KIRA KIRA

Kira Kira is a Newbery Medal winning book that is told by the point of view of a Japanese-American girl who has emigrated to the United States with her family. She is having hard time adapting to her new environment and compare to her sister, Kira-Kira, is struggling in her school work. Things turn to worse when her sister gets sick and it becomes obvious that her living days are numbered. This affects her in ways that become very hard not only on her but also on the whole family. In addition, her father is also having hard time making a living. She tells her self that no matter what has happened in her life, she still needs to view the world as a glittering, shiny place, which the name Kira-Kira means. This gives her strength and courage. Kira-Kira is by Cynthia Kadohata and will be one of the most memorable books that you will read.

Grades 5th and up.

DANCING THROUGH THE SNOW

For a moment, try to imagine that you have nothing, and I mean literally nothing, no real name, no birth certificate, no mother or father and not even sweet memories to keep you going. What would you do? Would you hide in your face or try to make sense of the unknown and the injustice? DANCING THROUGH the SNOW by JEAN LITTLE is the ultimate story of Min (not her real name) that will touch your heart and give you the strength to dance through the snow, physically and metaphorically speaking.

For grades 5 and older.

ARAM'S CHOICE

Aram says goodbye to his only surviving family member and embarks on a long journey from Greece to Canada. He had survived the Armenian Genocide but was orphaned and lived with an older grandmother who though it would not be a wise choice for him to stay in the old county. With a group of orphan boys, he is shipped to Canada, without knowing a word of English. On his journey, he constantly thinks of his grandmother, but he knows that he will be better off in a new country, where in his opinion, trees are covered in gold. Upon his arrival, he feels a deep nostalgia for his grandmother but unfortunately there is nothing he can do except to feel her and hope to see her in his dreams. ARAM'S CHOICE by MARSHA FORCHUK SKRYPUCH.

For grades 4th and older.

WINDS OF DESTINY

Anybody who has immigrated to this country or has family members who are immigrants will find great escape in reading this book, and those who never had to deal with immigration will find great appreciation and empathy towards it.

WINDS OF DESTINY by SERPOOHI CHRISTINE JAFFERIAN is an incredible story of human survival and adaptability. At times maybe this topic might sound cliche of some sort, but in life one must have the ability to cope and adapt in order to survive. Serpoohi who is the protagonist in the story takes everything that life bring in stride. With ease, she assimilates with different cultures without abandoning her roots.

It's not always easy to be a good person, to say the right things and to do the right things, however after reading this book, one can at least see the many possibilites...

For grades 5th and older.

ALONE ON A DESERTED ISLAND

Her tribe has had to move away from their island home to a new one across the sea. Karana who was busy getting things ready for the journey boarded the boat but soon realized that her brother Ramo has been left behind. She begged the captain to wait for him but when the boat had to leave to miss an approaching storm, Karana jumped off the ship and swam ashore to join him. Thus begins her 18 year long stay on the island and the story of what she does to survive on this deserted island.

Based on a true story of a woman who had been marooned on San Nicolas Island off the coast of California, The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell won the Newbery Award for excellence in children's literature in 1961. He also wrote a sequel, Zia.

For grades 4 and older. This title was a Snacktime Reader's selection for May, 2008.