VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES (VOYA) - A PERFECT TEN 👍

AUTHOR - JENNIFER ROY

GRADES - 4 - 6

SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD - HONOR👍🏿

is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.  

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD - FINALIST👍🏿

Inau­gu­rat­ed in 1950, the Nation­al Jew­ish Book Awards is the longest-run­ning North Amer­i­can awards pro­gram of its kind and is rec­og­nized as the most pres­ti­gious. The Awards are intend­ed to rec­og­nize authors, and encour­age read­ing, of out­stand­ing Eng­lish-lan­guage books of Jew­ish interest. 

BOSTON GLOBE HORN BOOK - HONOR 👍🏿

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - 100 TITLES FOR READING AND SHARING

WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE - CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD👍🏿

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - STARRED REVIEW

BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW

This is a true story based on the information given by a survivor to her niece. Syvia, who was only five years old, spent five years in a ghetto in Poland during WW11. Of the tens of thousands who lived in the ghetto, she was only one of about 800 to survive. Her family was able to outsmart the Nazis on many occasions which kept Syvie and her family from being sent to the concentration camps. Listeners will hear about the persecution of Jews through the eyes of a child. Yellow Star is an easy read and should elicit many questions along the way.   

1. What do you think Syvia missed the most while she was living in the ghetto? 

    Explain your answer.
    

    Answers will vary. Good food, friends, or toys are 
some possibilities. 


2. What do you think was Syvia’s worst experience?  Explain your answer.
    

    Answers will vary. Losing her doll, hiding in the 
cemetery, being taken 

    from her apartment by the 
Nazis, being caught in the cellar by the Nazis, 

    
running away from the bombs, are some 
possibilities. 

3. If you met Syvia, what questions would you ask her?

AUTHOR - PHILLIP HOOSE

GRADES - 5 AND UP

JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD - HONOR BOOK ☮️ 

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people. 

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY AWARD☮️

This is an annual list of 25 books created by the International Literacy Association which enhance student understanding of people and cultures.


NEWBERY AWARD - HONOR 👍🏿

The Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children”.

ROBERT F. SIBERT BOOK AWARD 👍🏿

This award is presented annually to the writer and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD  - WINNER 👍🏿

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW

WASHINGTON POST - BEST BOOK OF 2009

THE HORN BOOK - STARRED REVIEW

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - STARRED REVIEW

BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS - STARRED REVIEW

Most people connect Rosa Parks with the Montgomery bus boycott as a result of her refusal to give her seat to a white person. However, this incident was ignited by a teen-age girl named Claudette Colvin, who was dragged off a bus by two policemen, and taken to jail where she was fingerprinted. This rebellious act was repeated by another teen a few months later. However, these two children were not considered mature enough to be the test case. Unfortunately for Colvin, she was considered to be a pariah by some and she lost just about all of her friends who regarded her as a troublemaker. To complicate matters, she became pregnant by a white man and gave birth to a white boy. 
Although Parks is given much of the credit for ending bus segregation, it was the legal system that decided the matter. It is interesting to note that two of the plaintiffs were Colvin and the other teen. Parks was not involved in the lawsuit.                                                             


One basic message of this book is that history is often unfair. On the one hand we have Colvin, a young teen, who decided on her own to stand up to a horrible system. She had no plan or support at the time. On the other hand we have Parks, who was not only hand picked, but she worked for the NAACP and she had the confidence of knowing that once she was arrested, a support group would be waiting for her. While the author recognizes Parks for her courage, he makes it clear that Colvin should have received more credit for trying to beat the system single-handedly. Although Colvin was somewhat miffed at the time, and felt that she should have received her share of positive publicity, she later realized that Parks was better suited for the role as the barrier buster. 
As noted below, this book is a National Book Award winner and rightfully so. The compelling narrative accompanied by dozens of great pictures make this story very appealing and informative.  

Chapter Four - At the end of this chapter, Reverend Johnson tells Claudette 

    that she brought the revolution to Montgomery. What did he mean by that?
 

    She encouraged African Americans to take action by refusing to get out 

    of her seat.



Chapter Five - When Claudette returned to school, many of her classmates 

    made fun of her. Why didn't they respect her for what she did?


    They could have been afraid. Claudette challenged white authority, and 

    that usually meant that some African-American was going to get hurt.                                                                                                                        Chapter Six - Sometimes it takes a great deal of courage to do the right thing. 

    Explain how Claudette made her feelings known without breaking the law.


    She braided her hair and told everyone that she was proud to be

    African.



Chapter Eight - At the end of the chapter, Claudette feels as though she was 

    being thrown to the lions. What do you think that means?
 

    She was going to be a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the city of 

    Montgomery. This meant that she would face hostile lawyers and 

    resentment from the people who did not want the Jim Crow laws 

    changed.  

AUTHOR -PADMA VENKATRAMAN

GRADES - 5 AND UP

VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES (VOYA) A PERFECT TEN 👍🏿

VOYA Founded in 1978, Voice of Youth Advocates, or (VOYA),This magazine is the leading library journal dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians, the advocacy of young adults, and the promotion of young adult literature and reading. Its most prestigious award is a Perfect Ten. This is given to a book that gets a five star rating for quality and a five star rating for popularity. 

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY AWARD☮️

This is an annual list of 25 books created by the International Literacy Association 

which enhance student understanding of people and cultures.


CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 

    BEST BOOKS ☮️

a committee of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL) identifies the best in multicultural books.

BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW

KIRKUS - STARRED REVIEW

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

INTERNATIONAL BOARD ON BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE -  

  OUTSTANDING BOOK FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. A NOTABLE BOOK FOR CHILDREN

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY  - BOOK FOR THE TEEN

A young teen’s determination to realize her dream as dancer, and the inspiration she receives from others after losing her leg, provides page turning reading regardless of your interest in dancing. Get ready for an emotional roller coaster ride - buckle up.

1. Do you have a passion in your life that is similar to Veda’s?
 Can you describe 

    it?


2. At the end of the chapter called In the Eye, page 93 hardcover, Veda 
says that 

    she now understands the proverb - Beauty is in the eye of the 
 beholder. What 

    do you think it means?
    

    She is referring to the way her grandmother sees her.


3. In the chapter called Acting Anger, page 100 hardcover, Veda acts 
 differently 

    toward the lady on the bus. Do you agree with what she did? 
What would you

    have done?


4. In the chapter called Flight of Feeling, page 204 hardcover, Veda says,
 “You’d 

    prefer to be a demon like me.” What does that mean?
    

    Veda is somewhat rebellious, while Govinda tries to get along with
 

    everyone. He needs to be a bit more assertive. He needs to tell his 

    
parents that he wants to be a dancer, not an engineer. 

AUTHOR -DEBBIE LEVY

GRADES - 3-5

JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD - HONOR☮️

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL  SOCIETY  

 - BEST CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS OF 2016☮️

This is an annual list of 25 books created by the International Literacy Association which enhance student understanding of people and cultures.


ORBIS PICTUS AWARD - HONOR - OUTSTANDING NONFICTION FOR CHILDREN - (awarded by the National Council for Teachers of English) 👍🏿

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW 

BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW 

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD 👍🏿

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS - 2016 👍🏿

HUFFINGTON POST - BEST PICTURE BOOKS - 2016 

This biography focuses on Ginsburg’s unyielding fight against discrimination. In her personal life, she was not accepted because she was Jewish and a woman. These experiences inspired her to become one of the best in her field.

1. How did being a woman help her to become a Supreme Court judge? 
       

    She had to work twice as hard as a man to succeed.
 

2. What do you admire most about Ruth Bader Ginsberg?
 

3. Ruth took a stand against things that she felt were 
unfair. What do you think

    needs to be changed?
 

4. How do you go about changing things to make them 
better?                                                                                                      

AUTHOR -MARGARET RUURS

GRADES - 4-6

SKIPPING STONES - HONOR LIST - ☮️ 

promote an understanding of cultures, cultivate cooperation and/or encourage a deeper awareness of nature, ecology and diversity. Award winning books foster respect for multiple viewpoints and closer relationships within human societies. 

BANK STREET COLLEGE - BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR - WINNER👍🏿

KIRKUS REVIEW - STARRED REVIEW

DIAMOND WILLOW AWARD - SASKATCHEWAN YOUNG READERS' CHOICE

AWARD - FINALIST

TEACHERS' CHOICE LIST - INTERNATIONAL LITERACY ASSN. - WINNER

When a boy saves a baby elephant from drowning, he finds a purpose in life, as he bonds with the animal. The author also provides several informational pages about elephants.

1. Some villagers thought that Aaron should not have saved the elephant 

    because they eat the crops. What do you think? 

2. If you saw someone selling jewelry made from an elephant’s tusk, what would

    you do? 

3. Why did the elephant take milk from Aaron and not from the vet?


    He trusted Aaron because Aaron saved his life.                                                     

AUTHOR -JEWELL PARKER RHODES

GRADES - 4-7

😪WARNING! THIS BOOK HAS BEEN BANNED!😪

JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD ☮️

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

WALTER AWARD ☮️

The Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way.

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY AWARD☮️

This is an annual list of 25 books created by the International Literacy Association which enhance student understanding of people and cultures.


CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE BEST BOOKS☮️ 

a committee of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL) identifies the best in multicultural books.

E.B. WHITE - READ-ALOUD MIDDLE READER AWARD

CORETTA SCOTT KING ILLUSTRATOR AWARD - HONOR BOOK

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSN. - READ ACROSS AMERICA SELECTION

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. - QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT READERS

CHARLOTTE HUCK HONOR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CHILDREN'S FICTION

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

HUFFINGTON POST - THE BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2018

GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS - FINALIST - BEST MIDDLE GRADE AND CHILDREN'S BOOKS

AMAZON - BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Jerome Rogers was a twelve-year-old black boy who was shot and killed by a Chicago policeman. The boy was carrying a toy gun. He was shot in the back while running away. He comes back as a ghost who tries to heal a wounded community. The only person who can see him is Sarah, the daughter of the cop who killed him.

1. What do you think Sarah will be doing when she grows up?
    

   The author suggests that she might be fighting for justice. 

2. What do you think should have happened to Sarah’s father? 

3. Why do you think the ghost boys were all black?                                   

AUTHOR - LAURA AMY SCHLITZ 

GRADES - 4 AND UP  

NEWBERY MEDAL - WINNER 👍🏿 

The Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children”.

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. -  NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK  

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH - NOTABLE CHILDREN'S TRADE BOOK IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS  

JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

This gem of a book depicts life during the Middle Ages by using a series of monologues featuring members of a feudal community. The characters include a falconer’s son, a knight’s son, a blacksmith’s daughter, and about twenty others. Their experiences are thought provoking and provide an excellent understanding of this period in history. The author, a school librarian, originally wrote this book as a play, which accounts for the brilliant dialogue as readers get into the minds and feelings of the characters presented. Do not skip over this one! 

1. Would you rather live in today’s world or in the Middle Ages? Explain.


2. If you could trade places with one of the characters, who would you choose? 

   Why?


3. Who led the happier life - Giles or Drogo? Explain.
    

    Giles was a beggar. He worked a scam with his father to fool people into 


    giving them food. Drogo was a tanner’s apprentice. He enjoyed his work, 


    however, he complained about the negative comments from the

 
   townspeople about the smell coming from the tannery. A case could be 


    made for both characters, however, I think Giles had more fun. 

4. What does Giles mean when he said, “…Look after your foxes as well as 


    your sheep.”
   

    He was referring to the way he and his father tricked the people. 
They 

    were sly as foxes.                                                      

AUTHOR - ERIN ESTRADA KELLY

GRADES -3-5

NEWBERY AWARD - WINNER 👍🏿

The Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children”.

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 

     BEST BOOKS☮️ 

a committee of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL) identifies the best in multicultural books.

WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN - 2017👍🏿

LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY - BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN - 2017👍🏿

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS - 2017👍🏿

CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOKS 2017 - FICTION FOR OLDER READERS👍🏿

Celebrating differences and bullying are two themes that run through this Newbery Award winner, as three tweens with issues become friends through the unintended consequence of a bully’s behavior. 

1. Do you think Kaori really has special powers? Explain. 

2. Do you think the girls will succeed with their new business? 

3. Would you bring your problems and/or concerns to them? 

4. Will Chet act differently when he sees Virgil again? 
    

     Maybe. Virgil stood up to him causing him to reconsider his
 behavior. 

5. How could Virgil have gotten out of the well without any assistance?
    

    He could have tied his clothes together. By throwing the 
end over the

    bottom rung of the ladder and tying a knot, he might 
have been able to 

    pull himself up.                                                      

AS TOLD TO MICHELLE R. MCCANN BY LUBA TRYSZYNSKA-FREDERICK

GRADES -3-6

JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD - HONOR  ☮️

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.  

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER - ONCE UPON A WORLD AWARDS ☮️

This award was established by Sonia Levitin and her family to “support and perpetuate the values and mandate of the Simon Wiesenthal Center & Museum of Tolerance by honoring children’s books … which deal with issues of tolerance, diversity, human understanding and social justice, thus inspiring a young reader to promote positive change in the world.”

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY AWARD☮️

This is an annual list of 25 books created by the International Literacy Association which enhance student understanding of people and cultures.

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD 👍🏿

Inau­gu­rat­ed in 1950, the Nation­al Jew­ish Book Awards is the longest-run­ning North Amer­i­can awards pro­gram of its kind and is rec­og­nized as the most pres­ti­gious. The Awards are intend­ed to rec­og­nize authors, and encour­age read­ing, of out­stand­ing Eng­lish-lan­guage books of Jew­ish interest.  

BOOK SENSE - CHILDREN'S 76 PICK 

During her first night in the concentration camp, Luba discovered 54 abandoned children who were left in the cold to die. She decided to keep these children alive by doing whatever she could to obtain food and clothing. She took advantage of her nurse status, which allowed her freedom to roam around the camp. When liberation day arrived, 52 of the 54 children survived.  While the main message of this book is one of caring and going beyond the call of duty, it should be noted that the art work and the text do not depict the horrors of the camp very well. Nevertheless, it doesn’t disappoint as a read aloud. 

1. What do you think was the happiest moment for Luba?
   

    Possible answers - getting birthday gifts from the children, being freed 

    from the camp, (from Epilogue - being honored by the Queen 
of Holland, 

    reuniting with her children after 50 years, meeting some 
of her relatives)


2. It is very difficult to hide fifty children. Do you think the guards knew about

    them and pretended that they didn’t know anything? Do you think 
that

    Luba and the children were lucky that no one found them? How do 
you 

    explain the fact that fifty children were never discovered?                                                          

AUTHOR - KEKLA MAGOON

GRADES - Mature 6th and up

CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD - HONOR ☮️

The Award is given to an African American author and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions. The Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream of a pluralistic society. 

WALTER DEAN MYERS AWARD - FINALIST☮️

The Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way.

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 

     BEST BOOKS ☮️

a committee of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL) identifies the best in multicultural books.

MICHAEL J. PRINTZ AWARD - HONOR 👍🏿

Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". 

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE - 

     FINALIST 👍🏿

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - STARRED REVIEW

HORN BOOK - STARRED REVIEW

KIRKUS - STARRED REVIEW

During the fifties and sixties I was a follower of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his non-violent approach to civil rights. When the Black Panthers emerged, they were portrayed as a militant group, causing me to be somewhat confused as to how they were trying to accomplish their goals. I never really understood their purpose until I read this book which chronicles their history mainly from 1966-1982. I was astounded to learn how wrong I had been back in the day, as the media failed to give honest coverage to the Panthers. I was not aware of all the social services that they provided for their communities such as health care, food, clothing, shelter, education and more.

The first two chapters provide a history of racism in America which slowly caused the pot to boil over leading to the riots in the years following the King assassination. This crucial information allows readers to understand why the Black Panthers were formed. 

Revolution in our Time is not a casual read, as there are mountains of detailed information to be digested. However, for the serious reader who wants to learn about the Black Panthers, this is the book as the author left no stone unturned. It is ideal for young adults who will find captivating photos on most pages. The author deserves a ton of credit for doing the research and for allowing people like me to understand the humane side of the Black Panthers. Hopefully, readers will be influenced by this work and become contributing members to society.

1. Are there people in your neighborhood that are not getting the care they need. 

    What can you do about that?

2. If you were in charge of the Black Panthers, what would you have done 

    differently?

                                                          PAGE 17