 | Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.00 Review pending.
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 | Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas
Buy new: $10.08 / Used from: $2.38 Delightfully funny, FUNNY IN FARSI is an excellent journey into what it is like to assimilate into another culture. Rarely is this type of story told with such humor, perspective or experience. To walk in someone else's shoes is necessary for understanding; this book accomplishes a lot towards that goal (especially regarding what is like to be a Muslim in America).
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 | Friedrich (Puffin Books) by Hans Peter Richter
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Told from the perspective of a neighbor the same age, FRIEDRICH relates the story of a Jewish boy (and parents) growing up in Germany from 1925 to 1942. Relatively short, the effectiveness of this book comes from the innocence and naivete of the boys (one Jewish, one not) who mature as the Third Reich comes to power. Little do these two realize, at first, what hatred really looks like.
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 | The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz
Buy used from: $0.01 A glimpse into the world of a late-18th century Libyan girl is unexplored territory for almost every reader, and this book should not disappoint any of them. The story showcases a lot of facts about cultural, religious and societal customs, but they never seem forced. As a contrast to the materialism and ubiquitous noise of 2007, THE SHADOWS OF GHADAMES is an excellent lesson.
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 | The Tears of the Salamander by Peter Dickinson
Buy used from: $0.01 |
 | When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.10 The beauty of this historical fiction is that it treats its characters with respect and clarity of voice. It tells a story of a time in history that I am not familiar with -- perhaps that makes me more enraptured of the story within. I felt honored to be allowed to see such an intimate portrait of two characters who (by their society's standards) would be more naturally private in their thoughts.
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 | A Hand Full of Stars by Rafik Schami
Buy used from: $9.92 A great intro to a foreign culture. Full of wisdom, humor and realism, this "journal" slowly reveals its "author" as a growing teenager who will become a writer someday. For high-level middle schoolers, though many will feel that in the first half "nothing happens" and the references to a romance may make some parents nervous. Nevertheless, to see a writer grow subtly over time is a pleasure.
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 | Botchan: A Modern Classic by Soseki Natsume
Buy new: $8.57 / Used from: $6.99 |
 | The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | The Crow-Girl: The Children of Crow Cove (The Children of Crow Cove Series) by Bodil Bredsdorff
Buy new: $5.95 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | The Dark Light (Sunburst Books) by Mette Newth
Buy used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | When Isla Meets Luke Meets Isla by Rhian Tracey
Buy new: $11.01 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
Buy new: $9.35 / Used from: $2.46 Review pending.
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 | Asphalt Angels by Ineke Hotwijk
Buy used from: $0.57 Review pending.
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 | Watership Down: A Novel by Richard Adams
Buy new: $9.26 / Used from: $3.25 WATERSHIP DOWN is a remarkable tale about the subjects of Leadership and Home all set within the world of rabbits. This classic is about how to lead others (which is familiar to all cultures) and, surprisingly, the leader is not the smartest, strongest, swiftest, biggest, or most likeable, but a leader who knows how to unite others, value others' contributions, and make decisions.
A great book.
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 | Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Readers Circle) by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $1.60 Review pending.
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 | The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
Buy used from: $2.97 Review pending.
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 | The Stone Goddess (First Person Fiction) by Minfong Ho
Buy used from: $1.64 Review pending.
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 | Innocent Soldier by Josef Holub
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.55 Review pending.
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 | The Little Prince
Buy new: $8.00 / Used from: $3.49 This remarkable, little book is an excellent springboard for discussion about metaphors and philosophy. I fear that many assume that this is only a "kids'" book, but it is a book written for adults. Though short, the approach to "what is really important in life" should not be taken lightly, frivolously, or quickly. There is also an undeniable universality to the messages within.
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 | The Winter People by Joseph Bruchac
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.30 Review pending.
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 | Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 This book is a natural for this list. The definitive version adds back all of the material Anne Frank's father expurgated before originally publishing this book. It contains material that some parents may wish their children to avoid. Regardless of which version you choose, the story is the work of a mature writer despite Anne's chronological age. Amazing depth and insight into self-discovery.
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 | Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.92 Review pending.
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 | When I Was a Soldier by Valerie Zenatti
Buy new: $13.22 / Used from: $0.34 Review pending.
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 | The Legend Of The Wandering King by Laura Gallego Garcia
Buy used from: $1.14 Review pending.
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 | A Thief in the Village: And Other Stories of Jamaica by James Berry
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Julie of the Wolves (HarperClassics) by Jean Craighead George
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Buy new: $7.92 / Used from: $2.90 A brilliant book! Told as a series of vignettes about what shapes us as individuals (the traps we fall into, the lessons we have to learn for ourselves, the people that we realize we don't want to become), this is an incredibly poetic story told through the perspective of Ezperanza, a young adult who witnesses what life is like in the Hispanic part of Chicago. This is one to embrace!
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 | Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
Buy new: $9.89 / Used from: $4.50 Review pending.
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 | The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat
Buy used from: $0.01 Review pending.
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 | Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 A combination of THE SECRET GARDEN, LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE and OUT OF AFRICA, this story of a girl raised in Africa who must pretend to be another (dead) girl and travel back to England in 1920 to order to appease the other girl's evil parents is a bit predictable, but definitely a good dose of African/European culture clash to satisfy the curiosity of younger readers.
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 | The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Buy new: $8.97 / Used from: $2.99 Review pending.
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 | The Samurai's Tale by Erik C. Haugaard
Buy new: $6.95 / Used from: $0.78 Review pending.
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 | American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Buy new: $12.21 / Used from: $6.99 This graphic novel tells three Chinese-based stories: one is about the Chinese fable of the Monkey King; the second focuses on a young Chinese-American boy at school; the last is a "sitcom" (complete with laugh-track) about Chin-Kee, the ultimate in tasteless Chinese stereotypes. Funny, simple and beautifully paced, these seemingly separate stories merge at the end in an amazingly profound way.
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