A Long Walk to Water

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a very moving story of a courageous and determined young man from Sudan. He is actually one of the "Lost Boys", who was forced to walk across Sudan into Ethiopia when soldiers attacked his village. After months in a refugee camp, the Ethiopians kicked them out, and he led a group of boys to Kenya. It's almost to difficult for us to comprehend the chaos going on in this part of the world, but through all of this, Salva never gives up hope of making a better life for himself. For some reason, he is chosen to come to America to live with an adoptive family in Rochester, N.Y. Not one to sit back,this special young man is determined to do some good back in Sudan.

A heart-lifting, remarkable story based on Salva's real life, this is an excellent introduction to help middle-schoolers understand some of the problems going on in parts of Africa, and how people can make a difference.



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Swallowing Stones

Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


YA--great story, with lots of room for discussion when sharing it with students. I met this author a few years ago, and she told the audience that her stories are based on real incidents that have happened in our Garden State.

This is a story about chance, owning-up to your actions, and how lies can spin out of control.



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Nevermore

Nevermore: A Photobiography of Edgar Allan Poe by Karen Lange

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a wonderful biography about Poe, with excellent photos and sources. I discovered Poe when I was in 7th grade, and read most of his short stories which I found chilling and very creepy. But, I especially loved his poem, Annabel Lee. I must have read that poem a thousand times, and can still recite much of it by heart. His death is still a mystery--too bad there was no CSI teams back then. He is considered the father of detective fiction.

A sad, tragic, too-short life, but this book is a great introduction for any middle school student.



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Almost Astronauts

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I always marvel when I read about a piece of history that I was totally unaware of as I was growing up. This book is a fantastic account of women who fought to be part of NASA's astronaut program in the early 1960's. I never realized how much of our male culture felt that women could never have "The Right Stuff". A great book with lots of terrific photos, and the text is just right for advanced middle school readers, and certainly high school students. This is an inspiring story for young women and girls, and boys will find reading about the endurance tests really interesting, too.



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