... some titles that share similar subject matter
CAMERAWOMEN by Pat Joel from Book Links. Features overview, bibliography (biography, non-fiction, fiction—including RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME (HarperCollins, 2001)), discussion questions, activities, and Web connections.
NAMING MAYA by Uma Krishnaswami (Farrar, 2004). An Indian American girl, still haunted by her parents' divorce, goes with her mother to India to sell her grandfather's home.
PICTURES, 1918 by Jeanette Ingold (Harcourt, 1998). Asia, 15, grieves when someone burns down her family's chicken house, killing her pet rabbit. Her love of photography and new appreciation of loss leads her to buy a camera and use it to record those close to her. Meanwhile, she finds romance and discovers who burned down the chicken house. Set in World War I Texas.
Hm, I can't think of any. Make a suggestion!
CAROLINA AUTUMN by Carol Lynch Williams (Bantam, 2000). Clearly a study on how great minds think alike. Do read this book. It's a gem!
THE COLOR OF ABSENCE: 12 STORIES ABOUT LOSS AND HOPE edited by James Howe (Atheneum, 2001). My pick: "Summer of Love" by Annette Curtis Klause, especially wonderful for those of you who enjoyed THE SILVER KISS. Other contributors: Avi; C.B. Christiansen; James Howe; Angela Johnson; Norma Fox Mazer; Walter Dean Myers; Naomi Shihab Nye; Michael J. Rosen; Roderick Townley; Virginia Euwer Wolff; and Jacqueline Woodson with Chris Lynch (as co-authors).
SHIZUKO’S DAUGHTER by Kyoki Mori (Holt, 1993). When her mother commits suicide, Yuki struggles against her loneliness and their shared qualities that challenge cultural expectations.
LOCKED
INSIDE by Nancy Werlin (Delacorte, 2000). Marnie Skyedottir, 16,
sees an online game, Paliopolis, as an escape from her exclusive boarding
school and identity as a deceased icon's daughter. As the Sorceress Llewellyne,
her rival is the quick-thinking Elf. As Marnie her grades are tumbling and
interpersonal relations suffering. Then her attraction and uncertainty both
rise when Elf finds out personal information about Marnie's real life, but
when she is kidnapped by a psychotic, it's Elf who attempts rescue.
His failure leaves him with a gunshot wound and both of them in locked inside the basement of a dangerous and delusional captor. Smart, and romantic in a non-clichéd way. This is a must-read for suspense fans and a refreshing portrayal of the strengths of characters who may not fit the norm.
THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE by Louise Erdrich (Ojibway)
(Hyperion, 1999). Touching on the same era as the Little House Books
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, this first book in a planned triology is in some
ways Erdrich's answer to the imbalance in the way Native-white relations
have historically been portrayed in children's literature. Readers will
be engaged by appealing protagonist, Omakayas, educated by this glimpse
at Ojibway daily life, and perhaps inspired to look at history with an eye
to different points of view. Elegant writing. This novel was a finalist
for the 1999 National Book Award and a 2000 ALA Notable Book in Children's
Literature. Don’t miss the sequel, THE GAME OF SILENCE (HarperCollins, 2005).
DOVE DREAM by Hendle Rumbaut (Chickasaw) (Houghton Mifflin, 1994). In the summer of 1963, Eleanor "Dove" Derrysaw, age 13, is sent to live with her aunt in Kansas. Eleanor comes of age with her first romance, her first job, and a greater appreciation of her Chickasaw heritage while looking to her aunt's life for inspiration.
Books with Native American Indian Characters and Themes from CYALR. Features links related to Native themes in children's books and Native literature as well as links of special interest to teachers and librarians.
A
PLACE TO CALL HOME by Jackie French Koller (Atheneum,1995). "Raggedy
Anna" is the way Anna O’Dell thinks others see her. And Anna feels
ragged from watching out for Mama’s moods and taking care of her younger
sister and brother. But when Mama doesn’t come home, Anna fights to
watch out for her siblings and, along the way, finds out the story behind
Mama’s pain. An emotionally evocative book unafraid to address Anna’s
concerns about her African American and white heritage ' especially as they
relate to her caring for her siblings and her shifting vision of her parents.
IN THE SHADE OF THE NISPERO TREE by Carmen Bernier-Grand (Orchard, 1999). Teresa, 9, is caught between the mother who wants her to attend an exclusive school as a member of high society, and her father, who doesn't want her to become a snob. Because of her own lies, she runs from her old life, following her mother's wishes, and losing the friend who is dearest to her. This poignant novel, set in 1960s Puerto Rico, is at once the story of one very realized girl and an exploration of the complexity of class and ethnicity.
TAE'S SONATA by Haemi Balgassi (Clarion, 1997). Tae has to sort out her feelings when she is assigned to do a school report on South Korea with a popular guy. An interracial romance and a sweet look at Korean-American family life that also deals with what it's like to feel spotlighted for your race.
Bibliography of Books Related to Mixed-Race Identity (including children's books) by the Association of MultiEthnic Americans. Features books not currently listed on this page.
Children's and Young Adult Books with Interracial Family Themes from CYALR.
Children's Books About Or Set In Kansas from Ravenstone Press: STORIES OF KANSAS AND THE GREAT PLAINES.
One of my all-time favorite picture books is OLD THUNDER AND MISS RANEY by Sharon Darrow (DK Ink, 2000). Sharon and I have decided that Rain Berghoff and Raney Cloud must be cousins!
