As I have mentioned in a couple of recent posts, I am giving booktalks in January to 6th graders on World War II in Europe. I have lists of books used in the past by my predecessors and I am planning on including many of them, but I am interested in some different titles to shake things up a bit. Also, I am horrible, absolutely horrible with knowing reading levels and appropriateness for ages/grades. I consider this one of my biggest failings as a librarian. I really wish they had offered some sort of development course in library school that would have addressed this. Anyway, the point is I could use any help anyone has to offer. I am going to list the ones I am currently looking into using. Weigh in on them — yay or nay on whether I should use them. Any good ones I’m missing — specifically non-fiction titles, that’s my current weak point. Anything else you may find important. Help me narrow my list down to a manageable amount of reading and booktalk writing for the next month.
Here are the titles I’m looking at so far (I’m certainly not going to use them all, only probably 8 or so):
- The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson (almost finished reading this one)
- Marika by Andrea Cheng (local author)
- Throw your feet over your shoulders : beyond the Kindertransport by
- In defiance of Hitler : the secret mission of Varian Fry by
- Hitler Youth : growing up in Hitler’s shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
- Lost in America by Marilyn Sachs (probably too American focused for this project…not sure)
- Elephant Run by Roland Smith (Burma, not Europe, and may too old?)
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
- Emil and Karl by Jacob Glatstein (way American/Englishized version of the author’s name)
- The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo
- Yellow Star by Jennifer Rozines Roy
Wow, that’s a lot more than I realize. Thank you in advance for any help you may give!
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You should check out London Calling by Edward Bloor its very good. It deals with WWII prior to the U.S entering the war. Its reluctant reader friendly.
| December 9, 2008 @ 10:26 pm
Number the stars is a great one for 6th grade.
Also there is this book called we remember… the holocaust
ohhhhh and the upstairs room.
I was practically obsessed with the holocaust in 5th and 6th grade. These are some lucky 6th graders cause we never got to learn a think about it back then.
| December 10, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
The Diary of Anne Frank for non fiction and Summer of My German Soldier for fiction most def.
| December 15, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
“Throw Your Feet Over Your Shoulders” has been getting great reviews. Also, I think the letters from the author when she is a little girl make the story very real & will allow young readers to relate.
Full disclosure: I am a publicist working on this title.
Stuart Schnee
| December 28, 2008 @ 5:25 am
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.
| January 1, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
I just wanted to say a belated THANK YOU to everyone who commented with suggestions. Book talks went great and I will be calling upon you to help with my next topic…Vietnam! Oh boy!
| January 26, 2009 @ 11:25 pm