All But My Life

Gerda Weissman Klein's memoir All But My Life focuses on her experience as a Jewish girl during the Holocaust in Poland.

Students usually read The Diary of Anne Frank in middle school, and this novel would be a great companion piece for older students. The author's experiences during the Holocaust are heart breaking, but her positive spirit endures.

Watch the interview with the author about her experience.

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is the first book written by Khaled Hosseini. It explores the story of two young boys at the invasion of the communist Soviet Union. The reader takes an emotional ride with these two boys who experience a cultural/ societal change in Afghanistan.

This book is great for the boys in your classroom through an easily relatable male point of view novel. There are so many options for English/ Social collaborative projects!

Milkweed

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli is a touching, emotional book that touches high schoolers. Misha Pulsudski is an orphan who has a sort of big brother who looks out for him and "tells him about his family". Misha and Uri live in Warsaw and survive by stealing and sleeping where ever they can find an abandoned building. They spend quite a bit of time with a larger group of orphans, but that proves to not always be a great for the boys.

Misha is a gypsy who eventually decides he's going to pretend to be Jewish and moves into the Ghetto with his friend Janina's family. While living with this family he teaches Janina to steal and they sneak out of the Ghetto wall together every night. This books gives readers an up close experience with what it would have been like to live in the Ghetto and how hard it was to survive.

Night

Night by Elie Wiesel is a book about his experiences in Auschwitz, a concentration during World War II. The book follows Wiesel and his dad as they are taken away to a concentration camp, with details about the harsh experiences they experienced. Elie and his dad are separated from his mom and sisters and they feel lucky to just have one another. Elie feels he is living a nightmare and discusses the dehumanizing process of the camps.

This book is rather short but is full of vivid recollections from the Holocaust. The novel is at an 8.7 grade level, but could be used from 8th grade and up. I would use it as a supplementary material to teach the Holocaust.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini's novel A Thousand Splendid Suns chronicles the lives of two female characters during the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The novel follows two female characters through their struggles with the oppressive Taliban regime, abusive arranged marriages, and the way women were generally viewed in society.

In the social studies classroom, A Thousand Splendid Suns gives insight to the treatment of women in a culture that is so stereotyped and misunderstood in the United States. It also provides a good tie to current events.

This would be a great pick for the English classroom because it is a popular piece of popular literature that provides different viewpoints. Furthermore, the author is from Afghanistan and his experiences bring authenticity to his writing.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a heart-wrenching work of non-fiction by a young adult from Sierra Leone. Beah was forced to become a soldier in the brutal civil war of Sierra Leone. He faced incredible hardship and violence.

Although it is quite graphic, Beah's work is also heartwarming. Beah survived such terrible things and has kept his positive spirit.

SUNY Potsdam chose this memoir for their First Year Experience common read for the Fall 2009 semester. Beah traveled to Potsdam and gave an incredible speech about his experiences and hosted a comprehensive question and answer session for the first year students. His honesty and his perseverance are truly inspirational.

In the social studies classroom, this book gives students a true idea of current events that are going on in Africa. It would fit well with a study of genocides and civil wars around the world.

In the English classroom, A Long Way Gone would be a work of diverse non-fiction that would help open the students' eyes to global issues. It is also good practice in identifying with a protagonist who is close to their age.

I strongly caution teachers, however, about how graphic the novel is. Be sure to read it thoroughly and gauge your students' maturity levels and needs before making it a class read!

Code Talker

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac, is an easy read for multiple grade levels.Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the US effort, sending messages back & forth in an unbreakable code in the Navajo native language. Perfect for US history in discussing US involvement in WWII.

We are All Born Free

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assemble on December 10, 1948. It was developed as a result of the horrors of World War II. Its purpose was to state and protect the rights of all people around the world.

We are all Born Free: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures celebrates each declaration with amazing illustrations by a number of artists. This book has many educational opportunities for a variety of levels. Just some topic ideas include, World War II, Holocaust, human rights violations, Cold War, etc. The possibilities are truly endless.

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a gripping novel that follows the life of young men in Germany during World War I. Paul, the main character, and his other college friends are urged to join the fight for their fatherland from their college professor. The boys decide to join and quickly realize war isn't as fun as they imagined it would be. The novel shows the boys as they lose members of their platoon and also their innocence. It follows both their physical and emotional stresses during the war and how they cope with civilian life after they have experienced the war.

Interestingly, Remarque was a veteran of WWI. All of his books were banned in the 1930s in Germany because of their anti-war message. All Quiet on the Western Front was publicly burned by the Nazi's as well.

Any teaching ideas with this? I used the movie in my global 10 class during student teaching but the book is beautifully written, with great detail.

Brothers in Hope: the Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan

Brothers in Hope: the Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan is a picture book dedicated to telling the true story of young Garang, who was about 8 years old when his Sudanese village was brutally attacked and his family torn apart. Author, Mary Williams, and illustrator R. Gregory Christie take you on Garang's story both in powerful words and beautiful illustrations.
This picture book is a great book to bridge the gap of your struggling readers with your more advanced readers.

A Diary of an Iraqi Girl

Diary of an Iraqi Girl offers great insight into the personal life of a young girl during the invasion of the United States. It provides a personal account of life in Iraq and how the US's invasion affected daily life for those living in Iraq during the time.
Perfect for many different interdisciplinary activities. Because her blog is public, students have the opportunity to interact with Hadia, providing an authentic audience for writing assignments! English dream right?? Social Studies could use bits and pieces of her diary in a unit on terrorism to provide insight to how life was affected by the US in Iraq.

Princess: A True Story of life behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

Jean P. Sasson's interview with a Saudi princess brings readers into the life of a woman in a society that views the female gender as a second class citizen. Sultana, a granddaughter of the Saudi king, is a caged woman held captive in luxurious mansions, controlled by her father, then their husbands and in some instances, sons.
As a result of this novel's vocabulary, it would be suggested to use it at AP levels or higher grade levels. Again it screams interdisciplinary!!

Why?

Nikolai Popov's, wordless, thought provoking tale about a frog who sits peacefully on a rock smelling a flower and a mouse who aggressively snatches the flower away. The absurdity of aggression and the inevitable consequences of the violence that occurs, teaches ys the ugliness of war and that there are no winners.

Perfect to discuss any historical moment of war. Some that come to mind, World War II, Cold War, War on Terrorism, etc. Perfect for younger grade levels as well as high schoolers. Great writing assignments come to mind especially since this book is wordless.

First They Killed My Father

Written by Loung Ung, First They Killed My Father takes a reader into Cambodia during the time of Pol Pot. At the age of 5 her family if forced out of their home, and forced to work on collective farms with little food and the fear of found out. Loung Ung's book is a powerful inside look at genocide and it horrific effects.
A great book for 10/ 11 grade, both social studies and english teachers could use this for content in both areas.

Mountains Beyond Mountains

Tracy Kidder's memoir Mountains Beyond Mountains discusses the life of Paul Farmer, a physician who frequently goes to Haiti to help the impoverished natives.

The memoir provides a compelling, inspiring, and accurate description of life in Haiti and the actions of a selfless individual.

In the English classroom, Mountains Beyond Mountains is a great way to introduce nonfiction into the classroom. In the Social Studies classroom, the memoir can be used to talk about the poverty in Haiti and to discuss the plight of third world nations. It can also be tied to current events with the recent humanitarian efforts with the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

An interesting interview with Paul Farmer, the physician portrayed in the novel:

Historical Novels

Historical Novels is a great resource for finding historical books that can be used in the English and Social Studies classrooms. The website organizes novels by the time period they are associated with, and boasts more than 5000 titles, many of which have reviews.

The Postcard

The novel, The Postcard, is a great novel written by a woman in Pennsylvania, Beverly Lewis, about an Amish community. The community has been through so much, but they have to struggle through so much more when disaster strikes.

Rachel, a beautiful Amish woman has everything she could want in life, a loving husband with 2 kids and one on the way. Life is perfect. One day on the way to market a bad accident happens killing everyone but Annie, her daughter. Two years later a workaholic NY reporter comes to stay at Rachel's parents Bed N Breakfast. For the few days he's there he seems drawn to Rachel with her kind spirit, blind eyes and fun loving daughter. Something happens that brings the two closer, but both adults know their lives are too different to be more than acquaintances.

My neighbors are Amish, so when I was student teaching some of my students picked up me talking about it. I brought in pictures of them building a barn and their houses. When I assigned a book project for my 10th and 11th graders to complete, I suggested this author to my students and several of the girls loved her books.

The Things They Carried

The novel, The Things They Carried By Tim O'Brien is a great Vietnam novel. The book is told from Tim's perspective but the book is actually fictional. O'Brien combines memories and stories to create this novel.

The novel tells of a platoon sent to fight in the Vietnam war. Set up in different stories for each chapter, O'Brien re-tells the tangible things the soldiers carried (rations, radios, ammunition, etc.) but also the things they carried inside them (guilt, anger, sorrow, and more) The young men who were drafted into the war quickly lost their innocence and found it hard to adjust to life after the war.

This novel has an ELP level of 9.0, suitable for 9th grade and up. The Vietnam war is something that is important for student's to read about. I feel that O'Brien's novel would be a great way to integrate the harsh realities of war into a classroom.

O'Brien has wrote numerous other books, although this is the only one I have read.

Has anyone else read any others?

Of Mice and Men

American author John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a great work of literature that can be paired with the study of the Great Depression. Furthermore, Of Mice and Men gives an accurate portrayal of the struggles that can be faced while striving toward "the American dream."

Of Mice and Men is the tale of two men, George and Lenny, in California during the Great Depression. George and Lenny have a very close yet complicated relationship. In the English classroom, the characterization of the two men and their relationship is a great thing to study.

English students can also explore the topic of euthanasia in connection to the events of the book. Of Mice and Men provides a great basis for a number of creative writing topics.

As for the Social Studies classroom, John Steinbeck based the novel on the lives of migrant workers in California. The novel gives an accurate portrayal of working conditions during the time period.

The 1992 film version of the book is very well done and includes some big name actors. I've found that students really enjoy the film and are quite emotional when watching it!

Nothing But the Truth

Avi's young adult novel Nothing But the Truth isn't necessarily historical, but it pairs with middle school Social Studies classes nicely, as it provides a forum for students to discuss our individual rights, such as freedom of speech.

In the English classroom, Nothing But the Truth is a great choice because of its form; it isn't written in just prose. In fact, it includes a number of writing genres, including memos, news articles, and personal correspondence. This would be a good opportunity to discuss fiction and nonfiction texts as well.

In my opinion, Nothing But the Truth would be a great way to teach the format of debate in the classroom. A teacher split his or her students depending on their beliefs about Phillip (the protagonist) and his actions.

If you're interested in bringing other phenomenal young adult literature into your classroom, check out Avi's other works!

Number the Stars

The Novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is set in Copenhagen, Denmark in the year 1943. The novel follows the life of Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen (who is Jewish). The girls are about ten years old and constantly remember how life was before the war. In 1943, life is much harder in Copenhagen. The soldiers are filled with Nazi soldiers and there are food shortages.

The Jews living in Denmark discover through the work of the resistance movement that they are going to be "relocated." To help protect the Rosen's, the Johansen's allow Ellen to live with them and pose as their deceased daughter. They also help Ellen's parents escape.

The Johansen's know it isn't safe for them to stay at their home long, so they go to visit their uncle. This is part of the plan to help the Rosen's (and other Jews) escape to Sweden. During this time, Annemarie must go on a dangerous mission to help save the life of her best friend.

When using Number the Stars in the classroom, the link between the reality of WWII and the novel are quite accurate. I think student's would benefit from this novel by understanding that it was not just the Jews in Germany that were targeted by the Nazi's.

I think this novel could be used to discuss human rights violations, as well as discrimination. There are many ways to integrate this novel into an English or Social Studies classroom. The novel is a 5.1 grade level, but I think it would interest students in higher grades as well.

Teaching ideas for the novel!

A Separate Peace

John Knowles' novel A Separate Peace is set at the fictional all-boys' Devon School in New Hampshire during WWII. Knowles was a student at the Phillips Exeter Academy, and the Devon School of the novel is based on his experiences there.

A Separate Peace follows the experiences of Gene and Phineas throughout summer and winter sessions at Devon. While students at Devon, the boys of their class are struggling with the question of whether to enlist for WWII at the age of 17 or to be drafted as soon as they turned 18.

The novel has been heralded as a story of the struggle of good and evil, and the relationship between the main characters keeps the students guessing and wanting to keep reading!

When used in a Social Studies classroom, A Separate Peace gives students insight to what it was like to live in the United States during WWII. Furthermore, the novel asks students to ponder the idea of what they would do if they had to make the decision to either enlist or be drafted.

In addition to the above listed connections to the study of WWII in the Social Studies classroom, it also can be connected to the War on Terror and the Iraq War. The students in the novel often forget that a war is going on overseas, just as many of our own students forget about the war in the Middle East. Unless our students have a direct connection to the war, it doesn't seem real to them, and the same can be said for Gene, Phineas, and company.

A Separate Peace figurative language/creative writing Prezi used in an 11th grade classroom:

A Separate Peace: Snow on Prezi

Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust is a novel by award-winning author Karen Hesse. The novel is written completely in free verse, which provides a unique challenge to students who are used to reading prose.

The novel is set during the Dust Bowl in the 1930's and follows the trials and tribulations of a young female narrator, Billie Jo.

This novel can be incorporated into the ELA and Social Studies classroom into a number of ways. In ELA, Out of the Dust provides the opportunity for students to become familiar with free verse. Furthermore, novels written in verse are more accessible to readers of all abilities (struggling readers won't be intimidated by hundreds of words on a page, whereas proficient readers will be challenged/intrigued by a new form).

In the Social Studies classroom, Out of the Dust gives a more personal connection to the Dust Bowl, and is a nice companion to the famous Dorothea Lange photographs from the period.

As an English teacher, I would recommend this novel in 7th-8th grade, which pairs with the New York State Social Studies curriculum of American History in these grades.