Monthly Archives: November 2010

Happy Holidays!

It seems like the minute you wrap up the Thanksgiving leftovers, the winter holiday season begins.  For those who celebrate Hanukkah, there’s barely even time to take a breath before frying off the latkes, since it falls early this year … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising is the story of a girl who loses everything, her father, her home, her life of luxury and her dreams of the future.  When tragedy strikes, Esperanza and her mother find that their only hope is to leave … Continue reading

Posted in Teen, Tween | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

First Crossing: Stories about Teen Immigration (Part 2)

First Crossing is a collection of stories.  Because I found it best to review each story separately, this is the second day of coverage for this title.  The first 5 stories can be found here. Whether you’re reading it straight … Continue reading

Posted in Teen, Tween | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First Crossing: Stories about Teen Immigrants (Part 1)

First Crossing is an anthology of short stories about immigration, which includes works by some fabulous authors.  I’m going to do the content ratings separately by story since many teachers pull individual pieces for class.  I’ll be covering the volume … Continue reading

Posted in Teen, Tween | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Letters From Rifka

Okay, I’m going to admit to you that I was teary at the end of this one.  It ends well, but the story is quite touching.  Rifka and her family flee their home in the Ukraine under the cover of … Continue reading

Posted in Middle Grades | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Immigration Picture Book: How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story

After soliders visit a small boy’s home, his family immediately leaves for America under the cover of night.  They take nothing with them except a change of clothes and money to pay their fare on a small boat.  Across the … Continue reading

Posted in Middle Grades, Primary Grades | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Gold-Threaded Dress

Much like Molly in Molly’s Pilgrim, Oy is finding it hard to adjust to her new school. When her family first moved to the United States from Thailand, being Asian was not a big deal. A move to a different … Continue reading

Posted in Primary Grades | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Arrival

Shaun Tan’s book, The Arrival, completely overwhelmed me.  Despite not containing a single decipherable word, the story is complex and layered; so much so that I immediately re-read it in order to make sense of things. Using only pictures, Tan … Continue reading

Posted in Middle Grades | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Dragon’s Child – A Story of Angel Island

Laurence Yep, who has written many children’s books about China and Chinese-Americans has carefully crafted a fictional account of his own father’s immigration to the US from China. Gim Lew Yep’s situation is an interesting one. His father was born … Continue reading

Posted in Middle Grades, Primary Grades | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Blue Jasmine

Seema has mixed feelings about leaving her home in India to move to America. While she’s excited for something new, she’s leaving behind her extended family. The move ends up making Seema really think about what she considers necessary for … Continue reading

Posted in Middle Grades, Tween | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment