Bitter Melon - Cara Chow

Bitter Melon by Cara Chow follows the story of Frances, an Asian-American teenager and only child. Frances’s mother is extremely demanding and often abusive towards Frances in her ambitions for Frances to attend UC Berkley and become a doctor. The strict demands of Frances’s mother are at odds with Frances’s desire to pursue her talents in debate and public speaking, as well as to date boys and make friends at school.

The extremely demanding manner in which Frances’s mother raises her daughter is a common issue in many newly immigrated families. Parents often work extremely hard to give their children a chance at success, however, this places a great deal of pressure and stress on the children in these families. Frances is often torn between the harsh disappointment of her mother and her desire to pursue her own dreams and desires.

The issues prevalent in Bitter Melon would resonate in many students going through adolescence. This story teaches young readers how to deal with the pressures of oncoming adulthood and responsibility, a pressure which is prevalent in the lives of modern adolescents. There are scenes of violence between Frances and her mother, but there is nothing that could not be handled by a seventh or eighth grade classroom. The story is written in a clear and concise manner, allowing it to be a great read for students of a variety of reading levels.

Kira-Kira

Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata

This novel is written by Cynthia Kadohata, who is a Japanese-American author from Chicago, Illinois.  In this novel, the reader tags along in the journey of Katie Takeshima and her family as they battle adversity to achieve their American Dream.  The story begins with the family living within a Japanese community in Iowa, where her father works at a grocery store.  The family then moves into the depths of the Deep South, where both of Katie’s parents work at a chicken factory in Georgia.  This move shocks Katie, as she struggles to understand what she considers an entirely new language and culture.  Katie, as many young sisters do, worships her older sister Lynn, who is extremely wise and motherly while Katie’s mom works late hours at the factory.  Since the Takeshima’s aspire to one day own their own home, both of the parents work arduous hours at the factory to save some money.  

All the while the younger brother Sam suffers a serious injury when he gets stuck in an animal trap and Lynn comes down with an illness.  All in an instant Katie’s optimistic outlook on life is being turned upside-down, and it becomes harder and harder for her to remember Lynn’s message about kira-kira (glitter).  This is a great novel to use for lit. circles in a middle school environment that brings forth the message of perseverance and undying optimism.  While reading the novel, I thought that this novel could be great to use for a creative character project, and also an abstract American Dream from a multicultural standpoint.

Learning to Swim - Ann Turner

Learning to Swim by Ann Turner is a short yet powerful collection of poems which details a troubling summer in the childhood of the author. The poems collectively tell the true story of Turner’s experience with abuse as a young child. On a summer vacation with her family, Annie becomes a victim of sexual abuse by Kevin, an older boy in town. The story focuses on Annie’s issues with trust following the incident, and her slow coming to terms with herself and the people around her.

This collection of poems could be a valuable tool for teaching young students for a variety of reasons. First, the use of poetic techniques implemented in the text could be a great way of teaching and modeling poetic forms. The use of imagery and metaphor throughout the poems could also be a good introduction to such poetic elements. Also, the subject matter itself, primarily the message of healing, could be a powerful experience for students who are either undergoing similar struggles or need awareness of the issue of abuse.

Although there are a few graphic scenes in the text, there is nothing which I would deem inappropriate for seventh or eighth grade classrooms. The issues dealt with in the text are important to relate to all students, and the message of healing can be powerful for students who are going through a troubling time in their lives. The poems are written in plain diction, and the book itself does not take very long to read, making it ideal for readers of many different levels.

Tangerine

Tangerine, Edward Bloor, Harcourt Inc., 1997.

Tangerine tells the story of Paul Fisher, a middle school student living in Tangerine, Florida. Paul faces many struggles in his life: he is legally blinded from supposedly staring directly into a solar eclipse, he lives in the shadow of his football star of an older brother, and his father shows little interest in him. After joining the school soccer team, Paul is finally able to fit in and his newfound identity and confidence allow him to face his fears and uncover hidden truths.

            This novel includes many relatable themes for middle school kids. Paul is constantly struggling to form his own identity and do the right thing inside and outside of school-something many students struggle with every day. It could also be interesting to explore the class distinctions visible throughout the novel, as the two rival schools exist on opposite sides of town and the socio economic ladder. Another point of discussion could be the decision-making process and consequences of certain decisions. Paul learns the truth about his blindness and how his parents covered it up for the benefit of those involved (though it actually causes more harm than good). It would be interesting to talk about whether the students thought the parents did the right thing or should have been honest from the start.

            I think this novel would be good to teach in a middle school. The story has a lot of sports, which will appeal to girls and boys. The language is not too difficult and the story is about 300 pages.

Hiroshima by Laurence Yep

Hiroshima, Laurence Yep, Scholastic Inc., 1995

Hiroshima is a fifty-page novella that explains the events of the bombing of Hiroshima very simply.  Sachi is a twelve-year-old Japanese girl who is severely burned in the attacks.  She loses both her father and her older sister in the bombing and she is left horribly disfigured.  Later, Sachi is taken to the United States for free reconstructive surgery. 

While the novella follows the story of Sachi, it also describes the events of the bombing in a way that is very understandable for young readers.  Yep describes how atom bombs work and what the effects of radiation are.  The book doesn't bash Americans, but it does show the events as truly horrible.  Yep talks about the pain that the Japanese faced and also the guilt that the American bombers felt.  The novella makes it clear that the bombing of Hiroshima was a lose-lose situation.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom.  It's only fifty pages and very easy to understand.  I think this book would work well in literature circles because there are a lot of important themes and vocabulary words.  This book does a great job of explaining the events of Hiroshima without taking a side.  The book simply tries to make readers aware of how terrible atom bombs are.

Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper, Atheneum Books, 2010.

Out of My Mind follows the life of Melody, an eleven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Though she has little control of her body and cannot speak, Melody can think and comprehend just as much, if not more, than her classmates. Unfortunately, nobody, except her parents, believes there is anything going on inside her mind. She spends each day trapped in a classroom for students with special needs, relearning the alphabet and engaging in other mindlessly boring activities. When the school finally begins an inclusion program, Melody is subjected to cruel comments from other students and desperately wants to fit in. Melody is trapped in a prison of her mind until a computer is finally able to give her a voice and allow her to speak.

This book should be taught at the middle school level because it highlights issues surrounding students with special needs. Through Melody’s narrative, students are able to see that though she has a physical disability, Melody is just an average and relatable adolescent girl-with emotions and feelings that can be hurt. Kids often perpetuate the stigma involving students with special needs and I think this novel does a good job of bringing up the problem and attempting to dispel the stigmatization. The “typical” students that go to school with Melody play a large role in the novel as well. These students are merciless and subject Melody to cruel jokes and an incredibly heartbreaking moment towards the end of the novel. The actions of Melody’s classmates can bring up good discussion about how to interact with and treat students who may be a little different.

I really enjoyed this book and think it is teachable at any middle grade level. Though the book is lengthy (320 pages), it is an easy read and the issues brought up are definitely worth discussion.

Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine, Kashmira Sheth, Hyperion Books, 2006

In Blue Jasmine, Seema Trivedi is a young girl living in Gujarat, India, at least until her father gets a new job in America and the family has to move.  Seema, her little sister Mela, and their mother board a plane to the United States, leaving behind their village, their language, their celebrations and their relatives.  Seema in particular misses her cousin Raju, her best friend and the person she cares about most in the world.  Seema is shy and lost at first in her new school in Iowa City.  Class struggles become evident as Seema slowly grows close with Mukta, a girl growing up in extreme poverty.   Though the two sat side-by-side in school in India, they don’t really become friends until Seema leaves.  Seema begins to understand Mukta’s struggles when she has to face her own challenges with fitting in America.  Eventually Seema makes friends in Iowa, improves her English, and starts to feel comfortable with her new life.  Upon traveling back to India to visit her sick grandmother, Seema feels torn between cultures, between continents, but upon returning to Iowa, she realizes that she is lucky to have two homes.  

This novel is definitely appropriate for a middle-school-aged audience, though it would perhaps work best for a 6^th grade level.  It deals with themes of family, friendship, school, immigration, and culture.  Seema’s experiences, including a quest for acceptance in her home and school community, learning to handle bullies in school, missing loved ones, and celebrating her identity, are ones that most adolescents will be able to identify with, regardless of whether they’ve ever immigrated to a new country or not.  Sheth intersperses many words in Gujarati throughout the novel, but there is a glossary in the back to help readers along and most of the phrases are fairly self-explanatory given the context.  This might also present a valuable teaching opportunity if there any students who speak Gujarati in the class.  This novel would work well for individual reading as well as DRTA or Lit Circles in class.