan and his family share their well with blacks and whites in their community which leads to racial violence.
      Author: Taylor, Mildred

    Why War Is Never A Good Idea
      This beautifully illustrated poetic essay uses images of water and earth to communicate the destructiveness of war. Dscribes war as a "something which has grown old, but not wise as it destroys beautiful things and nice people."
      Author: Walker, Alice HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Widow's Broom, The
      A widow helps a witch recover from a fall, and in gratitude the witch leaves behind her broom to help the woman do her work. Suspicious neighbors try to burn the broom, but in the end the broom settles in with the woman.
      Author: Van Allsburg, Chris

    Wreath for Emmett Till, A
      Told in a poetic form known as heroic crown sonnets, the thoughtfully illustrated poem causes the reader to experience the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in Mississippi. The author provides an introduction to the poetic form, biographical information
      Author: Nelson, Marilyn HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > violence > child abuse
    Dog Lost
      An eleven-year old boy and pit bull terrier become best of friends. In an angry rage, the father throws the dog out into the street and the dog is forced to survive. Eventually the boy and his dog are reunited but not before the dog becomes a local hero
      Author: Lee, Ingrid HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

    Finding Fish
      This is the autobiography of Antwone Fisher (basis for a movie made by Denzel Washington). Antwone's childhood was filled with emotional and physical abuse. He found a way to overcome this difficult beginning.
      Author: Fisher, Antwone

    I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This
      A moving story of the friendship between two motherless 12-year-old girls--one black and one white--presents issues of racial prejudice, poverty, and child abuse.
      Author: Woodson, Jacqueline

    Midwife's Apprentice, The
      This award-winning novel, set in 14th century England, tells the story of Brat/Beetle/Alyce, a "homeless waif who became the midwife's apprentice-a person with a name and a place in the world" (book jacket).
      Author: Cushman, Karen HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Sold
      Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a village in Nepal. Her stepfather sells her into sexual slavery and her life of prostitution begins in a large city in India. The book is written in short paragraphs, sentences, and phrases
      Author: McCormick, Patricia HSE Descriptors: social studies | language arts - reading

    Stitches: A Memoir
      An autobiographical graphic novel that profoundly describes the author's disturbing and often horrific childhood. This is a riveting and groundbreaking work by children's book illustrator David Small.
      Author: Small, David HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | language arts - writing

    What Jamie Saw
      The power and lyricism of this remarkable book is evident in the opening sentence. "When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved." Jam
      Author: Coman, Carolyn

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > violence > domestic abuse
    Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet
      A collection of 49 poems, these vignettes of Appalachian life are funny, sad, moving, and silly. Not all of them are of great quality; teachers may want to pick and choose among them. The poem (on pg. 50) on abuse is powerful and likely to provoke good
      Author: Carson, Jo HSE Descriptors: social studies

Social Studies > sociology > social issues > violence > riots
    smoky night
      1
      Author: bunting, eve HSE Descriptors: literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts | literature and arts


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