The Unbreakable Code

The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter is a children's story book about growing up as a Navajo Native American. John, the little boy doesn't want to go to his English school, but his grandfather sits down with him and tells him about his past. The grandfather didn't want to go to English school either, but it ended up changing his life. He was one of the Navajo's who volunteered for the US Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor was bombed. The Grandfather helped create the code and talked about how he faught in the Pacific Front. It helped John value his language more.

I would definitely use this book to help introduce WWII, or the Code Talkers or even a unit on Navajo Indians. Secondary students could benefit from a children's book and the illustrations in here are GREAT!

Christmas in the Trenches

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon is a children's book based on a true historical event. The book starts out on Christmas night after all the presents are opened and dinner is finished. Thomas Tolliver asks his grandfather about his favorite Christmas. Thomas’ grandfather tells him about Christmas in 1914 when he was a soldier during the Great War. He describes life in the trenches and how both sides knew there would be no end to the fighting just because it was Christmas. On Christmas night everything was very silent for the soldiers when the German’s began singing Silent Night on the opposite side of no mans land. German soldiers came closer and soon enough all of the soldiers were trading small gifts with one another but eventually they had to go back to their own trenches.

Although this is a picture book, I believe it can be used for students in older grades as well. The book comes with a CD disc with music, which is aweseome. The teacher I was student teaching with last fall spoke of the Chrsitmas in the Trenches and played some music from the era as well.

The Book Thief

I just started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (I'm about 100 pages in). So far, I'm hooked! I would have finished already if it weren't for the end-of-the-semester assignments to work on!

So far, this YA novel is really intriguing. It's narrated by death, and is set in WWII Germany. The protagonist is young Leisel Meminger, who experiences the pain of death at a young age and is given up to a foster family under odd circumstances.

A local high school teaches The Book Thief in 9th grade. It is almost 600 pages long, so it may be daunting for some students. Has anyone read this? What did you think?

I'll check back when I finish...hopefully soon! =)

UPDATE 5/9/11: I finished the book on Friday and was sad that it was over. The novel really makes you think about life, death, and human nature. Throughout the book, you're prompted to think about the power of words...to heal, to hurt, even to kill--in Hitler's case. The interview at the end of the novel with Zusak is also incredible, as it discusses his thought process in deciding on a narrator and his research!