Multicultural/Diversity Book Report Book Ideas:

Discrimination: Predjuce in action (Scott Gilliam) Gr 6 Up--This series entry briefly explores racial, gender, age, sex, and disability discrimination. Each chapter presents compelling demonstrations of current discriminatory practices, along with solid background information and suggestions for creating change.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie) Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons.  Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one.

Becoming Naomi Leon (Pam Munoz Ryan) Naomi's tale is one of becoming, of finding one's heritage, of discovering one's true talent while overcoming the odds of abandonment, anxiety, and disappointment.

Esperanza Rising Pam Munoz Ryan Grade 6-9-Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation, not only to a new country but also into a different social class.

Elijah of Buxton Christopher Paul Curtis  Elijah, an 11-year-old boy who is the first freeborn black in his Buxton, Canada, settlement. Elijah is working on overcoming his fears of snakes and living down the story of how, as a baby, he threw up on Frederick Douglass.

The Wednesday Wars Gary D. SchmidtOn Wednesday afternoons, while his Catholic and Jewish schoolmates attend religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood, the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade, is alone in the classroom with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who Holling is convinced hates his guts. Each month in Holling's tumultuous seventh-grade year is a chapter in this quietly powerful coming-of-age novel set in suburban Long Island during the late '60s.

A Free Black Girl Before the Civil War: The Diary of Charlotte Forten, 1854 Charlotte L. FortenGrade 4-6-These selected excerpts from diaries capture the daily lives, events, and emotions of three young people who lived through the turbulent years before or during the Civil War.

Caddie Woodlawn Carol Ryrie BrinkCaddie told stories of her pioneer childhood. Children everywhere will love redheaded Caddie with her penchant for pranks. Scarcely out of one scrape before she is into another, she refuses to be a "lady," preferring instead to run the woods with her brothers. Whether she is crossing the lake on a raft, visiting an Indian camp, or listening to the tales of the circuit rider, Caddie's adventures provide an exciting and authentic picture of life on the Wisconsin frontier in the 1860s.

Walk Two Moons Sharon Creech Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle's mother has disappeared. While tracing her steps on a car trip from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents, Salamanca tells a story to pass the time about a friend named Phoebe Winterbottom whose mother vanished and who received secret messages after her disappearance. One of them read, "Don't judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins." Despite her father's warning that she is "fishing in the air," Salamanca hopes to bring her home. By drawing strength from her Native American ancestry, she is able to face the truth about her mother.

The Giver Lois Lowry In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy

Number the Stars Lois Lowry The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country

Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson The story starts out simply enough: Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade--he wants it so bad he can taste it. He's been practicing all summer, running in the fields around his farmhouse until he collapses in a sweat. Then a tomboy named Leslie Burke moves into the farmhouse next door and changes his life forever. Not only does Leslie not look or act like any girls Jess knows, but she also turns out to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. After getting over the shock and humiliation of being beaten by a girl, Jess begins to think Leslie might be okay.

Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson RawlsIn Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy and his precious coonhound pups romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to "tree" the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion. When the victory over the mountain lion turns to tragedy, Billy grieves, but learns the beautiful old Native American legend of the sacred red fern that grows over the graves of his dogs.

Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (Mass Market Paperback)

by Christopher Paul Curtis  The "Weird Watsons" lives come to intersect with the 1963 Birmingham church bombing in Alabama where four young black girls were needlessly killed. This book proved to be a nice introduction to the civil rights movement of the 60's, which my student knew little about, but became very interested in thanks to this book. The church bombing in Alabama is a reminder to us all of what comes of ignorance.

Project Mulberry Linda Sue Park Julia Song, who has recently moved to Plainfield, Illinois, is slowly finding her way in her new life as she also discovers the ways that she is like and different from her Korean parents. Mina Kim brings a refreshing voice to Julia, whose teen angst is exacerbated by her concerns about being stereotyped as a Korean.

Later, Gator Laurence Yep In examining classic issues like sibling rivalry, he adds the special filter of the Chinese American experience: just after Teddy complains to his mother that everyone likes Bobby better than him, Teddy tells the reader, "Right about now I could have really used a hug. My parents, though, never showed their affection like the white parents on television. I wanted a hug so bad that it almost hurt."

Ribbons by Laurence Yep Gr. 5^-7. Robin, 11, is a gifted dancer, and she bitterly resents having to give up her ballet classes to help her parents pay for her lame grandmother to come from Hong Kong to live with them in San Francisco. To make things worse, Grandmother treats Robin with contempt. But when Robin discovers Grandmother's terrible secret--her grotesquely mangled broken feet--their relationship suddenly changes.

F Is for Fabuloso Marie G. Lee Grade 6-8-Lee has woven together two story strands: one, a very real and often humorous description of teenage angst and the other, the prejudices, both subtle and overt, that a family faces in a new country.

The Smart Princess and Other Deaf Tales  Canadian Cultural Society of the DeafA unique and much-needed collection, The Smart Princess takes readers inside the fantasies, dreams, and disappointments of young people who are Deaf. In one tale, a princess runs away when her intolerant aunt forbids her to sign. Another story looks at the experience of being a Deaf child at a hearing school. And two strangers, one giant and one tiny, become friends despite their difficulties in seeing each other sign.

Middle Passage Charles Johnson, Penguin Books, 1990 African-American, male, fiction
Winner of the National Book Award, Johnson's novel is about a freed slave who stows away on a slave ship. A quick read, a twist on the white "sea-faring" books a la Melville, but lacks the sharpness of Wright or Ellison.
Suitable for high school, and maybe some junior-high classes.

The cay Theodore Taylor, Avon, 1969, African-American, two males, fiction.
Stranded on a tiny Caribbean island when their ship is torpedoed by a German submarine, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man must find a way to survive. ..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

A lesson before dying Ernest J. Gaines, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1993, African-American, male, fiction.
Jefferson, a black youth, gets caught in the wrong place during a violent crime and is sentenced to death for something he did not do. With the support of his family and community, he regains his self-esteem and learns to face death with dignity. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Letters from a slave girl:The story of Harriet Jacobs Mary E. Lyons, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1992, African-American, female, fiction.
In this fictionalized story based on true events, Harriet Jacobs writes letters describing her slavery in North Carolina and her preparations for escape in 1842. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Nightjohn Gary Paulsen, Delacorte Press, 1993, African American, female, fiction.
Sarny faces the dangerous consequences when she accepts a newly-arrived slave's offer to teach her to read. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Mildred Taylor, ?, ?, African-American, female, fiction.
Cassie and her family live on land that they own, in the midst of white-owned plantations. She and her brothers confront differences in education, justice, attitudes, etc., and emerge triumphant. There are sequels..
Suitable for Middle School/Junior High.

Warriors Don't Cry:A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High. Melba Patillo Beals, Archway Paperbacks, 1995, African American, Female, non-fiction:autobiography, photographs.
In 1957 Melba Patillo, a sixteen year old student, was selected as one of nine students to help integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Melba kept a diary of her accounts of cruel remarks from schoolmates and their parents, what the National Guard and Little Rock police officers went through to protect the nine students from the mob, and her pain as she washes away the acid sprayed in her eyes. A wonderful, inspiring and important book for people all ages to get first hand account of the climate in the south during the Civil Rights Movement..
Suitable for middle school and high school..

Jason's Adventures with The Tuskegee Airmen Millie Wright Pilgrim, Millie Wright Pilgrim, 1992, African-American, male, fiction.
Suitable for 4-6.

Stolen Innocence:Preventing, Healing and Recovering from Child Molestation Dr. Ivory L. Toldson, CPHC, 1996, African American, female, Nonfiction, pictures.
Stolen Innocence tells the story of an African-American female child in therapy who has been sexually and physically abused. Through the child's character, children safely experience the emotional hullabaloo of sexual abuse. This motivates children to learn prevention skills the story contains. Child victims and adult survivors see themselves on a triumphant journey to wellness. Mental health professionals and educators see how to lead them. Mental health professionals who use play therapy procedures in the treatment of children will find the book indispensable. In an entertaining and nonthreatening story, Children learn ways to safeguard and protect themselves. The shame, an! ger, the confusion, the fears, the loss of control and the occasional joy in spite of all unfolds in the book. The book employs psychohistory as a technique in the story with the use of ancient African Egyptian beliefs about life..
Suitable for K-3, 4-6 Grade: A

Othello: a Novel Julius Lester, Scholastic Hardcover, 1995, African-American (The author is African-American, but the story is about an African.), male, fiction.
Julius Lester has updated Shakespeare's "Othello" to a quick compelling read. Some interesting changes: Iago is an African like Othello and the setting is moved from Venice, Italy to England. Good for reluctant readers of Shakespeare or any of the "classics.".
Suitable for Middle School/Junior High and High School.

With Every Drop of Blood: A Novel of the Civil War James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, Delacorte, 1992, African-American, male, fiction, map included.
A poor white Southerner is captured by a black Yankee and the Southerner must question his beliefs about war, race and States' rights. In preface, authors explain that the characters occasionally use ethnic slurs in order to remain authentic. .
Suitable for Middle school/junior high.

Rainbow Jordan Alice Childress, Avon Flare, 1982, African-American, female, fiction.
Rainbow Jordon sometimes lives with her beautiful young mom or stays with neighbor "Miz Josie" from time to time. She tries to deal with her dysfunctional life the best way she can..
Suitable for Middle school/junior high.

Asian-American and Pacific Islander

Desert Exile, Yoshiko Uchida, University of Washington Press, 1982, Japanese-American, female, autobiography
Internment Literature. Follows the war internment of a Japanese-American family. True story, quick read.
Suitable for middle school/junior high and high school.

Children of the river Linda Crew, Dell Publishing, 1989, Asian-American (Cambodian), female, fiction.
She fled Cambodia with her aunt's family to escape the Khmer Rouge army. Now seventeen-year-old Sundara must find a way to remain faithful to her own people as she learns to become an American..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

The clay marble Minfong Ho,Farrar, Straus & Giroux., 1991, Asian-American (Cambodian), many, fiction.
As a family flees the advance of Khmer Rouge soldiers in Cambodia, they become separated in the chaos..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Echoes of the white giraffeSook Nyul Choi, Houghton Mifflin, 1993, Asian American (Korean), female, fiction.
As Sookan adjusts to life in the refugee village in Pusan, she clings to her hope that the civil war will end and her family will be reunited in Seoul. Sequel to Year of Impossible Goodbyes. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Goodbye Vietnam Gloria Whelan, Random House, 1992, Asian American (Vietnamese), many, fiction.
The seemingly-impossible dream of escaping Vietnam for Hong Kong and freedom challenges a refugee family's courage and perseverance. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Shadow of the dragon Sherry Garland, Harcourt, 1993, Asian American (Vietnamese), male, fiction.
Danny Vo tries to bring peace between a Vietnamese gang and his girlfriend's brother, a skinhead. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Shizuko's daughter Kyoko Mori, Henry Holt and Company, 1993, Asian American (Japanese), female, fiction.
Yuki's life turns upside down when her mother dies and she must live with a father she doesn't know. She learns to rely on her own inner strength and find her place in a new family. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

To Destroy You Is No Loss JoAn Criddle, East/West Bridge Publishing House, 1987, Cambodian, Cambodian American, Female, non-fiction:biography/Oral History, photographs.
This book follows one prominent Cambodian family's struggle to survive four years of unprecedented brutality and wanton destruction during Pol Pot's communist Khmer Rouge regime. Featuring fifteen year-old Teeda, it is the true story of the four generation Butt family's efforts to stay alive,and their eventual terror-filled escape attempts from a war ravaged, famine riddled nation..
Suitable for junior high and high school

Peacebound Trains Haemi Balgassi, Clarion Books, 1996, Asian/Korean, female, Historical Fiction, illustrations.
In harsh winter, a South Korean mother and her young children flee from war aboard the roof of a southbound freight train. The story is poignant and deeply moving, and the watercolor artwork is stunning..
Suitable for K-3, 4-6.

Finding my voice Marie Lee, Houghton Mifflin, 1992, Asian-American, female, fiction.
Ellen Sung is the only Asian-American in a small school in Minnesota and is having trouble finding her identity. Should she follow her sister to Harvard, receive a letter in gymnastics, and/or forgive the racial comments she hears?.
Suitable forMiddle school/junior high.

The Golem and the Dragon Girl Sonia Levitin, Dials, 1993, Asian-American/Jewish, female and male, fiction.
Laurel Wang and her Chinese-American family have moved out of a house that she thinks is haunted by the dragon spirit of her great-grandfather. Jonathan and his Jewish family move into the house and he thinks a golem is haunting the house. Laurel and Jonathan use their cultures to exorcise the ghost..
Suitable for Middle school/junior high.

If It Hadn't been for Yoon Jun.Marie G. Lee, Houghton Mifflin/Avon, 1993, Korean American, Female, fiction.
A funny big that also deals with racism in a serious was. Twelve-year-old Alice is an adoptee from Korea in a white family. She doesn't think of herself as Korean at all, but when a boy from Korean, Yoon Jun, ends up in her class, she has to face up to real issues of who she is..
Suitable for middle school/junior high.

Latino and Latina

The forty-third war Louise Moeri, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989, Latino/Latina, male, fiction.
When twelve-year-old Uno Ramirez is forced to serve in a revolutionary army, he must find the courage to survive. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Journey of the sparrows Fran Leeper Buss with Daisy Cubias, Dell Publishing, 1991,Latino/Latina, many, fiction.
After struggling to come to America, a family of Salvadoran refugees begins to find a new home..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Taking sides Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991, Latino/Latina, male, fiction.
Lincoln Mendoza feels his loyalties torn when he leaves the Hispanic inner city to move to a white suburban neighborhood. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Voices from the fields: Children of migrant farmers tell their stories. S. Beth Atkin, Joy Street Books, 1993, Latino/Latina, many, mixed.
Photographs, poems, and interviews with children reveal the hardships and hopes of Latino migrant farm workers and their families. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Local news Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993, Latino/Latina, many, fiction.
A collection of short stories about Mexican American youth in California's Central Valley. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Crazy weekend Gary Soto, Scholastic, Inc, 1994, Latino/Latina, 2 male, fiction.
Hector and Mando inadvertently find themselves pursued by two thieves who think the boys witnessed their crime. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Pacific crossing Gary Soto, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992, Latino/Latina, male, fiction.
Fourteen-year-old Mexican American Lincoln Mendoza spends a summer with a host family in Japan, encountering new experiences and making new friends. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Native American and Eskimo

Scrub Dog of Alaska Walt Morey, Blue Heron Publishing, Inc., 1989, Native American, Male, Fiction.
Half-Indian David Martin saves Scrub, part-wolf pup, from cruel sled-dog trainer Smiley Jackson. Dave cares for Scrub as he grows into a magnificent lead dog and Smiley returns to claim him. While Scrub races in the Alaskan sled-dog circuit, Dave faces prejudice in Anchorage while he tries to reunite with Scrub. Suitable for 4-6 and Middle School/Junior High.  

I heard the owl call my name Margaret Craven, Clarke, Irwin., 1967, Native American, male, fiction.
An Anglican priest with a short time to live learns acceptance of death from the native people he has come to help on the northwest coast of British Columbia. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Again calls the owl.Margaret Craven, Hall, 1980, Native American, many, fiction.
This sequel to I Heard the Owl Call My Name continues a native community's journey to accept the death of a friend..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Beardance Will Hobbs, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993, Native American, male, fiction.
While accompanying his guardian on a trip into the San Juan Mountains, Cloyd tries to help two orphaned grizzly cubs survive and complete his own spirit mission. The sequel to Bearstone..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Bearstone Will Hobbs, Atheneum Publishers, 1989, Native American, male, fiction.
As a last chance to turn his life around, Cloyd, a Ute Indian boy, goes to live with an elderly rancher whose caring ways help him grow toward manhood..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

The owl's song Janet Campbell Hale, Bantam Books, 1991, Native American, male, fiction.
Billy White Hawk leaves his Idaho reservation to find a better life in California, but discovers that hatred and hostility have followed him. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Revolutions of the heartMarsha Qualey, Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1993, Native American, 1 female 1 male, fiction.
Cory must cope with family tragedy and small-town prejudice when she falls in love with a Native American boy. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Rising voices: Writings of young Native AmericansSelected by Arlene B. Hirschfelder and Beverly R. Singer, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1992, Native American, many, mixed.
A collection of poems and essays in which young Native Americans speak of their identity, their families and communities, rituals, and the harsh realities of their lives. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Walker of time Helen Hughes Vick, Harbinger, 1993, Native American, male, fiction.
A sudden journey back through time jolts a Hopi boy as he finds himself facing the challenges of an ancient people. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

A woman of her tribe Margaret Robinson, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1990, Native American (Canadian), female, fiction.
Fifteen-year-old Annette makes a physical, cultural, and psychological journey from her rural Nootka community on Vancouver Island to the city of Victoria to discover her cultural heritage. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

ROOTS OF PEACE, SEEDS OF HOPE:A Journey for Peacemakers Maggie Steincrohn Davis, Heartsong Books, 1994, Native American, N/A, non-fiction, Illustrations by Maggie Steincrohn Davis.
This unique, highly-praised, exquisitely simple book expresses the essence of Native-non-Native relations in this country and is a call for peacemakers. The book is written in the spirit of Albert Schweitzer's principle of 'Reverence for Life' and should be known and understood by all persons, of whatever race. .
Suitable for grades 3-12.

I am Regina Sally M. Keehn, Philomel, 1991, Native Americans and Eskimo, female, fiction.
Based on a true story of an eleven-year-old girl captured by a Native American tribe in 1755. Regina Leininger was forced to adjust to a harsh life of hunger, disease and mistreatment until she was identified as a white captive in 1763. Her tombstone is located near present-day Stouchsburg, PA..
Suitable for Middle School/Junior High.

Dreamplace George Ella Lyon, Orchard Books, 1993, Native American, female, historical fiction, illustrations.
This beautifully illustrated book about the Anasazi uses watercolors to portray a young girl¼s vision of early life in Mesa Verde. It is an easily read book that introduces the reader to Anasazi life as well as the abandonment of the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings..
Suitable for K-3, 4-6.

Jewish

Daniel's story Carol Matas, Scholastic, Inc, 1993, Jewish; Holocaust, male, fiction.
Daniel and his family must find the courage to survive the horror of the Holocaust "for all those who couldn't." Published in conjunction with the exhibit, "Daniel's Story:Remember the Children" at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Related themes:Families, Justice and Prejudice, Perseverance and Courage..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

The devil's arithmeticJane Yolen, Viking Kestrel, 1988, Jewish; Holocaust, female, fiction.
A young woman struggles to understand her family's experience during the Holocaust. Going through a magical doorway, she suddenly realizes first-hand what they went through..
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

The Man from the Other Side Uri Orlevi. English translation by Hillel Hallan., Houghton Mifflin, 1991, Jewish, male, fiction.
Based on a true story during World War II in Warsaw, Poland. A fourteen-year-old boy becomes involved with the Warsaw Ghetto uprising when he learns that his deceased father was a Jew..
Suitable for Middle School/Junior High.

Middle Eastern or East Indian

Titles in English (or translations) from other countries

Shabanu:Daughter of the wind Suzanne Fisher Staples, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989, Pakastani, female, fiction.
When she is eleven, Shabanu's father gives her in marriage to an older man to bring prestige to the Pakistani family. She must decide whether to accept the decision or risk the consequences of going against her family and culture. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Waiting for the rain Sheila Gordon, Bantam, 1987, South African, 2 male, fiction.
Two young men -- one black, one white -- struggle to remain friends through racial tensions in South Africa. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Year of impossible goodbyes Sook Nyul Choi, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, Korean, female, fiction.
Sookan and her family survive the Japanese occupation of Korea, only to face overwhelming hardship at the hands of the Communist government which follows. This is the story of their escape to the South and everything that they must leave behind. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Haveli Suzanne Fisher Staples, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993, Pakistani, female, fiction.
Shabanu submitted to the customs of her people in Pakistan and married the rich older man to whom she was pledged against her will. But now Shabanu becomes the victim of his family's blood feud and the malice of his other wives. Sequel to Shabanu:Daughter of the Wind. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Zlata's diary Zlata Filipovic, Viking Press, 1994, Yugoslovian, female, non-fiction.
Through her diary, Zlata Filipovic recounts the mounting horror as her country, formerly Yugoslavia, dissolves into ethnic conflict. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Kiss the dust Elizabeth Laird, Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1991, Middle Eastern (Iraqi), female, fiction.
To escape Iraqi forces, thirteen-year-old Tara must flee with her family over the border into Iran. There they face an uncertain future because of her father's involvement with the Kurdish resistance movement. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.

Little brother Allan Baillie, Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1985, Asian (Cambodian), male, fiction.
Vithy must survive the Cambodian jungle and the Khmer Rouge soldiers to rescue his older brother. .
Suitable for junior-high to high school.