Category Archives: world cultures
-
Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan’s Rescue from War by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
Posted on February 6, 2013 by Jennifer in Nonfiction, world culturesWhen this book came in, I started flipping through it at my desk because the topic reminded me of a Laotian refugee who was in my class when I was in 2nd grade. I had to give up my lunch hour to keep reading because I couldn’t put the book down once I started. Tuyet’s [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
The Lily Pond
Posted on February 14, 2012 by Victoria in Historical Fiction, My Favorite, other award winners, world cultures> A Faraway Island and The Lily Pond are by Annika Thor, translated from Swedish by Linda Schenck. Thor has written four historical novels about Stephanie and Nellie Steiner, two Jewish sisters from a cultured Viennese family. The girls have been sent to a remote Swedish fishing village during World War II, while their parents attempt [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
Party, Party, Party!
Posted on February 12, 2012 by Jennifer in Humorous Stories, Newspaper column, Picture Books, world cultures>Library column printed in The Mercury, February 12, 2012 I am sure “party” is not the first word that comes to mind when thinking of libraries, but we like to break out of the mold sometimes. We have parties and programs for kids and teens this month, so don’t be surprised if you smell yummy [...]
Share and Enjoy
1 Comment. Continue Reading... -
Inspiration from the Refugee Experience
Posted on January 1, 2012 by Jennifer in Historical Fiction, Newspaper column, other award winners, Realistic Fiction, social issues, world cultures>Library column printed in The Mercury, Jan. 1, 2012 Several books featuring refugee children have left me in awe of the rebounding spirit of children and their amazing ability to hope, dream and find their place in the world. Though these are all fictional accounts, several authors had personal experiences that led them to write, [...]
Share and Enjoy
1 Comment. Continue Reading... -
A Long Walk To Water
Posted on February 8, 2011 by Victoria in world culturesby Linda Sue Park A Long Walk To Water is largely based on the true story of Salva Dut, one of the “lost boys” of Sudan. Park tells the story of Salva set in 1985 and of Nya set in 2008. Salva is driven away from his family and village by the civil war. He [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood
Posted on December 18, 2010 by Children's Department Staff in Historical Fiction, Inspirational, social issues, world culturesby Rosemary Wells My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood by Rosemary Wells is a stunning jewel of a story. Expressive in it’s descriptive sentences and wonderful illustrations by Peter Ferguson, this book details the journey of young Secundino (Dino) Fernandez from his beautiful Havana to Madrid and eventually New York City in the 1950′s. [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
Broken Memory
Posted on August 3, 2010 by Victoria in Historical Fiction, world culturesby Elisabeth Combres, translated from the French by Shelley Tanaka Combres sheds some light on the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi community in Rwanda. Using accounts by victims, survivors and perpetrators, Combrescondenses their viewpoints into four main characters. Emma, a young girl who witnessed her mother’s murder ten years ago, narrates the story. With the [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491
Posted on March 29, 2010 by Victoria in Nonfiction, world culturesby Charles C. Mann Before Columbus: the Americas of 1491 is a fascinating look at the indigenous civilizations of the Americas. So many histories give a Eurocentric version of indigenous American cultures, dismissing them as either primitive or bloodthirsty. In fact, European conquerors/settlers found sophisticated civilizations in the Americas. Some had huge cities dominated by [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
Extra Credit
Posted on October 15, 2009 by Victoria in social issues, world culturesby Andrew Clements Sixth-grader Abby Carson would much rather explore outside than do her boring homework. But unless she wants to fail sixth grade, Abby has to buckle down and work for some Extra Credit in class. Her assignment is to find a penpal from another country, exchange letters, and create a report about her [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading... -
The Girl Who Saw Lions
Posted on September 29, 2009 by Victoria in social issues, world culturesby Berlie Doherty The Girl Who Saw Lions tells the story of Abela, a young girl who has been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in her African village. Her uncle smuggles her to England planning to sell her as a domestic servant. Abandoned by everyone, Abela dreams of escaping back to Africa. She cherishes a [...]
Share and Enjoy
No Comments. Continue Reading...
