Girl in Translation
by Jean Kwok
Adult & High School Title
Kimberly Chang is only eleven when she and her widowed mother immigrate to Brooklyn from Hong Kong, but she soon bears responsibilities beyond her years, working alongside her mother in a sweatshop when not in school. Although Kimberly struggles to find her way in a new country and culture, she is nevertheless determined to use her "knack for school" to lift her and her mother out of poverty. Discussion Questions
A Long Walk To Water
by Linda Sue Park
Grades 6 - 8 Title
It's 1985 and Salva is ready for the school day to be over. As the school day ends, however, soldiers attack his village. The civil war has come to his part of the Sudan. In the year 2008, Nya is carrying water for her family to use. She makes 2 trips a day back and forth to the pond. It takes 8 hours of her time every day, in the parched land of the Sudan. Two narratives are told in alternating chapters. How the lives of these two people eventually come together is the heart of this compelling story, written by Newbery Medal winner Linda Sue Park and based on the true life story of Salva Dut. Discussion Questions
Extra Credit
by Andrew Clements
Grades 3 - 5 Title
To avoid repeating the sixth grade, Abby (a girl from central Illinois) takes on an ambitious extra credit project: she writes letters to a pen pal in a foreign country. Abby thinks she is writing to a 10-year-old Afghani girl named Amira, but her letters are actually being answered by Sadeed, Amira's brother. As Abby and Sadeed exchange letters, they learn that they have far more in common than either could have predicted. Discussion Questions
The Sandwich Swap
by Queen Rania of Jordan
Grades K - 4 Title
Two friends love to play, draw, and spend time together. They eat lunch together at school. One day a comment is made about their different types of sandwiches being "gross." The girls have a falling out, which leads to a food fight. After spending time with the Principal, they decide to taste each other's sandwich. The girls organize a food festival at their school to celebrate our cultures and differences. Discussion Questions
Say Hello!
by Rachel Isadora
Preschool Title
While Carmelita, her mother, and their dog Manny go to visit Abuela Rose, they run into friends and shopkeepers, and stop to greet them in different languages. Manny greets everyone with "woof." Textured paint and printed patterns invite readers to linger on each page. Text and illustrations provide clues for readers who may be learning these greetings for the first time.