ISBN 10/13: 0140363912/978-0140363913

Awards: Library of Congress Children’s Books, School Library Journal Best Book, New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, ALA Notable Children’s Book, Jane Adams Book Award Honor Book, Newberry Honor Book

ISBN: 9780064470438

Standards Addressed: This book meets many standards by incorporating cultural diversity and historical value.

ISBN 10/13: 059043800X/ 978-0590438001

Summary: Escape! Here are the true stories of seven daring escapes by prisoner of war during World War II: Bill Fowler's escape from Colditz Castle, the "escape-proof" German fortress. Siegfried Lederer's escape from Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp. The incredible tunnel escape by dozens of Allied prisoners from Stalag Luft III that became known as The Great Escape. Plus four more stories of people who displayed great courage and stamina to overcome the iron bars, armed guards, and barbed wire that held them.

Standards Addressed: This book meets the standards by providing them with multiple perspectives on WWII.

Awards: Newberry Medal (1990)

ISBN 10/13: 0440227534/ 978-0440227533

Standards Addressed: This book meets standards by exposing to different cultures as well as a different perspective on WWII.

ISBN 10/13: 0142401099/ 978-0142401095

Summary: In this novel, Yolen attempts to answer those who question why the Holocaust should be remembered. Hannah, 12, is tired of remembering, and is embarrassed by her grandfather, who rants and raves at the mention of the Nazis. Her mother's explanations of how her grandparents and great-aunt lost all family and friends during that time have little effect. Then, during a Passover Seder, Hannah is chosen to open the door to welcome the prophet Elijah. As she does so, she is transported to a village in Poland in the 1940s, where everyone thinks that she is Chaya, who has just recovered from a serious illness. She is captured by the Nazis and taken to a death camp, where she is befriended by a young girl named Rivka, who teaches her how to fight the dehumanizing processes of the camp and hold onto her identity. When at last their luck runs out and Rivka is chosen, Hannah/Chaya, in an almost impulsive act of self-sacrifice, goes in her stead. As the door to the gas chamber closes behind her, she is returned to the door of her grandparents' apartment, waiting for Elijah through Hannah’s memories of the present and the past.

Standards Addressed:  This book meets many different standards by exposing students to multiple perspectives of WWII as well as the opportunity to practice critical thinking skills.

ISBN 10/13: 0805210156/ 978-0805210156

Summary: Fifteen thousand children under the age of fifteen passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp and fewer than 100 survived. In these poems and pictures drawn by the young inmates, we see the daily misery of these uprooted children, as well as their hopes and fears, their courage and optimism.

ISBN 10/13: 0689841604/ 978-0689841606

Standards Addressed: This book meets standards by exposing students to multiple perspectives and different cultures.

ISBN 10/13: 0553272586/ 978-0553272581

Summary: Farewell to Manzanar is set in the internment camps of World War II used to separate the ethnic Japanese-Americans from any possible espionage activities. When the Japanese Navy bombs Pearl Harbor, it sets off a mass anti-Japanese hysteria. All Japanese, whether born in Japan or America, are suspected spies, arrested, and sent to make shift camps located in desolate, isolated locations inland from the Pacific coast. It is the true story of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family. She and her family are swept into the fear and unknown of the internment camp shortly after Pearl Harbor is bombed. They are held in Manzanar throughout World War II and lose everything they had: their home and business. As a child of seven, Jeanne is confused by the sudden changes in her large, happy family and has to learn to adjust to a new way of life due solely to her looks and background.

Standards Addressed: provides students with a very different perspective as well as a look at another culture. 

Awards: The 1969 Award of the South California Council on Literature for Children and Young People, 1970 Jane Addams Book Award, 1970 Lewis Carrol Shelf Award, 1970 Commonwealth Club (of California) Award, 1972 Kansas William White Award, New York Times Best Book of the Year, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Boston Globe- Horn Book Honor Book, ALA Notable Book, and Publishers Weekly Children’s Book to Remember Award.

ISBN 10/13: 0440416639/ 978-0440416630

Summary: Today the island of Curacao sounds like paradise.  Sun, sand, and the ocean are there in abundance, but Phillip lives there during a different time.  World War II is raging, and it cannot be escaped, even in paradise. German U-Boats patrol the Caribbean and are attacking the small islands with their rich oil supplies. Phillip and his mother must evacuate the island and return to the United States, but when their freighter is torpedoed by a German U-Boat this book becomes a story of survival. Phillip is separated from all he knows and is stranded on a small cay with an old black man named Timothy. In the 1940's prejudice is rampant, and blacks and whites do not trust each other easily. Will Phillip learn to see beyond the color of Timothy's skin? Can he trust him with his life?

Standards Addressed: This book meets many standards by incorporating important life skills as well as the examination of multiple cultures- especially racism in America.

ISBN - 0440415292 

Summary: The Great Depression had taken over and Margo Bandini was becoming increasingly concerned with her family's situation. When threatened with becoming homeless, Margo turns to someone she admires to help her family. Margo is inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt's quest to help people, so she writes her a letter in search of answers for her family.

Standards addressed: Strand 3: Civics/Government - Concept 4: Rights, Responsibilities, and Roles of Citizenship - Concept 3: Functions of Government. Eleanor Roosevelt may have been very limited in her actual powers with government. However, this story could be tied into a lesson teaching students what government was established to do and what the rights and roles of American citizens.

SS8H8 The student will analyze the important events that occurred after World War I and their impact.
SS8H9 The student will describe the impact of World War II on US development economically, socially, and politically.
SS8RC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
a. Reading in All Curriculum Areas
• Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas; read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse.

ISBN - 0826317971

ISBN - 0064470059

Summary: First published in 1969, This National Book Award finalist follows the struggles of Mary Call Luther and her siblings, as they struggle through the harsh Appalachian winter after the death of their father, Roy Luther. Mary Call has promised her father that she will keep her family together on the mountain and will not accept charity from strangers. This means that she must keep his death a secret and find a way to provide for her two sisters and her brother. Mary Call Luther's father was a proud man. Where the Lilies Bloom shows how ambitious, intelligent people can be caught in the downward pull of poverty by factors beyond their control, such as illness, a poor local economy, or unfair land division. The novel also explores the potential abuses of the tenant farming system. The Cleavers never blame the true victims of poverty, but they criticize people who abuse the welfare system

Standards Addressed: Strand 4: Geography Concept 2: Places and Regions - Strand 5: Economics Concept 5: Personal Finance. Where the Lilies Bloom could provide students with an opportunity to learn about the different climates of different regions that could have had an effect on economic growth and personal finance.

S8H8 The student will analyze the important events that occurred after World War I and their impact.
SS8H9 The student will describe the impact of World War II on US development economically, socially, and politically.
SS8RC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
a. Reading in All Curriculum Areas
• Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas; read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse.

ISBN - 0060201436

Summary: Sounder reflects the author's experiences, his knowledge of southern rural life, and his admiration for strong individuals. Told from an innocent child's perspective, the story provides graphic descriptions of the cruelties inflicted upon a black sharecropper family trapped by poverty and lack of education. Sounder is the tragic and moving story of an unnamed boy who is devoted to his family and their faithful dog. Armstrong attempts to realistically portray a racist society.

Standards Addressed: Strand 1: American History Concept 6: Civil War and Reconstruction Concept 8: Great Depression and World War II. The young boy in Sounder can be used as an example of the harsh times as the U.S. struggled through civil unrest. The teacher can use this book as a tool to teach students about the roles different people played in changing the rights of different people. Also, citizenship can be introduced in this section.

SS8H8 The student will analyze the important events that occurred after World War I and their impact.
SS8H9 The student will describe the impact of World War II on US development economically, socially, and politically.
SS8RC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
a. Reading in All Curriculum Areas
• Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas; read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse.

Awards: Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, 1977, Fiction; George G. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award, 1991; Jane Addams Book Award: Children's Books That Build for Peace, 1977; John Newbery Medal Library Service to Children, a Division of the American Library Association, 1977, Newbery Medal; Children's Choice Awards  - Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award 1979

ISBN - 0140384510

Summary: The Logan family is successful in maintaining its hold on its farmland, in fighting back against racism that exists in the 1930's. The elders teach their children the values that make this kind of dignity and success possible. Cassie narrates the story and must learn to reconcile the streak of pride that she inherits from her Uncle Hammer with the more rational but still dignified approaches to racism adopted by her parents. She must also learn that racism is something to fight when possible and endure when necessary. Cassie realizes that material independence is key to dignity and ethical independence, and since they own their land, they have opportunities that other black families do not have.

Summary: 1936 was one of the darkest years of the Great Depression in the United States. Desperate, homeless men and boys traveled the country on foot and by rail searching for work, any work that would keep body and soul together. Unfortunately, orphanages were overflowing with abandoned and parentless children and foster care was minimal at this time.  It was in this timeframe and setting that Curtis developed his story of a child's search for family. While many stories of the Depression are concerned with the Dust Bowl and the situation of farmers or migrant workers, this story is focused more on individuals and families and their struggles.

Standards Addressed: S8H8 The student will analyze the important events that occurred after World War I and their impact.

SS8H9 The student will describe the impact of World War II on US development economically, socially, and politically.
SS8RC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
a. Reading in All Curriculum Areas
• Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas; read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse.
ELA8R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a
warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational
texts.
ELA8R4 The student acquires knowledge of Georgia authors and significant text created by them.

ISBN - 0743487621

Summary: The Rudkus family travels to America from Lithuania in search of a better life, but instead they find America is offering a life of turmoil and poverty as they work in a meatpacking plant and a slaughter house. After trying to deal with the death of multiple family members, including his wife and son, Jurgis flees Chicago leaving the rest of the family behind. Jurgis becomes homeless and spends the rest of his life in and out of jail. Throughout Jurgis' life of crime, he learns of the corruption that fills every aspect of American life. In Sinclair’s view, socialism is the cure for all of the problems that capitalism create. The novel is also able to explore the plight of immigrants in America as the family finds the reality runs counter to the myth of America to which they subscribe. Instead of a land of acceptance and opportunity, they find a place of prejudice and exploitation; instead of a country where hard work and morality lead to success, they find a place where only moral corruption, crime, and graft enable one to succeed materially.

Standards Addressed: Strand 4: Geography Concept 4: Human systems Concept 2: Places and Regions Strand 5: Economics. Traveling and immigration can take a toll on the land and resources. Teachers should begin a discussion with their students on what kind of effects immigration could have on the land and what types of effects those changes would have on people.

ISBN - 0679853065

Summary: All of the major characters in A Day No Pigs Would Die are people who, though easily seen within certain categories (e.g. farmer, Shaker, adolescent), assert their individuality by displaying original ideas and attitudes toward life; Peck uses many of his own childhood experiences. The story takes place in rural Vermont in the late 1920s. Robert, a young shaker boy, must learn the harsh lessons of reality while trying to grow up in this time period, and constantly deal with harsh times around his home and work. After years of friendship with his pig, Robert will have to deal with the harshest reality of all, and say goodbye to his best friend.

Standards Addressed: Strand 5: Economics Strand 4: Geography.  Economics and personal finance was a large concern of immigrants and citizens in the 1900's. Students should brainstorm and discuss what types of work related changes and geographical changes could have an effect on the economy. Compare and contrast the values and religious morals of the time with today's society.

SS8H8 The student will analyze the important events that occurred after World War I and their impact.

ISBN Number: 0440961327

B. Identify the central question(s) the historical narrative addresses and the purpose, perspective, or point of view from which it has been constructed.

ISBN: 059042792X

Standards Addressed: National Social Science Standards Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and institutions by identifying likenesses and differences. C. Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations, but acknowledge also that the two are related: that the facts the historian reports are selected and reflect therefore the historian's judgment of what is most significant about the past.

ISBN: 0141310014

Standards Addressed: National Social Science Standards; Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation; C. Read historical narratives imaginatively, taking into account (a) the historical context in which the event unfolded--values, outlook, options, and contingencies of time and place; and (b) what the narrative reveals of the individuals involved--their probable motives, fears, strengths, and weaknesses.

D. Evidence historical perspectives--the ability (a) to describe the past on its own terms, through the eyes and experiences of those who were there, as revealed through their literature, diaries, letters, debates, arts, artifacts, and the like; and (b) to "present-mindedness," judging the past solely in terms of present-day norms and values.

ISBN: 9780823944514

Summary: For young Civil War and espionage fans, Women Civil War Spies of the Confederacy offers a look   into stories about famous spies like Belle Boyd, Antonia Ford, and Rose O'Neal. These women and others used their personalities and savoy to gain valuable information that would benefit the Southern cause. A colorful and eye opening look at a little studied aspect of the war. This book teaches students about how women played a part in the history of the Civil War as well as what restrictions and struggles they had to face during that time.

ISBN: 9780823944514

Awards: 1964- Charles W. Follett Award; 1965- Newbery Honor; 1965- Lewis Carroll Shelf Award; 1965- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

ISBN: 0425102416

Summary: Hunt presents a balanced look at both sides of the conflict, and includes interesting information on lesser-known leaders and battles. Of course, Abraham Lincoln is a frequent topic of conversation and the author shows the reader just how erratic and extreme the public opinion can be in the war effort. The power of the presidency is also shown through the story. Hunt portrays both sides of the war, having one character so torn that he fights for the South to show how complicated this war was and that there is no clear right and no clear wrong. Jethro Creighton, the protagonist, is young and idealistic when the Civil War begins. At first he thinks the war will be fun, full of marching soldiers and demonstrative patriotism. He learns the realities of war soon enough as he watches his three brothers, his cousin, and his teacher go off to fight.

Standards Addressed: National Social Science Standards; Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation
B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and institutions by identifying likenesses and differences. C. Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations, but acknowledge also that the two are related: that the facts the historian reports are selected and reflect therefore the historian's judgment of what is most significant about the past.

ISBN:100440414121

Standards Addressed:
SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of the US  in the modern civil rights movement.
a. Describe major developments in civil rights and  roles during the 1940s and 1950s;  Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr.
b. Analyze the role the individual states and prominent citizens played in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s; Albany Movement, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act
SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of the US  in the modern civil rights movement.
a. Describe major developments in civil rights and  roles during the 1940s and 1950s;  Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr.
b. Analyze the role the individual states and prominent citizens played in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s; Albany Movement, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act
SS8RC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
a. Reading in All Curriculum Areas
• Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas; read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse.
ELA8RC2 The student participates in discussions related to curricular learning
in all subject areas.
Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Understands individual and institutional influences on the civil rights movement (e.g., the origins of the postwar civil rights movement; the role of the NAACP in the legal assault on segregation; the leadership and ideologies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; the effects of the constitutional steps taken in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government; the shift from de jure to de facto segregation; important milestones in the civil rights movement between 1954 and 1965; Eisenhower’s reasons for dispatching federal troops to Little Rock in 1957).

ISBN: 0590189239

Standards addressed: Strand 3: Civics/Government - Concept 4: Rights, Responsibilities, and Roles of Citizenship

SS8RC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
a. Reading in All Curriculum Areas
• Read a minimum of 25 grade-level appropriate books per year from a variety of subject disciplines and participate in discussions related to curricular learning in all areas; read both informational and fictional texts in a variety of genres and modes of discourse.
SS8H11 The student will evaluate the role of the US  in the modern civil rights movement.
a. Describe major developments in civil rights and  roles during the 1940s and 1950s;  Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, Jr.
b. Analyze the role individual states and prominent citizens played in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s; Albany Movement, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act
Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
Understands individual and institutional influences on the civil rights movement (e.g., the origins of the postwar civil rights movement; the role of the NAACP in the legal assault on segregation; the leadership and ideologies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; the effects of the constitutional steps taken in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government; the shift from de jure to de facto segregation; important milestones in the civil rights movement between 1954 and 1965; Eisenhower’s reasons for dispatching federal troops to Little Rock in 1957).

ISBN10: 0440238293

Summary: This story takes place either in the late fifties or early sixties in Florida and involves a variety of cultural issues including black/white relationships, the KKK, and immigrants. It is the relationships between the story characters that creates the conflicts and tensions in the story and leads to serious consequences because of prejudices.  The story gets much more complex with the involvement of the lives of the migrant workers and how they are basically treated poorly at this time as well. The story is realistic, gritty, and deals with a variety of issues at the same time.