No Ordinary Day by Deborah EllisMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a very slim novel, but tells a story that may be surprising to some middle school students. The setting is India, and we learn of the plight of Valli, who doesn't go to school because she picks (or steals) coal for her family. When she finds out that she is adopted, she runs away to Kolkata. She makes her way as a homeless girl, but then runs into some difficulty. She meets Dr. Indra, who tries to help Valli. Dr. Indra has discovered that Valli has leprosy. This is a very different kind of story, but a great way to learn how children survive in different cultures around the world.
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