To continue our monthly series of book lists for youth, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following books.
A Busy Day at Mr. Kang's Grocery Store by Alice K. Flanagan. Simple text describes the daily routines of the Kang family who opened a small grocery store after moving from Korea to the United States. Grades P-2. Large print book LP 23685.
Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies by Ann Turner. After traveling a long way to be adopted in the United States, a young boy struggles with unfamiliar and frightening things, somewhat eased by the photos he was sent before his journey. Grades P-2. Large print book LP 9787.
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki. Baseball games help Japanese Americans endure their imprisonment in an Idaho interment camp during World War II and provide one boy with a post-war career. Grades 2-4. Braille book BRW 523. Cassette book CBA 6599.
Chang's Paper Pony by Eleanor Coerr. Chang, a young Chinese boy, is lonely and often teased by the miners in the 1850's California Gold Rush town where his grandfather is a cook at the hotel. A job brings an unexpected discovery and a reward. Level 3 Reader. Grades 2-4. Large print book LP 13496. Braille book BR 7743. Cassette book RC 29557.
Coming to America: A Muslim Family's Story by Bernard Wolf. The joys and hardships of second grader Rowan Mahmoud and her family after they move to New York City from Alexandria, Egypt. Their religion of Islam is a large part of their daily lives. Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 57207.
Ghost Train by Paul Yee. Young Choon-Yi is an accomplished painter even though she only has one arm. When she arrives in America, she is devastated to learn that her father was killed while working on a railroad gang. A vivid dream and the resulting painting give her closure. Grade 3 and up. Large print book LP 13527.
When the Circus Came to Town by Laurence Yep. An Asian cook and a Chinese New Year celebration help a 10-year-old girl at a Montana stage coach station regain her confidence after smallpox scars her face. Grades 3-6. Braille book BRW 1123. Cassette book RC 60844.
Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary Of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl: 1903 by Kathryn Lasky. Twelve-year-old Zippy is disappointed when America doesn't live up to the stories she heard before leaving Russia. Dear America series. Grades 4-7. Cassette book RC 53540.
Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff. 1840's. To escape famine-plagued Ireland, Nory Ryan and her friend Sean make their separate ways to join Nory's sister Maggie in Brooklyn, New York. #2, Nory Ryan's Song. Grades 4-7. Cassette book RC 57807. Large print book LP 20930.
Ellis Island: New Hope in a New Land by William Jay Jacobs. The largest number of immigrants to arrive in New York harbor on a single day was on March 27, 1907. The author vividly describes the Ellis Island experience of these 16,050 people looking for a better life. Grades 4-7. Cassette RC 35719.
Dragon Wings by Laurence Yep. In 1903, Moon Shadow sails from China to join his father in San Francisco. They endure extensive poverty as well as ridicule from all sides because his father is obsessed with building a flying machine. Grades 5-8. Braille book BR 9550. Cassette book RC 62295. Large Print book LP 7508.
Heat by Mike Lupica. To stay together and nurture the possibility that the 12-year-old pitching sensation will eventually play for the major leagues, two recently orphaned Cuban immigrants try to outwit the authorities until the oldest turns 18. Grades 5-8. Braille book BR 17941. Cassette book RC 62264.
A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff. When 13-year-old Dina is forced to leave Germany in 1870, she is mistaken when she believes her new life with a more affluent uncle in Brooklyn will at least free her from the drudgery of sewing. Grades 5-8. Large print book LP 21163.
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. Already suffering isolation as Japanese Americans in a 1950's Georgia town, Katie's family is devastated when her older sister is diagnosed with leukemia. Newbery Award. Grades 5-8. Braille book BR 15996. Cassette book RC 59896. Large print book LP 21357.
Land of Hope by Joan Lowry Nixon. 1902. Russian Rebekah Levinsky, Swedish Kristin Swenson, and Irish Rose Carney become close friends on the arduous sail to America, but they must separate once there. A sweatshop provides Rebekah's family a meager income. #1, Ellis Island series. Grades 5-8. Cassette book RC 41344.
Diamonds in the Shadows by Caroline Cooney. A teen's suspicions are aroused by the odd behavior of four members of a church-sponsored refugee family from Sierra Leone with whom he unexpectedly has to share his home. Some violence. Grades 6-9. Braille book BRW 1277 and Cassette book CBA 8092 are currently in production.
First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants edited Donald R. Gallo. Ten authors offer stories about the hardships of students from Mexico, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, China, Romania, Sweden, Korea, Haiti, Cambodia, and the Gaza Strip. Grades 6-9. Cassette book RC 60806.
The Uncertain Journey: Stories of Illegal Aliens in "El Norte" by Margaret Poynter. The author relates the hardships of twelve immigrants who illegally entered the United States from impoverished nations in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Grades 6-9. Cassette book RC 38920.
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier. American-born Dimple chafes against her parents' expectations that she conform to Indian customs, while her Caucasian friend loves all things Indian, including the boy Dimple's parents would like her to marry. High school readers. Cassette book RC 55988.
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. Memories of the past play a big part in this post-World-War-II story of a Japanese American accused of murder in connection with his family's loss of hard-won Puget Sound island property while they were in an internment camp. High school and adult readers. Braille book BR 11904. Cassette book RC 40688. Large print book LP 12429 or LP 12433.