Number the Stars by Lois Lowrey

ISBN-10: 0440227534
pages: 136
published: February 9, 1998

Amazon.com Review

The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population and police arranged a small flotilla to herd 7,000 Jews to Sweden. Lois Lowry fictionalizes a true-story account to bring this courageous tale to life. She brings the experience to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Annemarie Johannesen, whose family harbors her best friend, Ellen Rosen, on the eve of the round-up and helps smuggles Ellen's family out of the country. Number the Stars won the 1990 Newbery Medal. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

How I would use it in the classroom 
This is a great book to show bravery and friendship. It would also be great to reveal the Holocaust, and speak of its social significance. The story is very profound and bound to hit home with some students.

Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

ISBN-10: 1416939199
Published: 1985
192 pages

Dogsong is a coming of age story about a boy name Russell, caught between boyhood and manhood. He seeks something greater in the world, and finds his roots through traversing nature. On his travels towards the north-est ocean, Russell encounters many adventures. In the end, the story shows that every person has their own way of life, and satisfaction comes from fulfilling this.


"Unusual and moving...a remarkable book." -- School Library Journal, starred review



From Amazon product review:
Something is bothering Russel Susskit. He hates waking up to the sound of his father's coughing, the smell of diesel oil, the noise of snow machines starting up.
Only Oogruk, the shaman who owns the last team of dogs in the village, understands Russel's longing for the old ways and the songs that celebrated them. But Oogruk cannot give Russel the answers he seeks; the old man can only prepare him for what he must do alone. Driven by a strange, powerful dream of a long-ago self and by a burning desire to find his own song, Russel takes Oogruk's dogs on an epic journey of self-discovery that will change his life forever.

A Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Notable Book

A School Library Journal Best Book

How I would use it in the classroom

This book would be great to reference in a theme or unit dealing in diversity and following what your heart tells you. It would be a great winter book!

When You Reach Me

ISBN: 0385737424

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Published: July 14, 2009

This book won the Newberry Medal in 2010. It is a great read about a young girl in the middle of multiple conflicts. She has trouble with friendships, parental guidance, and a secret admirer. The admirer seems to know more about her than he should. He can predict the actions that will play out in the future. The book deals with time travel, mystery, love, action, and growing up. 

A review from borders.com 

Children's Literature Review: Charmingly eccentric and impossible to categorize, this middle grade novel pays homage to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time while employing many of that book's elements as it crisscrosses the boundaries between reality and fantasy, time travel and mystery. Three distinct storylines give the novel momentum: Miranda's mother's forthcoming contestant role on "The $20,000 Pyramid" game show, Miranda's friend Sal being punched by the erudite yet seemingly socially inept Marcus, and the homeless man whom Miranda and her friends dub "the laughing man." A host of secondary characters play significant roles as well. Stead completely nails both the endearing optimism of her pre-teen characters and their earnest attempts to make meaning of the world while achieving the perfect V-cut. The game show subplot is reflected in the book's chapter headings (e.g., "The Winner's Circle," "Things That Fall Apart," "Things You Realize"). The author plays with the construct of time throughout the novel, using letters that foretell the future, manipulating tense, and framing the entire novel as a second-person narrative in which Miranda is addressing the writer of the letters. If the text feels packed, it is--and nothing is wasted. The movement between the ordinary and the fantastic creates a kind of magical realism, in which the extraordinary is every bit as acceptable as the everyday. Amusing, bemusing and occasionally plain puzzling, this book works its way to a deliciously twisty ending. It is an interesting, multi-layered book that can be read and interpreted at many levels.

How I would use it

I love Sci Fi, and this would apply. It would interest students by being very relatable to their age group. The characters are very much middle-school personalities. It has suspense and mystery, and would be engaging and a great book for students to practice prediction.