2. What is a “tween”, anyway? For the purposes of this assignment, we combined definitions from several sources to create a “tween” range of between 8-9 years old to 13 – 14 years old, or roughly in grades 4 through 8.
3. And what about “historical fiction”? “Historical fiction is realistic fiction set in a time remote enough from the present to be considered history. Although historical fiction stories are imaginary, it is within the realm of possibility that such events could have occurred. In these stories, historical facts blend with imaginary characters and plot. The facts are actual historic events, authentic period settings, and real historical figures” (Lynch-Brown & Tomlinson, p. 169). Lynch-Brown, C. & Tomlinson, C.M. (2008). Essentials of children’s literature (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
4. Criteria for Selection What criteria for selection did you use? Plot & Setting Characters Authority Historical Accuracy & Cultural Authenticity Factual & Situational Realism Emotional & Social Realism
5. How we approached the project: Each of us approached the project from a different angle: Kathrynfocused on Young Americans; Karen researched international, post-Columbus settings; Donna covered Early Man to Early Modern History.
7. Maroo of the Winter Caves - by Ann Turnbull Turnbull, A. (2004). Maroo of the winter caves. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co.. Set at the end of the last Ice Age, Maroois a story of survival against the worst odds. Delayed in leaving for the tribe’s winter habitat, Maroo’s family becomes trapped on the Great Ice Plain. It falls to Maroo and her little brother, Otak, to try to cross the treacherous White Mountain and bring back help. But when the two become separated, Maroo is faced with a heartbreaking choice – to stay and try to find her little brother, or to continue alone and hope she reaches the winter camp in time to save her family.
8. The Sign of the Chrysanthemum By Katherine Paterson Paterson, K. (1973). Sign of the chrysanthemum, the. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Orphaned by the death of his mother, Muna finds himself finally free to go in search of his father, the mysterious samurai he will recognize by “the sign of the chrysanthemum”. In his travels, Muna meets the ronin, Takanobu, Kawaki the sandamaker and his beautiful daughter, Akiko, and the swordsmithFukuji. But when Takanobu comes to him with a plan to steal the sword being forged for the samurai Muratani, Muna must choose which path his life will take. Time period: Medieval Japan, during the time of the Genji
9. Crispin: The Cross of Lead By Avi Avi. (2002). Crispin: the cross of lead. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. The boy known only as Asta’s son has lost the only person he could call kin, his mother. But if that weren’t a great enough blow, he soon discovers that there are things about his origin that have been concealed from him, including the name he was given at birth – Crispin. And now he has been accused of theft – a crime meriting death in 14th century England -- and must flee for his life. A Newbery Medal winner Time period: Medieval England
13. Hidden in a tree, Alice Tuckfield bears silent witness to the murder of her father. Fleeing through the cathedral town on her way to seek help from Lady Jenny at Chellisford Hall, she is accidentally knocked over by two of the choir boys, who take her back to the cathedral for a meal to make amends. What begins as a simple effort to give her shelter for the night soon turns into a plan to disguise Alice and hide her amongst the choristers, as a prank on the choirmaster. But when Alice learns that her own life will be in danger if she attempts to reach Chellisford Hall, the deception becomes part of a deadly game.
16. Esperanza Rising By Pam Munoz Ryan Munoz Ryan, Pam (2000). Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-439-12041-1. This story features a girl fleeing political unrest in her native Mexico and resettling in the California Central Valley. Esperanza must come to grips with the loss of a once privileged life in the years preceding the Great Depression. The harsh reality of hard work and harder times ahead resonates especially with the California Central Valley. Pam Munoz Ryan is a native of the California Central Valley and has deep roots in its agricultural contributions. This semi biographical tale based on Munoz Ryan’s grandmother has won numerous honors and awards including the Pura Belpre Award.
17. Under the Blood Red Sun By Graham Salisbury Salisbury, Graham (2005). Under the blood red sun. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0-440-41139-4 Young Tomi lives in Oahu with his fisherman father, housekeeper mother, and elderly grandfather. While grandfather is still loyal to Japan and keeps their heritage and the family samurai sword sacred, Tomi loves all things American, especially baseball. When Pearl Harbor is bombed, life becomes exceedingly difficult to Tomi’s whole family. Native Hawaiians and white people believe there are too many Japanese in Hawaii and believe all Japanese to be sympathizers with the enemy. When his father and grandfather are taken in custody, it falls to Tomi to withstand the intense humiliation and mistreatment at the hands of bullies while maintaining the family honor. Winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for historic fiction.
18. The Witch of Blackbird Pond By Elizabeth George Speare Speare, Elizabeth George (1958). The witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. LCCN: 58-11063. Katherine “Kit” Tyler most cope with the upheaval of trading a pleasant childhood in sunny Barbados for young adulthood in 1687 Connecticut with her Puritan aunt, uncle, and cousins. Grieving the loss of her loved grandfather and missing her comfortable plantation life, Kat’s upbringing and her own impulsive behavior immediately put her at odds with her new family. Embarrassed at being a little different, and a bit offended that others would presume to judge her and find her lacking, Kat has little idea her opinions could be considered so dangerous. Worse, Kat’s friendship with a neighboring lady derided as the town witch could put her life in danger. This title is an ALA Notable Book and a winner of the Newbery Medal
19. How I Became an American By Karin Gundisch – translated by James Skofield Gundisch, Karin (2001). How I became an American / translated by James Skofield. Chicago: Cricket Books. ISBN: 0-8126-4876-7 Ten year old Johann shares his first hand narrative how his parents made the difficult decision to leave their home in Eastern Europe for Ohio. The continuous struggle for a decent living wears on the young family. Despite having a good education Johann’s father still struggled to provide for enough hard cash to pay for things like shoes. But life in the United States brings its own struggles and some losses from which it is difficult to recover. With the resilience of a child, cheerful Johnny deals with culture shock, makes new friends, works to support the family, and learns to speak, read, and write English.
20. Is It Night Or Day? A Novel of Immigration and Survival 1938 – 1942 By Fern Chapman Schumer Chapman, Fern Schumer (2010). Is it night or day? A novel of immigration and survival 1938-1942. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN: 978-0-374-17744-7 Twelve year old Edith Westerfeld came from a long established and respected family in a small town south of Frankfurt and life was comfortable. The few Jews in their town had always been treated cordially. All that changed when the Third Reich ascended to power and stripped Jews of their citizenship and their civil liberties and encouraged Germans to persecute the people they once called friend. Unable to travel as a family, Edith travels alone to America with a ship of other refuge children. Settling with her Uncle and his wife in Chicago, Edith copes with shock and depression and struggles assimilate to an America that also demonstrates animosity to blameless children and Jews. Trying to make sense of her loss, Edith makes a conscious decision to survive
22. The Secret Gardenby Burnett, Frances Hodgson When Mary's parents die, she must move from her home in warm, sunny India to live with her uncle, surrounded by the foggy English moors. Here, she finds a house of secrets, a house of the unknown. Who is crying in the darkest hours of the night, when she's too full of grief to do so? Why are there so many locked doors, and furtive glances among the staff? Mary cannot solve these puzzles alone, but how much help can she expect from a half-trained chambermaid and her tales of a garden hidden away on the manor grounds?
23. Ties That Bind, Ties That Break: a novel.By Namoika, Lensy Before she can fully understand what is at stake, Ailin rebels against a cultural practice. Her rebellion will change her future, or possibly destroy it: will she follow nearly a thousand years of tradition, and bind her feet? How will she survive, when only the lowest class of women must rely on their own labor to earn a living? How will the death of her father affect the family? Beyond home, family and tradition, Ailin's community and even her government struggle with the same problems in very different ways.
24. Carrie’s War By Bawden, Nina When Carrie and her brother Nick are evacuated from London to the Welsh countryside during World War II, they are put in the care of the strict and authoritarian Mr. Evans, and his younger sister, "Aunty Lou". Carrie and Nick escape the grim world in brief visits to Albert, a refugee taken in by Mr. Evan's estranged elder sister. In the Gotobed house at Druid’s Bottom, she finds warmth, love, whimsy... and the legend of the screaming skull. Eventually, Carrie chooses a side in the family feud, but it costs her everything. Thirty years later, she returns to the village, and the feud she has never forgotten.
25. When My Name Was KeokoBy Park, Linda Sue War. Oppression. Subversion. Identity. What do they mean? To Keoko, a girl in Korea of 1940, they mean secrets. Even her name is a secret, because the ruling Japanese enforce laws banning Korean language, dress, and culture. As Keoko grows up, she and her brother must find their own paths through a labyrinth of conformity and resistance in a landscape shaped by thirty years of systematic destruction. When will Keoko be able to tell her secrets, and to whom?
26. Passage To Freedom: The Sugihara StoryBy Mochizuki, Ken Five-year-old Hirogi has no concept of war, or desperation, until he wakes to find the consulate where he and his family live, surrounded by Polish Jews desperate to escape Lithuania. His father is the Japanese vice consul, and it is his father who explains the existence of the crowd... and the risks they pose to Hirogi and his family. A simple family meeting will change the fate of those living inside the consulate, and more than six thousand others.
27. Chantrea Conway’s Story: A Voyage From Cambodia In 1975 By Pastore, Claire Chantrea Conway lives a typically urban life with her Cambodian mother and photographer father, who happens to be an American. When the Khmer Rouge liberate Phnom Pehn her father is away on a short assignment, so her mother hides her in her grandparents' home, but the safety is ephemeral. Totally unprepared for the agrarian life expected -and brutally enforced- in the 'education camp' she and her grandparents are sent to, Chantrea struggles to survive the brutality and near-starvation diet while keeping her education and heritage secret. When she and her family are slated for death, they must escape and make the arduous walk to Thailand with only one hope left... Is Chantra's American father still alive, and can he help them obtain American visas in order to reach safety?
28. Kiss The DustBy Laird, Elizabeth At first, Tara feels lonely but safe in her family's new home in the Zagrosh mountains; she is far from her old school, her best friend Leila... and the soldiers who murdered a teenaged boy in the street for reading a Kurdish newspaper. The war did not seem real to her before she saw the boy murdered, but soon afterward, she learned that her family is deeply involved with the pesh murgas, the Kurdish freedom fighters. It is for this reason that they had to flee their home. With Iraqi fighter pilots bombing their own people, the mountain village is no longer safe for the family. Iran promises only a hard life in refugee camps and cultural norms enforced by religious fanatics. Where will they go now that the village is no longer safe from bombs and soldiers?
29. Hot links Adamson, Lynda G. A reference guide to historical fiction for children and young adults Publisher, Date. Bowker (2009). Books in Print Professional [Internet database]. New Providence NJ: http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/default.asp CA Dept of Ed Website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/ap/litsearch.asp The CLCD Company, LLC (2009). Children's Literature Comprehensive Database [Internet database]. Bethesda, MD: http://clcd.odyssi.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/member/csearch.htm LOS ANGELES PL KIDS LIT LIST: http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/books/genre/historical.php
30. Print resources Cole, Pam B. Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century. Publisher, date. Chapter 6: Historical Fiction. Pp 237-278 Lesesne, T. (2006). Naked reading. Uncovering what tweens need to become lifelong learners. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers. Lynch-Brown, C. & Tomlinson, C.M. (2008). Essentials of children’s literature (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
31. For More on Historical Fiction Visit us on the Web – Donna: Books and More For Tweens https://sites.google.com/site/booksandmorefortweens/ Karen: Auntie Karen’s Tween Book Corner https://sites.google.com/site/264crowstweenbookcorner/ Kathryn: Cats On My Books http://catsonmybooks.wordpress.com/
Editor's Notes
KATHRYN’S SCREEN?
The Secret Garden by Burnett, Frances Hodgson Living in 19 th Century India, Young Mary Lennox has everything she could possibly want—everything that is, except for love, friendship, and the knowledge of how to make things grow. Her life suddenly changes from its spoiled existence when her parents are killed in a cholera epidemic: with nobody left to care for her save a crotchety uncle whom she has never met, the young girl is sent to live with him in Misselthwaite Manor in far-away England. But her new home is full of mysteries. Her uncle is constantly absent and the servants nervously whisper of a lost garden that once belonged to his deceased wife. When Mary enquires of the servants about the crying she hears in the night, they all act strangely frightened. Mary soon investigates both the crying and the location of the garden that has been blocked off. In so doing, she meets Dicken, the younger brother of her personal servant, and Colin, her spoiled and sickly cousin. In solving the mysteries of her new home, Mary also learns that she has a talent for gardening, and learns the secret magic of friendship. OTHER TITLES: 1600-1899 Avi. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle . (ship voyages, chapter) Feelings, Tom. Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo. (pre-colonial slavery) Giff, Patricia Reilly. Nory Ryan's Song. Maggie’s Door. (Ireland, 1840s & 50’s, chapter) Hesse, Karen. Stowaway . (Captain Cook’s 1 st Voyage) Hooper, Mary. At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. (1665 London, Bubonic Plague & Fire) Hunter, Mollie. Thirteenth Member: a story of suspense (Scotland, King James). chapter Lawrence, Iain. The Buccaneers . (midatlantic pirates) Llorente, Pilar Molina. The Apprentice . Newth, Mette. The Dark Light. (1800s, Norwegian Leprosy Colony, chapter) Nichol, Barbara. Beethoven Lives Upstairs. (Austria, picture, DVD) O’Dell, Scott. The Black Pearl . (Mexico/Baja California, chapter) Rees, Celia Pirates! Spyri, Johanna. Heid i (Switzerland, chapter) Stolz, Joelle. Shadows of Ghadames . (Libya, chapter) White, Ellen Emerson. Royal Diaries: Kaiulani: The People’s Princess. (Hawaii, 1889, chapter)
Ties That Bind, Ties That Break: a novel. By Namoika, Lensy For 900 years, the women of upper-class Chinese families’ feet have been bound, crippling them for life. This ensures that they will be subservient to men and is a status symbol, proving that their men can provide for their every want. But in 1911, revolution is in the air, and everything is changing. Four-year old Ailin is engaged to be married to Liu Hanwei, but when her future mother-in-law sees her unbound feet, she deems the girl a big-footed peasant. Ailin’s mother and grandmother determine to have her feet bound as soon as possible, but when Ailin refuses, her father agrees to let her keep her feet unbound, and her engagement is canceled. The young girl’s future is now in a jeopardy that she cannot possibly imagine until she becomes a teenager. Fearing for her future, her father sends her to public school to learn English in the hopes that the girl may become a teacher, but when he dies, her uncle gives her the choice of becoming a nun, a farmer’s wife, or a concubine. Any choice leaves her with no rights or honor. Defying her uncle’s wishes, she leaves her home to find her own way in life… a life that will eventually lead to a new country and a future she could never have imagined. OTHER TITLES FROM 1900 to Post World War I Hesse, Karen. Letters from Rifka. (Russian Jews, WWI, chapter) Hunter, Mollie. A Sound of Chariots . (Scotland, post WWI, chapter) Provensen, Alice & Martin. The Glorious Flight Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot . (England & France, picture). Slade, Arthur. Megiddo’s Shadow (Damascus, chapter) Seredy, Kate. The Good Master. (Hungarian Jews, chapter) Seredy, Kate. The Singing Tree . (Hungarian Jews, chapter)
Carrie’s War By Bawden, Nina Imagine that you are a young school-age child. Sent with just a lunch, a change of clothes, and a gas-mask, you are sent far away from home to live with complete strangers, while your parents live in a city that is bombed daily. What might your feelings be? What hopes might you have? What fears? When the Nazis begin bombing the citizens of London in order to terrorize them into submission, Londoners send their children to the country to live in the company of strangers. Carrie and her younger brother Nick are sent to Wales, where they are taken in by the strict Mr. Evans and his younger sister whom the children call Auntie Lou. Their life as evacuees is grim until Carrie meets Albert, a handsome older boy who has been taken in by Mr. Evans’ estranged, elderly sister Dilys Gotobed. While visiting the Gotobeds, she finds the love and understanding of Dilys’ housekeeper, Hepzibah and her retarded son, simply known as “Mr. Johnny.” In the Gotobed house at Druid’s Bottom, she finds relief from her troubled existence at the Evans’ home, for there she finds warmth, love, and whimsy. Mrs. Gotobed regales the children with tales of her worldwide travels and the fancy balls of her youth. Meanwhile, Albert tells Carrie that Hepzibah is a “white witch,” otherwise known as a “wise woman” or a herbalist healer. Hepzibah enchants the children by recounting the strange and magical folktales of the Welsh people, including a story which directly affects the Evans and Gotobed households: the story of the screaming skull. Carrie is not quite sure what to make of these stories… they seem too wild to be true, but Carrie halfway believes them. But a family feud has long-since ripped the family apart, and Carrie and her brother feel trapped between the warring factions. Mr. Evans wants Carrie to spy on his sister, and his sister wants her to convey a mysterious message that she does not understand to her brother, only telling her that she will know when the time is right to tell him.. How can she choose sides—against the man who has taken them in… or against the people who have made her feel welcome? When Carrie discovers Mr. Jones’ treachery against his sister’s dying wishes, she finally decides what she must do. Using Hepzibah’s tales as her tool, she invokes a curse that she believes will bring final vengeance upon him… but instead that curse destroys her entire world. Thirty years have passed, and Carrie is returning to the village where she lived as a refugee. Will she finally find the peace that she has lacked for all these years? This novel was also made into a BBC Masterpiece Theatre production. If you like Carrie’s War, you might enjoy other books about the London evacuees of World War II. Try Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian or Searching for Shona by Margaret J. Anderson. OTHER TITLES FROM THE EUROPEAN THEATRE OF WORLD WAR II Anderson, Margaret J. Searching for Shona. Bradley, Kimberly Brubacher. For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy . Donaldson, Margaret . Journey into War. (France) chapter Gallico, Paul. Snow Goose . (Battle of Dunkirk). Lindgard, Joan. Tug of War . (Latvia) Magorian, Michelle. Good Night, Mr. Tom. (London refugees) Maguire, Gregory. The Good Liar. (France) Napoli, Donna Jo. Stones in Water . (Italy)
When My Name Was Keoko By Park, Linda Sue Japan invaded and occupied Korea in 1910. It is now 1940, and the world is at war. In an attempt to rob the Koreans of their culture, the Japanese force the Koreans to destroy their national symbol, the Rose of Sharon trees, and plant Japanese cherry trees in their stead. Koreans must adopt Japanese dress and language, and now they must even give up their Korean names. Young Sun-hee becomes Keoko, while her older brother Tae-yul becomes Nobuo. However, the Kim family secretly manages to hide their culture by choosing names that remind them of their true heritage. Uncle, who is working for the resistance movement, teaches the children what their flag looks like, telling Sun-hee that she will someday sew that flag, and Tae-yul that he will someday fly it over his home. A printer, he secretly prints an illegal Korean language newspaper, while pretending to be chin-le , a traitorous friend to the Japanese. As the war deepens, both children find subtle ways of resisting the Japanese: Sun-hee through writing, and Tae-yul through more physical means. But their father divides the family by refusing to resist, and then Uncle goes into hiding, leaving the children to fight on their own. This book is about the Koreans living under Japanese occupation, but if you would like to learn more about what happened to the Japanese who lived in Korea in the aftermath of World War II, read So Far From the Bamboo Grove. OTHER BOOKS FROM WORLD WAR II—NON-EUROPEAN THEATRES ASIAN THEATRE Coerr, Elizabeth. 1) Sadako & the 1000 Paper Cranes (Japan, chapter). Coerr, Elizabeth. 2) Sadako (Japan, picture). Watkins, Yoko Kawashima. So Far from the Bamboo Grove. (Korea & Japan, chapter). OTHER THEATRES Taylor, Theodore. The Cay (The Key) . (Dutch Caribbean, chapter).
Passage To Freedom: The Sugihara Story By Mochizuki, Ken Five-year old Hiroki’s father, Chiune Sugihara is the Japanese consul in Lithuania. One day, the family wakes to find the consulate surrounded by frightened people clamoring for visas. When Hiroki asks who they are, his father explains that they are Polish Jews seeking to flee the country for their lives. If he writes the visas, he may be able to save thousands of lives, but to do so means he must defy his own government, endangering the entire family. He calls the family together to decide what to do. This book describes the unfolding events through the eyes of his son. Vivid descriptions of his parents’ actions, the intensity of the crowd charging the fence, the eyes of the children, and Hiroki’s confusion about what is happening all give this story an air of authenticity. Although the reader is left wondering what happened to the refugees, the Afterward, written by the adult Hiroki reflecting upon the past, answers the reader’s questions. This book is an excellent introduction to the terrors of the Holocaust, because it tells first that there is hope available from true-life heroes—even from such unlikely places as an Axis-based consulate. If you enjoyed Passage to Freedom, here are other children’s books about the Jewish Holocaust that you might enjoy: OTHER BOOKS ABOUT THE JEWISH HOLOCAUST (WORLD WAR II) PICTURE BOOKS—GRADES 3-5 Aga, Carmen. The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark. Hesse, Karen. The Cats In Krasinski Square . (Poland) Oppenheim, Shulamist. Lily Cupboard: A Story of the Holocaust CHAPTER BOOKS Hautzig, Esther Rudomin. The Endless Steppe. (Siberia, chapter) Kerr, Judith. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars (Denmark) chapter. Propp, Vera W. When the Soldiers Were Gone (Post WWII Holland) chapter. Radin, Ruth Y . Escape to the Forest: Based on a True Story of the Holocaust . (Poland). Sachs, Marilyn. A Pocket Full of Seeds (Holocaust) Shnur, Steven. The Shadow Children. Chapter. Yolen, Jane. The Devil's Arithmetic.
Chantrea Conway’s Story: A Voyage From Cambodia In 1975 By Pastore, Claire Chantrea Conway, also known as Mok Chantrea, the daughter of a Cambodian-born mother and an American photographer lives a modern-style life in Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. When Phnom Penh is “liberated” by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, Chantrea’s father is away from home on an assignment. Her mother hopes to hide Chantrea’s American identity from the Angka r by taking her to her grandparents’ home. She is killed shortly thereafter for having married a despised foreigner. When Phnom Penh is evacuated, the family is removed to an “education camp” in the country where they will be taught to farm and learn the political ideals of the new government. Food is scarce and the most minor infractions are punishable by death. Chantrea soon learns that it is a crime to speak a language other than Khmer or to have an education. Those who were educated are no t granted clemency as the Angkar claim, but instead executed in the “killing fields”. When an acquaintance reports the fact that she is part American, the entire family is slated for death. Now the family must escape and make the arduous walk to Thailand with only one hope left... Is Chantrea's American father still alive, and can he help them obtain American visas in order to reach safety? This story describes the perilous flight of the refugee, the conditions of the refugee camps, and a family’s journey to a new life in a foreign land. OTHER BOOKS ABOUT WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA (20 TH CENTURY) Garland, Sherri. The Lotus Seed. (Vietnam, picture) Ho, Minfong. The Clay Marble (Cambodia, chapter) Pevsner, Stella and Tang, Fay. Sing For Your Father, Su Phan. (Vietnam, chapter) Shea, Pegi Deitz . Tangled Threads: a Hmong Girl’s Story (Thailand, chapter).. Wartski, Maureen Crane. Boat to Nowhere. (SE Asia boat people) CAMBODIA TALES: A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS ABOUT CAMBODIA (NOT NECESSARILY ALL FOR CHILDREN) http://www.andybrouwer.co.uk/biblio.html
Kiss The Dust By Laird, Elizabeth Living in war-torn Iraq in the 1980s, 12-year old Tara is a member of the ethnic minority known as Kurds. While shopping after school, she and her friend Leila witness the murder of a teenage boy who is suspected of being involved with the pesh murgas , the Kurdish freedom fighters. Tara soon learns that her family is more deeply involved with the pesh murgas than she could ever have guessed. With the secret police at their doorsteps, the family decides to flee to the Zagros mountains. At first Tara feels safe in the mountains: after all, the village is protected by its sheer isolation. But she soon realizes that there is an undercurrent of fear throughout the village, and then fighter planes drop bombs on the pesh murga village. Seeking to escape the war, the family flees to Iran, where they live in a refugee camp until accommodations can be made for them elsewhere. The camps are dirty, vermin-infested, and there is little food. When her mother falls ill, Tara learns to cook, clean, and take on many responsibilities that she might never have considered in her old life back home in Sulaimaniya. This coming-of-age story helps children to learn about the atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein against his own people and one of the reasons that America is fighting in the Gulf. OTHER BOOKS ABOUT THE LATTER 20 TH CENTURY (AND OTHER MISC TOPICS) CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA Alvarez, Julia. Before We Were Free (Dominican Republic, ‘60s) Clark, Ann Nolan . Secret of the Andes. (Peru) chapter Danticat, Edwidge. Behind the Mountains. (Haiti, 2000) MIDDLE EAST D’Adamo, Francesco. Iqbal. (Pakistan) Ellis, Deborah. Mud City. (Pakistan) Staples, Suzanne. Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind . (Pakistan) AFRICA Gordon, Sheila. Middle of Somewhere: A story of South Africa . (Apartheid), chapter. Levitin, Sonya. The Return . (Ethiopian Jews) Naidoo, Beverly . The Other Side of Truth. (Nigeria, 1990s) OTHER George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves. (Eskimos, Arctic Circle) chapter Mooney, Bel. The Voices of Silence (Romania, late 1980s) Other reviews of this book: http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=46