We Will Not Be Silent

Freedman, Russell. (2016). We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement that Defined Adolf Hitler. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company: New York, NY.

Awards: Rober F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
and YALSA 2017 Quick Picks
Pages:112
Ages: 10+


Summary: Hans and Sophie Scholl, Christoph Probst, and a group of university students banded together to form The White Rose Student Resistance Movement to oppose the Nazi regime. Sophie gets in trouble for reading a book by a Jewish author and Hans questions enforced rules by the Hitler Youth Group. They joined an anti-Hitler pamphleteers to stand and speak out for what they believed is right. The group secretly creates thousand of leaflets in a secret cellar denouncing the atrocities of the Nazi regime and its evil dictator, Hitler. They showed great courage to stand against hate knowing that their resistance will cause them arrests, detentions, trials, and eventually execution. They went down in history just like their father told them they would.

Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst, leaders of the White Rose resistance organization. Munich 1942. (USHMM)

Reader response: Personal snapshots, portraits, and archival photographs give strong visuals of the facts and events during the White Rose resistance. The author, Russell Freedman, does an extraordinary job telling the story of the Nazi Germany and the Holocaust keeping the White Rose in the focus point of the documentary. What I like about this non-fiction book is that the photographs say what text does not, and the text states facts that the photographs can't represent. This 100 page documentary is a great way to introduce the Holocaust in history class and to have a discussion about current resistance in our country or around and how youths are taking a stand. History is a great way to teach the current and future events. Readers can definitely connect with this non-fiction book because is about real values and real controversies that still reflect todays society.

White Rose Holocaust Research Project

Other books to consider:

Other award winning books by Freedman: 

Drowned City

Brown, Don. (2015). Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Awards: 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Grade Level: 6+
Lexile Level: GN920L

Summary: On August 2005 Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans with waters 25 feet above normal and 121 MPH winds. More than a million people evacuate, but many have no money or transportation to flee. People struggle to find shelter in attics, roofs, some make it, but many don't. While survivor's wait for the slow reaction of the government, they fight infested waters, billions of mosquitos and gnats, foul odors, and lack of food and water. Temper's rise and the city gets looted. The aftermath takes 1,400 lives and hundred of thousand survivors are spread across the country. By 2012, only 80% of the residents return, and slowly New Orleans is builds itself up.

Reader's response: Don Brown's non-fiction graphic novel explains the series of events that took place during and after Hurricane Katrina. His illustrations paint the panic and despair of the city. The illustrations alone can recount the tragic events, but Brown's detailed choice of words in his dialogue speech bubbles support the facts. There are many harrowing scenes through out the novel, like a couple using a knife to make a hole to escape through the attic and a hopeless hospital working without electricity.

Lesson Ideas: Social Studies: Government/Social Welfare
                       Geography: Natural Disasters
                       Language Arts: Point of View


Get Graphic: The World in Words and Pictures

Don Brown's Official Website
                     

Other Young Adult novels to commemorate Hurricane Katrina:

Reflections 6-9

Awards, Poetry, Literary Elements, and Historical Fiction

Sisters

Telgemeier, Raina. (2014). Sisters. Scholastic: New York, NY.

Genre: Non-fiction (Memoir)

Format: Graphic Novel

Pages: 208

Ages: 8-12

Topics: Siblings relationships

Summary: Raina wishes for a little sister, but when Amara is born she wishes she could take it all back. They argue over everything. Their small apartment doesn't seem big enough for the two of them. To make her life more dramatic she also gets a little brother. The family, except for dad who stays behind to look for work, drive to Colorado Springs to a family reunion. The road trip becomes intense when the sister's different personalities clash. Raina tunes out everything and everyone with the help of her Walkman and some cassette tapes. She is lost in her own world that doesn't pick up the clues of her parents arguments, but Amara is being observant. Amara's questions and comments make Raina pay more attention to her parent's relationship. They need to figure out how to get along and stop fighting like cats and dogs to save the family. 

Reader's response:  The author uses her cartoon-like illustrations to bring emotion to the minimal text. The book is a easy read since the illustrations do most of the "talking." It is so interesting how words and sounds are drawn with different fonts and colors to signal how they are intended to sound.  I like the plot of the story because is something many can connect with. Who doesn't fight with siblings? Everybody has been to family reunions were you feel awkward with extended family members you feel you have nothing in common with. But we all realize that when things get to hard to handle on our own, we have our family to turn to. That's what family is for. 

This is a great graphic novel to include in the classroom because it increases comprehension and vocabulary for reluctant readers and ESL leaners. It also serves as a bridge between low and high levels of reading. 

Story Starter by Scholastic

Teacher's Guide by Scholastic

Teaching with graphic novels

Other books by Raina Telgemeir:

House of Dolls

Block, Francesca Lia. (2010). House of Dolls. Harper Collins: New York, NY.

Genre: Soft Fantasy

Reading interest: Juvenile

Pages: 80

Topics: Dolls, Doll House, Loneliness
resentment, jealousy

Favorite quote from the book: "The combination of boredom and jealousy is a dangerous thing."

Summary: Madison Blackberry is bored in her fancy all-white-and gray penthouse, bored with her fancy toys, bored without any friends.She is jealous of her mother who attends gala parties and never has time to play with her. She is jealous of her father who is always traveling. She is jealous of her little brother who gets all the attention. But most of all, she is jealous of her dolls, Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene, and their boyfriends Guy and B. Friend. She envies the fancy dresses her grandmother makes for the dolls, but she has not made one dress for Madison. Out of anger Madison takes away all of the dolls' fancy dresses. She sends Guy to war and B. Friend goes MIA. Madison's jealousy melts away when finally her family realizes that all she needs and wants is their time and attention.

Reader's response: House of Dolls is a contemporary fairy tale where the lives of the dolls are affected by the complex relationships of their owners. Madison's family seems to be lost in pride and avarice that they forget about Madison. This book can be use in the classroom to have a discussion about the importance of family relationships. It can also be use to introduce students to writing their own fairy tale stories. Students can also write a different ending to the story. 

Other books from Francesca Lia Block:

Other books about dolls:

The Doll People by Ann Mathews Martin

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Persepolis

Satrapi, Marjane. (2004). Persepolis. Pantheon: New York, NY.

Genre: Non-fiction

Format: Graphic Autobiography(memoir)

Grades: 9-12

Pages: 153
Lexile Level: GN380L
Topics: Islamic Revolution, politics, growing up,
cultural diversity

Summary: Marjane Satrapi is happy with her childhood in Iran, until  in 1980 political and religious turbulence forces the girls to wear a veil and are segregated from their male friends. Her parents and family members attend protests against Iran's regime, they risk becoming political prisoners, torture, or executed. Marjane is to young to understand politics, but she reads books to educate herself. The Slamic revolution takes power and many Irans flee the country, her uncle Anoosh is executed and that affects her faith in her religion. Iran goes to war against Saddam Hussain, all women are force to wear the veil, food is scarce, contact with the outside world is nonexistent, and mourning the dead becomes a daily routine. What used to be normal (listening to music, wearing your favorite clothes) has become a crime, Marjane rebeles to the changes, so she is sent to Vienna for her safety. She spends most of her teenage years in Europe, but has trouble fitting in and finding her true self. She returns to Tehran, but has a difficult time relating to others, and giving back her freedom makes her depress that she rebels even more against the strict regime laws. She decides to return to Europe.

Reader's response: Persepolis is a graphic autobiography that describes the life of Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran. The cover of the book shows little Marjane wearing a veil, the veil is an important symbol in her life. This graphic novel, in black and white comic strips,  gives us a window to the freedom Iran women experienced before the regime and their strict lives after the revolution. What I enjoyed most about reading this book was the fact that it was written by someone who was born and raised in Iran, someone who knows the facts because they lived it. It is very different from reading a historical fiction book, where the author has to research the facts. Marjane lived every moment mention in the graphic novel, everything is from her personal experiences. It gives the reader a clear image of personal life and public life in Iran, and not what we think it is. Persepolis can be use in the classroom to help students with skills in visual literacy. It can also be use to teach across curriculum, for example placing events in history in a timeline using text evidence from the book and teaching cultures and traditions in Social Studies. This book can also be use in art class to learn about images as a focus of communication.




Iran timeline by Free Library Organization

Discussion Guide by Three Rivers Library

Using Graphic Novels in Education by Maryl Jaffe

Other books by Marjane Satrapi:

Novel Pairings:

Peter Sis's memoir reflects the life under the Soviet Communist rule.

Moying Li's memoir reflects life under a Communist rule in China.

Speak

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (1999). Speak. Penguin Group: New York, NY.

Awards: National Book Award, Golden Kite Award

Genre: Fiction
Grades: 9-12th

Pages: 224

Summary: During a summer party, while being intoxicated Melinda was taken advantage of. She called the police, but was unable to explain to the dispatchers or anyone at the party what had happened. She became ostracized by her peers at school, even her former friends. Unable to speak about her tragic event, Melinda becomes depressed, causes herself pain by biting her lips and nails, and isolates herself. She finds sanctuary in Mr. Freemans' art class and hiding in a closet at school. Self-center senior, Andy Evans, is responsible for Melinda's tragedy. He antagonizes her at school and Melinda becomes traumatize by his presence. Nobody understands her silence and change of personality, her mom thinks she wants attention, her father blames the school, and the counselor thinks is her parent's trouble marriage. Melissa finds the need to speak up about Evan to warn her former friend, Rachel, who starts dating him. Melissa tries to warn other girls by writing a message about Evan on the bathroom stalls and girls respond. She finally realizes that silence is not a solution to a problem and starts seeing herself as a survivor not a victim.

Response: This novel can be read as a autobiographical text for anyone that can relate to the protagonist or knows of someone that has experience the same events. It also helps the reader develop empathy for the victims and survivors of assault. The novel can be use in class to open up to small group or whole group discussions about social problems that affect our young adults that are hard to talk about. For reading skills students can learn about the use of metaphors in reading and writing, for example Melinda's tree paintings mirrored her inner transformation through out the novel. Cross curriculum activities can also be use with the novel, such as using art to demonstrate emotions and/or experiences, just like Amanda did in Mr. Freeman's art class. 

Thematic Unit by Dr. Lee Brown

More books by Laurie Halse Anderson:

Out of Darkness

Perez, Ashley Hope. (2015). Out of Darkness. Carolrhoda Books: Minneapolis, MN.

Awards: Michael L. Printz Award

Lexile level: HL660L

Age: 14-18

Genre: Historical Fiction

Topics: New London, TX Explosion, 

Race Relations, Segregation

African-American, Mexican American 

Quote from Out of Darkness: "This is East Texas, and there's lines. Lines you cross, lines you don't cross. That clear?"

Summary: Naomi Consuelo Coronado Vargas is the "dark step-daughter" of Henry Smith. Her mother past away when giving birth to the twins Robbi and Carrie. She becomes the caregiver to the twins, who she adores, and a maid to Henry, who she detests. Henry moves the family from San Antonio to the segregated town of New London, Texas to work for an oil company. Naomi feels sort of in between. She is not white like her brother and sister or black like the community in Egypt Town. She is the only Mexican at her school, and is constantly bullied and made feel inferior by her classmates and teachers. She falls in love with Wash, an African-American boy, but their love crosses the deadly line of color that bring atrocious consequences.  In 1937, the community of New London suffers the worst school disaster in American history. A gas pipe causes the school to explode, but the angry lynch mob needs to point the finger at someone, and they target Wash. They make his family pay for a crime they didn't commit, they are saved from hanging thanks to the presence of the pastor. When Henry finds out about the love relationship between Naomi and Wash he makes them pay with their life, and worst of all he makes his son Robbie participate against his will.   

Reader's response: The historical-fiction novel gives the reader an open-window view of the life of many individuals  that were effected by segregation during the 1930's in East Texas. The author's choice of words describe in great detail the fear of African-Americans and the feeling of insignificance by Mexicans. While reading this novel I felt, pity, anger, frustration, heart-broken and happy for the few moments that Naomi, the twins, and Wash shared together. The title of every chapter was the name of the character it was going to focus on. After finishing the text, the cover of the novel makes perfect sense, the long braid represents Naomi's identity. She wears her long braid to remind her of her mother and her ethnicity. She wears it proud even though the braid makes her stand out even more at school and gives her peers another reason to tease. Teachers can use this novel for cross curriculum activities between reading and history. It can be use to teach reading skills and to teach Texas history or U.S. history during  the segregation period.

Discussion Guide by Lerner Books

Other Books by Ashley Hope Perez:

Looking for Alaska

Green, John. (2005). Looking for Alaska. Penguin Group: New York, NY.

Awards: Michael L Printz Award

Top 10 Books for Young Adults

Grades: 9-12
Pages: 350

Genre: Fiction

Topics: Interpersonal relations, school, death, forgiveness

Summary: Mile Hartor, (who is fascinated by famous last words), makes the decision to drop out of public school and attend the prestigious boarding school in Alabama, Culver Creek, seeking a "Great Perhaps." Miles makes friends with his roommate, Chip Martin "Colonel", who is good at memorizing facts and despises the Weekend Warrior, the rich kids at school. He meets Alaska Young, an endlessly fascinating girl with erratic behavior. Alaska pulls Miles into her labyrinth, her pranks brings joy to his hopelessly boring life. While secretly and openly loving Alaska, he learns about her mother's death and the guilt she carries. One night, Alaska in an emotional distress leaves school with the help of her friends and dies in a car accident. Her death leaves her friends with unanswered questions, missing puzzles to her life, and guilt for letting her drive intoxicated. 

Reader's Response: The protagonist, Mile Hartor, narrates the story in first person. The book has two parts, the first half narrates events before Alaska's accident, the second half narrates events after. After the author acknowledgements, John Green provides deleted scenes as well as Q&A. The novel brings up many topics that teenagers experience on a regular bases in their own lives such as friendships, good and bad influences, trust, struggles, childhood experiences, love relationships and the feeling of invincibility. The novel lends itself for writing and small or large group discussions on how teenagers perceive themselves and each other and how adults perceive them. One of my favorite part of the novel was when the characters played the game "Best Day/Worst Day." Students can analyze causes and  and lasting effects for each character. They can also keep a journal to write about their worst and best days. 

John Green Official Site

Teacher's Guide by the Penguin Group

Audio Book by Brilliance Audio

Other Books by John Green:

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, Patrick. (2008). The Knife of Never Letting Go. Candlewick Press: Somerville, MA.

Awards: Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

              James Tiptree Jr. Award

Grade level: 9th and up

Lexile: 860L

Pages: 496

Summary: Thirteen year old Todd lives in the supernatural and eerie Presstintown, a place where  women don't exit and everyone can hear each other's thoughts loud and clear through a germ called Noise. Todd finds a hole in the Noise, where he can actually hear silence, no thoughts. The source of the silence is Viola, a girl, a survivor from the Old World. Both run away to escape the Noise as well as the Mayor Prentiss's army who is after them. Through their journey they come across aliens, sickness, and death itself. Todd and Viola tried desperately to reach the town of Haven, a safe place. When they finally arrive is deserted, except for Mayor Prentiss. He welcomes them and declares himself president of the New World Order.

Reader's response: The story is told by the protagonist, Todd, point of view. I have to say the book was full of surprises. What makes this story incredible is that the protagonist is being pursue, but his thoughts can be tracked. He has to be creative and wise not to get caught by his own thoughts, something no one can control. We all think to ourselves all the time, sometimes unconsciously.

Chaos Walking Triology by Patrick Ness: 

Doll Bones

Black, Holly. (2013). Doll Bones. Simon & Schuster: New York, NY.

Awards: Newberry Honor Book Award
Grade appropriate: 6th-8th
Pages: 244
Lexile: 840L
DRA: 60
Topics: Adventure, Friendship
             Dolls, Ghosts, Family Problems

Summary: Poppy, Zach and Alice have been best friends since childhood. Ever since they can remember they have been playing an imaginary game with dolls and action figures- a game that includes pirates, mermaids, warriors, and the queen that rules and curses everything and everyone, the Great Queen, a bone-china doll that sits in a cabinet in Poppy's house. Poppy has been having dreams about a ghost name Eleanor, she is the girl who's bones where used to make the Great Queen and is asking to be buried in her grave. Afraid to be cursed by the doll, all three friends set out on a quest to deliver the doll to her grave in East Liverpool, Ohio. Their journey brings them all kinds of trouble; stealing boats, bikes, breaking into a library, and their friendship is put on the line. Weird things happen in their journey that are unexplainable; people see the doll as a real girl, the doll dissapears and appears in unexpected places, and she enters their dreams to explain her story. Poppy, Zach, and Alice will go all the way to finish their quest even if it's the last game they play.

Reader's response: Doll Bones hits many important topics related to middle school age children. One of the topics is growing up. In the book Poppy compares growing up to dying. She feels that both Zach and Alice are changing, that they spend more time doing extra-curriculum activities than playing, she's afraid of loosing her childhood friends. Zach's dad is forcing him to grow up and throws away his action figures. The other topic it covers is friendship, this three characters have been through thick and thin together. They play their imaginative game because they truly have a passion for it, even though they are scared of being teased at school if anyone finds out. Family problems are a topic amongs all three characters; Poppy's parents are always too busy, Alice's grandmother is too strict, and Zach's dad comes in an out of his life.  First time crush also comes into play in the book, when Zach realizes Alice wants to be more than friends. Besides being a great, scary ghost story, the plot can relate to many young-adult readers.

 Other books by   Black Holly:

           

Liar & Spy

Stead, Rebecca. (2012). Liar & Spy. Wendy Lamb Books: New York, NY.

Subjects: Family, Friendship, Beloning, Bullying, Self-discovery

Grades: 6th-8th

Pages: 180

Summary: Seventh grader Georges moves to an apartment in Brooklyn, NY and has to adapt to changes in his life, his father's layoff, his mother's extra shifts at the hospital, and getting tease at school. He tends to keep his feelings to himself even when his dad gives him plenty of opportunities to "pour his heart out".  He meets Safer, a twelve year old boy spy and becomes his recruit. They both spy on Mr. X, who Safer assures is committing crimes inside his apartment. Safer teaches Georges how to be observant, search for evidences, and be a good liar. Safer pushes the limit when he decides to break in to Mr. X's apartment to investigate. Georges is put in  a tough spot, he doesn't want to commit a crime himself, but he doesn't want to loose his only friend. 

Reader's Response: The novel contains rich vocabulary through out the story such as premonition, spindly, exasperation, espionage, unami and much more. The novel can be use to teach unknown words using clues from the text. Just like Georges learned to be observant to become a good spy, students can practice their writing skills by writing their observations at school or at home. The main character was names after the artist Georges Seurat, students can research about Seurat and make a painting using pointillism.

Rebecca Stead Official Site 

Lesson Plans by Random House

Other Young Adult books by Rebecca Stead:

Monster

Dean, Walter Myers. (1999). Monster. Harper Collins: New York, NY.

Young Adult Drama
Awards: National Book Award
               Coretta Scott King Award
               Michael L. Printz Award
Ages: 12 and up
Grade level: 9-12th

Summary: The novel is written in first person from the perspective of  fourteen year old Steve Harmon, who is awaiting trail for murder and facing a death sentence. He is being accused of participating as a lookout in the robbery and death of a store clerk. The prosecuting attorney, Sandra Perocelli, describes him as a monster. At times Steve feels that his defense attorney,  Kathy O'Brien, is just doing her job and doesn't believe his innocent. Steve attempts to escape his reality by writing a screen play about his own trial while waiting his sentence.

Reader's response: This novel is written as a screen play with journal entries mixed in. The novel lets readers visualize as they read, specially the descriptions of life in the penitentiary. It can be used to teach many skills in reading and writing. Advance readers can response to the issues raised in the novel such as the practices in the justice system and life in the institutions while citing information. It is a good resource to teach students how to write a screen play or drama. It is an excellent novel that can be use across curriculum. It can be included in reader theater class, students can perform the novel in a school play since it is written in that format. It can be part of a government class when studying about democracy, the justice system, due process of law, and the judicial system. In Social Studies it can be use to teach the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Another example, is to use the novel in a debate class using text evidence students can take and defend the main character's innocence or guiltiness.

Walter Dean Official Site

Lesson plans by We the People Program

Other Young Adult Books by Walter Dean Myers:

Gabi: A Girl in Pieces

Quintero, Isabel. (2014). Gabi: A Girl in Pieces. Cinco Puntos Press: El Paso, TX.

Awards: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults

Grades: 7th -12th

Pages: 284

Summary: Gabi is a Mexican-American senior in high school that finds poetry to be therapeutic and powerful. Besides dealing with her mom's constant reminders to loose weight, she also carries the load of dealing with her father's addiction, the pregnancy of her friend Cindy, and the coming out of her friend Sebatian.  She often argues with her mom for giving her younger brother more freedom only because he's a boy. And just in case the load is not heavy enough, her mom is having a baby! Gabi is having a difficult time being Mexican-American. Gabi is a hardworking student and wants to to attend Berkley and move out when she graduates. Her mom, rooted in her Mexican traditions, wants her to first learn how to do house chores order to find a husband. Cindy writes all types of poems to describe her feelings regarding family relationships, love, self-worth, death, culture, and pains and pleasures of adolescence. 

Reader's Response: What I enjoy most of reading this book is the many connections I can make with Cindy. I'm also Mexican-American and being Mexican-American can have its pros and cons, but just like Cindy I learned to take the positive from each ethnicity and make it my own. I enjoy the many words and phrases in Spanish used through out the story, it gave the characters their unique personality. What I appreciate was all the poetry inside this fiction story. For every sweet or bitter event, there was always a poem pair with it, as well as the names of poets and their poems. I actually looked up some that were mentioned in the novel. This is a great novel to let students read autobiographically if they can relate growing up being Mexican American or read vacarious 

to look through the window of the life of a Mexican American girl. This book is also a great book to teach fiction and poetry.

Isabel Quintero Official Site and Twitter

Poetry Foundation

Teacher's Guide by Cinco Puntos Press

Other poetry fiction novels:

The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Hachette Book Group: New York, NY.

Young Adult Fiction
Age range: 12 & up
Page count: 230
Awards: National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Summary: Arnold AKA Junior lives with his family in the Spokane Indian reservation. He gets ridicule because he was born with hydrocephalus (swollen of the brain), but fortunately he has his warrior friend Rowdy that defends him from anyone and anything. Arnold draws to be understood, he finds humor in his troubled life by drawing cartoons about the events and people that surround him. Mr. P, his teacher, advices him to leave the reservation and pursue a better education. Arnold wants to be successful so he enrolls at Reardan, a rich, all white school. Being the only Native American Indian in the school he has trouble fitting in. He is consider a  traitor for leaving the reservation. He feels life is a struggle trying to be an individual and being a member of a community.When he joins the school's basketball team and has to play against his reservation, he is consider an even bigger enemy, even by Rodwy. Arnold becomes friends with kids at Reardan and he finds out that if he lets people in to his life they can be pretty amazing, even they're a world different.

Reader's response: The book is based on the author's own experience and gives the reader an opportunity to look at the lives of American Indians today. The author does an excellent job of describing how many people of a minority community, including myself, feel or are made to feel when attempting to break away from the life we were expected to live. Just like Arnold, we try to find success while keeping our culture and heritage alive.
Arnold's diary is hilarious! It kept me laughing out loud the entire time. And the comic illustrations just add to the humor. I enjoy the 1st person narrative of Arnold, the author did a fantastic job of bringing out the character's unique personality in every page. He has a way of describing a sorrowful event and turn it into a funny story without trying too hard. He's a natural. I found myself literally crying and laughing at the same time.

Lesson plans by Penguin Random House

Sherman Alexie's Official Site and Twitter

Also read Thunder Boy by Sherman Alexie: