Multicultural Literature Circles

1. Ms. Cathy Sheppard’s 8th grade Language Arts Class Ms. Kali Burns Library Media Specialist CI 513 Fall Term 2010 Multicultural Literature Circles

2. What should I read? -We will be reading a multicultural book in literature circle groups over the next three weeks. You will be choosing your top three choices from the following book titles.

3. Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without losing her identity or sense of style. http://animoto.com/play/pnMI65uDPsngphc4S82q7g Does My Head Look Big in This?Randa Abdel-Fattah

4. Nothing but the Truth (and a Few White Lies)Justina Chen Headley "Getting her fortune told by a Taiwanese 'belly-button grandmother' (who feels up her navel) instead of attending the spring dance is just one of the joys of being Patty Ho, a covertly snarky 'hapa' (half Asian, half white) struggling with her dual heritage. Patty's domineering mother is determined to make her a good Taiwanese girl. Gangly Patty, no 'China doll,' longs to be white like her long-gone father...readers will find a compelling narrative, and a spunky, sympathetic heroine. This book should enjoy wide appeal." -VOYA (less)

5. All the Broken Pieces Ann E. Burg Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past. subjects: Vietnam War, Novels in Verse, Vietnamese Americans, Adoption

6. American Born ChineseGene Luen Yang A tour-de-force by rising indy comics star Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he’s the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny’s life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax. 

7. "You forget. You forget you don't really exist here, that this isn't your home." Since emigrating from Bangladesh, fourteen-year-old Nadira and her family have been living in New York City on expired visas, hoping to realize their dream of becoming legal U.S. citizens. But after 9/11, everything changes. Suddenly being Muslim means you are dangerous -- a suspected terrorist. When Nadira's father is arrested and detained at the U.S.-Canadian border, Nadira and her older sister, Aisha, are told to carry on as if everything is the same. The teachers at Flushing High don't ask any questions, but Aisha falls apart. Nothing matters to her anymore -- not even college. It's up to Nadira to be the strong one and bring her family back together again. Ask Me No QuestionsMarina Tamar Budhos

8. Born Confused Tanuja Desai Hidier Seventeen-year-old Dimple, whose family is from India, discovers that she is not Indian enough for the Indians and not American enough for the Americans, as she sees her hypnotically beautiful, manipulative best friend taking possession of both her heritage and the boy she likes. subjects: East Indian Americans, Identity, Best Friends, Friendship, Photography

9. Kek, an African refugee, is confronted by many strange things at the Minneapolis home of his aunt and cousin, as well as in his fifth grade classroom, and longs for his missing mother, but finds comfort in the company of a cow and her owner. • subjects: Immigrants, African Americans Home of the BraveKatherine Applegate

10. When the Black Girl Sings Bill Wright Adopted by white parents and sent to an exclusive Connecticut girls' school where she is the only black student, fourteen-year-old Lahni Schuler feels like an outcast, particularly when her parents separate, but after attending a local church where she hears gospel music for the first time, she finds her voice. subjects: Identity, Interracial adoption, Singing, African American

11. The Hoopster Alan Lawrence Sitomer Andre Anderson is a black teenager who loves to play basketball, When he is viciously attacked, it calls his whole world into question--even his deadly jump shot. Sequel: Hip-Hop High School subjects: Teenage boys, Hate crimes, African Americans, Basketball stories

12. Dark Dude Oscar Hijuelos In the 1960s, Rico Fuentes, a pale-skinned Cuban American teenager, abandons drug-infested New York City for the picket fence and apple pie world of Wisconsin, only to discover that he still feels like an outsider and that violent and judgmental people can be found even in the wholesome Midwest.

13. Emily Goldberg Learns to SalsaMicolOstow Forced to stay with her mother in Puerto Rico for weeks after her grandmother's funeral, half-Jewish Emily, who has just graduated from a Westchester, New York, high school, does not find it easy to connect with her Puerto Rican heritage and relatives she had never met.

14. La LíneaAnn Jaramillo When fifteen-year-old Miguel's time finally comes to leave his poor Mexican village, cross the border illegally, and join his parents in California, his younger sister's determination to join him soon imperils them both. awards: Texas: Lone Star Reading List-2008, Booklist Editor's Choice-2006, ALA Best Books for Young Adults-2007 subjects: Brothers and sisters, Emigration and immigration, Survival, Mexicans, Mexico

15. Invisible Lines Mary Amato and Antonio Caparo From Booklist Trevor, a seventh-grader, lives in a tough, run-down housing project, but his school is in a rich neighborhood nearby, and it is hard for him to fit in. He is thrilled to join the soccer team, even though he cannot afford cleats, and his spoiled, rich classmate, Xander, won’t pass him the ball. With his father in jail and his mom searching for work, Trevor has to balance soccer practice with babysitting for his beloved, irritating younger siblings. A gifted artist, he finds escape from his life’s pressures when he begins to keep a required notebook for science class, which he fills with drawings, facts, and observations.

16. Images and reviews from: • Goodreads.com • Amazon.com • Booklist • Voya • Austin Public Library: • http://connectedyouth.org/books/ • Animoto book trailer created at: • www.animoto.com