The Great Gilly Hopkins. ISBN 978-0-06-440201-9. Katherine Paterson. 1978. Newbery Honor. Ages 9-12. Caucasian and African-American.

Galadriel “Gilly” Hopkins is 11-years-old when she is placed into yet another foster home. She daydreams about leaving Mrs. Trotter’s home which she shares with William Ernest, another foster child, and of traveling to San Francisco to be with her mother. Gilly knows that “she can’t go soft” and tells anyone who will listen that she doesn’t need any help from anybody. Gilly steals the money she needs to buy a bus ticket to San Francisco from Mrs. Trotter and her blind neighbor, Mr. Randolph. But, when this untraditional family of Trotter, William Ernest, and Mr. Randolph don’t give-up on her, even when they discover her crime, Gilly starts to care about them in return. Her mother appears for a brief visit, only to leave Gilly again. Gilly eventually ends up living with her grandmother, whom she just met but takes with her what she learned from Mrs. Trotter - that maybe she can be loved just the way she is.

The Great Gilly Hopkins could be used in social studies to discuss the differing family structures of today’s American culture, including a discussion of birth parents, foster parents, and adoptive parents. Students could make predictions about the plot based on the book title and cover illustration. Students could also write about who they think Gilly should live with and why.

George vs. George: The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides.

ISBN 0-439-80205-9. Rosalyn Schanzer. 2004. ALA Notable Book. Ages 8+. Caucasian.

George vs. George is the true story of the American Revolution as seen from two very different perspectives, that of George Washington versus that of King George III of England. We learn about both Georges’ lives, where they lived, and how each region was governed. Schanzer also presents the British and American attitudes about issues and events leading up to war, such as the Stamp Act and the Boston Massacre. We see both sides during and after the Revolution. The detailed colored pencil/pen illustrations provide additional context to the events and also show, for example, the differing military uniforms of British and colonial forces. Within the illustrations are also accurate quotes from significant players. This element truly brings history alive!

George vs. George, in and of itself, could be the basis of an entire unit of the American Revolution. Students could create a timeline of events. An obvious activity is to compare and contrast George Washington and King George III. Another compare and contrast activity could be to discuss the structure of the American government before and after the Revolution. Colonial music and songs could be explored. Older students could plan and enact a trial based on the events of the Boston Massacre.

Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship. ISBN 0-439-82973-9. Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu. Photographs by Peter Greste. 2006. The Christopher Award. Ages 4-8. Caucasian, African.

Owen & Mzee is the true story of a baby hippopotamus who gets separated from his pod and stranded on a sandy coral reef near the small coastal town of Malindi in southern Kenya. The people of the town rescue him and name him Owen, after a visitor who helps save him. A nearby animal sanctuary agrees to take Owen and place him in an area of the park with other animals, including an Aldabra tortoise named Mzee, who is not very friendly. Owen and Mzee strike up a surprising friendship, swimming, eating, drinking, and even sleeping together. This touching story is strengthened by the book’s photographs of Owen’s rescue, the transfer to the sanctuary, and many images of the friends together. There is additional information in the back of the book about the hippopotomi, tortoises, Kenya, and the sanctuary.

There are endless possibilities for classroom activities surrounding Owen & Mzee. Students could compare and contrast physical characteristics and habitats of the two creatures. Reading this book also presents an opportunity to learn about Kenya, animal sanctuaries, and other wildlife conservation efforts in Africa and around the world. And, of course, Owen & Mzee offers a unique context in which to discuss friendship. At www.owenandmzee.com, a teacher can find additional books about the two friends, activities, and teacher’s guides.

Scorpions. ISBN 978-0-06-447066-7. Walter Dean Myers. 1988. Newbery Honor.

Ages 12+. African-American, Puerto Rican.

Twelve-year-old Jamal is now the man of the house. His father only stops by for brief visits, and his older brother Randy is in prison. Jamal is torn between leading Randy’s street gang, the Scorpions, and doing “good things” with his best friend Tito. Jamal enjoys drawing, especially sketching the neighbor’s garden he can see through his sister Sassy’s window but struggles in school. Jamal’s life gets even more complicated when one of the Scorpions gives him a gun. Fighting with the school bully, trying to earn money for Randy’s appeal, and attempting to get out of the gang force Jamal to make life-altering choices.

Scorpions presents many classroom opportunities for discussion, writing, and analysis.

Classroom discussions could include:

- Jamal and Tito’s friendship

- The perceived futility of life in the neighborhood. Jamal feels, “It was part of the life they were living - police come get you” (p. 117)

Writing prompts and essay topics:

- The gun - How did the appearance of the gun in the story change Jamal and ultimately the outcome of the story?

- Randy - From what we learn about him in the book, extend your thinking and develop Randy’s character. Discuss Randy’s influence on Jamal and those around him.

Analysis for writing or creating posters and/or charts:

- Compare and contrast Jamal and Tito’s characters.

- Positive vs negative influences in Jamal’s life

Number the Stars. ISBN 978-0-440-403272. Lois Lowry. 1989. Newbery Medal. Ages 9-12. Danish and Jewish Danes.

Life in 1943 Nazi-occupied Copenhagen is already challenging for 10-year-old friends Annemarie and Ellen. But, when work spreads that Jewish families would be relocated by the Nazis, Annemarie’s family knows that they must take the risks necessary to help their Jewish neighbors, including Ellen and her parents. Annemarie, her parents, younger sister, and extended family risk their own lives to help Ellen, her parents, and other Jewish families escape the Nazis by hiding in altered fishing boats to cross the sea to unoccupied Sweden. Annemarie doesn’t realize that her own courage would ever be called upon but accepts the responsibility blindly when it becomes necessary to save her friend’s life.

Number the Stars is a useful and appropriate introduction for students to some of the issues of World War II. A next step could be a simple geography lesson of WWII Europe including a discussion of nations which were occupied by German forces. Important symbols could be discussed as presented in the book by the Star of David. These could include national symbols and their importance. For example, the American flag is used as a symbol of the United States, and the swastika was used as a symbol of Nazi Germany. Many writing prompts could be used based on Number the Stars. What would you be willing to risk to protect a friend? What is a friend? How would you feel if you had to hide your religion, ancestry, and culture? Other resistance movements could be researched and discussed, as well, from the Americans in the Revolutionary War to slaves and the Underground Railroad to other WWII resistance movements, such as that in Norway.

Kira-Kira. ISBN 978-0-689-85640-2. Cynthia Kadohata. 2004. Newbery Medal. Ages 12-15. Japanese-American.

Katie Takeshima loves her older sister Lynn. Lynn taught Katie her first work, kira-kira, which means glittering. Lynn teaches Katie to see the world as kira-kira. This Japanese-American family makes the move from Iowa to Georgia in the 1950‘s in order for Mother and Father to find jobs in the poultry production plants. The family has another baby, and the goal of purchasing a home seems attainable. Then, life for the Takeshimas changes. Lynn gets ill. Mother and Father must work even more hours to keep their jobs, pay Lynn’s medical bills, and pay the mortgage on the home that they thought would make them happy. After Lynn’s death, this close-knit family finds a way to continue with their lives and to honor their daughter. “Here at the sea - especially at the sea - I could hear my sister’s voice in the waves: ‘Kira-kira! Kira-kira!’”

Students could explore their own heritage and ancestry. The teacher could also lead a discussion or use as a writing prompt, “Why is your heritage important?” Students could also be asked to find a folk song or poem from their cultural heritage to share. The history of Japanese immigration and life in the United States for Japanese-Americans could also be explored. This exploration could include a discussion of Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. A general history of discrimination and segregation in the United States could also be studied based on a reading of Kira-Kira.

The Princess in the Pigpen. ISBN 0-395-51587-4. Jane Resh Thomas. 1989. Ages 9-12. Caucasian.

Elizabeth, daughter of the Duke of Umberland in seventeenth-century Elizabethan England is in bed sick with fever when she finds herself suddenly and mysteriously transported to what she discovers is a twentieth-century pig farm in Iowa, still clutching her doll Mariah and her music box. Joe, Kathy, and daughter Ann McCormick kindly take her to a doctor, who treats her for scarlet fever and connect with the local sheriff to try to find her parents. The McCormicks are mystified by how much knowledge Elizabeth has about seventeenth-century England. Though clearly peasants, according to Elizabeth, she is astonished that “they owned treasures no nobleman in England had ever imagined,” such as mirrors, cars, an entire room of books, and medicine. Ann becomes convinced of the truth and committed to helping Elizabeth return in time to her parents with penicillin to cure her mother’s own illness.

The Princess in the Pigpen would be a wonderful base to study the everyday life of a child’s life in seventeenth-century England or in any other time in history. Students could write a narrative or create a chart about the differences in daily life today versus a given time in the past and then write about in which time they would prefer to live and why. Students could choose a time period to research. The class could have a discussion about the differences in lifestyle of a wealthy family versus a peasant family in Elizabethan England. Gender roles in history could also be explored.

Jane Resh Thomas was awarded the Minnesota Book Award for Behind the Mask.