Since my debut middle grade novel, Dragon Wishes,
is multicultural, I have had the great opportunity to speak at various
librarians' conferences across the U.S. about the story and its
multicultural layers. Recently, for the Texas Library Association
Conference, the authors on the panel and I created a multicultural book
picks list. Below is a link to download that file and share. I have
added the books below to my own list and will continue to enlarge over
the upcoming months. Suggestions welcome!!
Cultural Diversity Presentation
Multicultural Book Picks
Picture Books
 Hannah is My Name
Belle Yang
(Candlewick 2004)
It�s a long way from Taiwan to San Francisco, but Hannah�s family has
made the journey because they want to make America their home. Hannah
takes a new name, starts a new school, learns a new language, and
adjusts to a new way of life, as they all wait � and hope � for the
arrival of the green cards that will assure they are finally home to
stay. (Ages 4 to 8)
 Grandfather's Journey
Allen Say
(Houghton Mifflin 1993)
Home becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation,
pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both
the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they
do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I
am in one country, I am homesick for the other." 1994 Caldecott Medal.
(Ages 4 to 8)
 Sam and the Lucky Money
Karen Chinn
(Lee & Low 1997)
It's Chinese New Year in Chinatown, and young Sam has four dollars of
New Year money burning a hole in his pocket. As he and his mother are
milling through the crowded streets, Sam sees a homeless man who is
buried in a pile of red paper. He starts to think of his "lucky money"
in a new light. Voted "Pick of the Lists" by American Booksellers.
(Ages 4 to 8)
 More More More, Said the Baby
Vera B.Williams
(HarperCollins, 1997)
Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving attention by a father, grandmother and mother.
 Enough
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
(Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2000)
This picture book tells the story of the 1930s famine in Ukraine. It
uses the elements of folklore to deal positively with the conflict
between good and evil. Authentic detail is depicted in illustrations.
(Ages 4 � 8)
A Crazy Mixed-Up Spanglish Day
Marisa Montes and Joe Cepeda
(Scholastic 2003)
This slim tale introduces Maritza Gabriela Morales Mercado, a
third-grader who speaks Spanish at home and English at school. "At
home, I'm Gabi. At school, I'm Maritza Morales."
A Brave Spaceboy
Dana K. Smith
(Hyperion, 2004)
A romping tale that celebrates the power of imagination. After arriving
at their destination on moving day, a boy and his younger sibling turn
an empty box into a rocket ship and pretend to blast off.
Middle Grade:
A Single Shard
Linda Sue Parks
(Clarion 2001)
Linda Sue Park's 2002 Newbery Award-winning story is about Tree-ear, a
12th century Korean orphan who finds his future through his intuitive
interest in the potter's trade. Many of the issues transcend centuries
and cultures: What is home? Can one own a creative idea? How much of an
art object must be seen in order to judge its quality?
(Grades 3 to 5)
 Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Lisa Yee
(Scholastic 2006)
Millie, an 11-year-old with a genius IQ, is taking a college poetry
class and waiting for her high school senior year. Because she never
hesitates to show how much she knows about a particular subject, her
peers tend to stay away. While some readers will have trouble
identifying with Millie, a universal truth conveyed is that honesty and
acceptance of oneself and of others requires a maturity measured not by
IQ but by generosity of spirit.
(Grades 5 to 8)
Dragon Wishes
Stacy A. Nyikos
(Blooming Tree Press 2008)
Eleven-year-old Alex is seaching. So is Shin Wa. They both need to find
a path out of the darkness that surrounds them. The key lies in a
single pearl. Can Alex and Shin Wa unleash its meaning?
(Grades 3 to 5)
Make Lemonade
Virginia Euwer Wolff
(Henry Holt, 2006)
LaVaughn needed a part-time job. What she got was a baby-sitting gig
with Jolly, an unwed teen mother. With two kids hanging in the balance,
they need to make the best out of life -- and they can only do it
for themselves and each other.
(Ages 11 to 14)
 Mister and Me
Kimberly Willis Holt
(Penguin, 2000)
Jolene's family was just Momma and Grandpa until big, loud Leroy
Redfield started taking Momma dancing. Jolene refuses to call him
anything but "Mister." Without a name, he isn't a real person to her.
But then Jolene learns that Mister wants to marry Momma. Is there
anything Jolene can do to make him go away?
(Ages 7 to 10)
Some Birds Stay
Beverly Patt
(Blooming Tree Press 2009)
With his Christmas wish for an ATV dashed, Rudy Morris isn't sure how
he fits into his family anymore. Latonya Dennis just wants a family to
fit into. Their paths cross on Christmas Day. As family secrets unravel
and friendships are tested, Rudy risks losing more than the dream of
his own wheels. Will the people Rudy cares about most tough it out like
cardinals in a bleak Illinois winter or will they fly away and leave
him alone in the cold?
(Ages 11 � 13)
Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook
Beverly Patt
(Marshall Cavendish, Fall 2009)
A fictional scrapbook that captures the friendship between two girls
during the Second World War � one at home in Seattle, the other at Camp
Harmony, a Japanese Internment Camp in western Washington.
(Ages 10 and
up)
Days of Terror
by Barbara Smucker
(Puffin, Canada, 1981)
This middle grade novel tells the story of 10 year old Peter Neufeld in
Russia during the early years after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. His
family struggles to reach the safety of North America.
(Ages 8 - 12)
 The Kulak's Daughter
Gabrielle Goldstone
(Blooming Tree Press, May 2009)
This middle grade novel follows 11 year old Olga as her family farm is
collectivized under the Stalin regime in the former Soviet Union and
she's sent to exile in Siberia. The book is based on the author�s own
mother�s childhood. (Ages 8 - 12)
Becoming Naomi Leon
Pam Munoz Ryan
(Scholastic 2004)
Naomi's tale is one of becoming, of finding one's heritage, of
discovering one's true talent while overcoming the odds of abandonment,
anxiety, and disappointment. This is also a story of strength, devotion
and the search for family
(Ages 10 - 13)
Into The Mirror
Linda Joy Singleton
(Blooming Tree Press 2009)
Twelve years ago Sky's mother, a Mexican immigrant, died after crossing
the border and giving birth. Sky knows nothing of her real family and
fills this void by telling stories and drawing pictures of a magical
island. When she discovers a painting of the same island at an art
show, Sky begins a journey that leads her to a mysterious mountain
community of scholars, a sinister pyramid, and amazing secrets that
reach deep into her hidden past.
(Ages 8 � 12)
Young Adult
China's Son - Growing up in the Cultural Revolution
Da Chen
(Delacorte 2003)
Da Chen's engrossing memoir, adapted for younger readers from his book
Colors of the Mountain, paints a colorful, painful, sometimes humorous
picture of life during the 1960s and '70s, when formerly privileged
Chinese families were at the mercy of Chairman Mao and his ruthless Red
Guard soldiers.
(Ages 12 and older)
 Monster
Walter Dean Meyers
(HarperCollins 2001)
In a riveting novel from Myers, a teenager who dreams of being a
filmmaker writes the story of his trial for felony murder in the form
of a movie script, with journal entries after each day's action.
(Ages
14 to adult)
 Kobzar's Children - A Century of Ukranian Stories
edited by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
(Fitzhenry & Whiteside 2006)
This anthology of Ukrainian stories includes memoirs, short fiction and
poems about a repressed time of history in the former Soviet Union.
(Ages 14 & older)
Desert Blood
Alicia Gaspar de Alba
(Arte Publico Press 2005)
Fourteen-year-old orphan Gus Gonzales isn't sure why the young,
handsome television star Nick Hernandez adopted him. Despite rumors in
the tabloids, there's nothing unsavory about their relationship: Nick
is a firm but fair father. The mystery and action heat up after someone
breaks into their house, followed by the kidnapping of Gus' friend and
the death of a high-school bully. In an attempt to rescue his friend,
Gus puts his own life in danger, which ultimately exposes the secrets
at the heart of his adoption.
(Ages 14 & up)
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