I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

I Will Always Write Back is a much needed story in today's political climate. The book relates how an American middle school student was assigned a pen pal from Zimbabwe as a class assignment. The American, Caitlin, came from an upper middleclass family. The Zimbabwe student's family struggled to subsist and nearly lost their home many times while the two students corresponded.

At first Martin tried to keep the story of his family's poverty and trials from his American pen pal. It wasn't until he risked losing her because he couldn't afford the postage to send letters that he let her know a bit of his family's situation. She responded with a charity that would put most Americans to shame.

As a teen, Caitlin worked after school and on weekends, saving money to send to Martin's family. Because of the exchange rate, even twenty U.S. dollars would support a family living in poverty in Zimbabwe. She managed to find the money to keep Martin and his siblings in school. Martin eventually passed all the exams necessary to get into a U.S. college. Caitlin solicited her family's help to bring Martin over to America to complete his education. Today both are successful adults contributing to society.

This book would be a great inspirational story to share with a 5th---8th grade class. Pen pal exchanges are so easy to kick off these days through Twitter or Facebook groups. But whether or not a classroom is going to be pen pals or not, this is a book that deserves to be shared.  

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate is a magical story about the world, written from the perspective of a tree. Many rings old, the tree weaves a story that spans the arrival of immigrants---both animal and human over the span of its lifetime. The immigrant family that now lives nearby is being harassed, and the tree, feeling the end of its life, attempts to help; in the only way a tree can help.

Woven throughout this story are science terms, a bit of nature vocabulary---even some math. There are many ways this book could be used as a language arts writing aid. For example, the animals in the story all have names, and their own specific criterion for naming. The skunks are all named with pleasant scents like RosePetal. The raccoons are all named You, because they can't remember names. This might be turned into a fun writing prompt. The science vocabulary could be pulled out and expanded. The message of the book could be expanded as a personal reflection essay by students.  

The best part of the book, is its timely message of community being larger than bullying and discrimination. In this book, the Earth and all its creatures are connected, not just today, but throughout the years---beyond an individual human's existence. This is one of the best books I have read---one that I highly recommend for a classroom, especially 3-6th grades.

There is also a list of lesson ideas on the author's website:
 http://www.wishtreebook.com/static/pdf/wishtree-final.pdf

Stepping Stones by Margaret Ruurs

Stepping Stones is a fantastic book to introduce into an inclusive classroom that has a student who comes from an Arabic background. This book is a dual language book---with English and Arabic side by side.

The story is told from a child's point of view. It is about a refugee family who lives peacefully and simply until a war afflicts their land. They are forced to flee with only those belongings that they can carry on their backs. They find refuge in America.

The illustrations are done using small stones to create pictures. My first thought for a lesson plan is after reading and discussing the book, to have students create a story of their own about a time in their own lives when they struggled with adversity. The students could write their own story and also create the same kind of rock art as in the book. To culminate the lesson it might be beneficial to compare and contrast the hardships that the refugee family endured to the hardships students describe.

This is a beautiful, poignant book that I would highly recommend for use in the classroom.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Julie of the Wolves is a wonderful story about an Eskimo girl facing the encroachment of the modern world on the Eskimo traditions and the natural world of the Arctic she lives in. Julie loses her mother at a very young age and her aunt takes her away from her father through legal means. Julie is then forced into marriage at thirteen, as is sometimes the custom among the Eskimos. This type of marriage is not binding, however, and Julie escapes into the wilderness in an attempt to find a life where she can start over again. Along the way to her destination, she uses knowledge of the old Eskimo ways to survive the harsh conditions that she experiences. This book is full of the wonder of living as part of nature. It also explores the Eskimo culture and the clash that happens when the modern world meets the old ways.

I would plan to use this book as an adjunct to lessons on the Arctic, Eskimos, the life cycles of lemmings, wolves, ecosystems, and/or ecology. There are bits that may be too much for younger students: the marriage between the thirteen year olds ends in a vaguely described assault. The main character befriends a wolf pack and the wolf pack adopts her and helps her to survive. Later, after we learn to love the wolves individually, the leader is shot cold by humans that happen to be out hunting. There are also vague references to Julie "not being a woman yet." The benefits of this book would be great in the classroom. It is a well told story, with a well developed plot and characters that are believable, even when they're wolves. It was found in the children's section of the library. It was awarded the Newbery in 1973. I would use it in a fourth through ninth grade classroom.         

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

By Source, Fair use,

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4096937

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare has adventure, adversity, and the difficult merging of two cultures. Twelve year old Matt holds down the homestead in Maine in the 18th century while waiting anxiously for his parents and family members to arrive. His adventures include getting injured. Native Americans nurse Matt back to health and eventually help Matt through a long summer and fall. After Matt's family fails to show up by September the Native American Chief invites Matt to migrate with the Indians to the winter hunting grounds, but Matt has faith that his family will return before winter. Matt readies the cabin for the winter, harvests the small amount of crops that he grew, and waits and hopes for his family as the lonely, cold winter sets in.

This book would be great to read to second grade on up. By 5th or 6th grades, students should be able to read on their own. This book is a Caldecott award winner.