This book list highlights true stories that will blow your mind. Written in interesting formats (Graphic novels! Audiobooks! First-person narration!) and full of wild true stories, you will not want to put down these books until the last page is read.
EL DEAFO | CECE BELL
“I was a regular little kid. I played with my mom’s stuff. I watched TV with my big brother, Ashley, and my big sister, Sarah. I rode on the back of my father’s bicycle. I found caterpillars with my friend Emma. And I sang. But then everything changed.”
SUMMARY:
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom but anywhere her teacher is in the school—in the hallway . . . in the teacher’s lounge . . . in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different . . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?
Format: Graphic Novel
Genre: Memoir & Biography
Recommended Age: 8+
Reading Level: Accessible to most readers
Choice Books for All Note: We loved this graphic novel and think everyone should read it! The drawings are beautiful and the story pulls at your heartstrings.
REVIEWS:
PURCHASE:
Remember! Your local library should have all of the books in physical or ebook format for free!
IT'S TREVOR NOAH: BORN A CRIME | TREVOR NOAH
“I was nine years old when my mom threw me out of a moving car.”
SUMMARY:
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, shares his remarkable story of growing up in South Africa with a black South African mother and a white European father at a time when it was against the law for a mixed-race child to exist. But he did exist–and from the beginning, the often-misbehaved Trevor used his keen smarts and humor to navigate a harsh life under a racist government.
In a country where racism barred blacks from social, educational, and economic opportunity, Trevor surmounted staggering obstacles and created a promising future for himself thanks to his mom’s unwavering love and indomitable will.
Format: Audiobook and Chapter Book
Genre: Children’s Memoir & Biography
Recommended Age: 13+
Reading Level: A bit of a challenge for some students (Lexile: 780)
Choice Books for All Note: We highly recommend the audiobook for this book! Trevor Noah is polylingual and an excellent narrator.
REVIEWS:
PURCHASE:
Remember! Your local library should have all of the books in physical or ebook format for free!
PERSEPOLIS | MARJANE SATRAPI
"In 1979, a revolution took place. It was later called 'The Islamic Revolution.' Then came 1980: the year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school. We didn't really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn't understand why we had to."
SUMMARY:
FROM THE PUBLISHER: In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.
Format: Graphic Novel
Genre: Adult Memoir & Biography
Recommended Age: 15+
Reading Level: Mature content but accessible to most students (Lexile: 380)
Choice Books for All Note: This graphic novel deals with heavy issues that remain highly relevant to today’s current events and news cycles.
REVIEWS:
Link to Penguin Random House
PURCHASE:
Remember! Your local library should have all of the books in physical or ebook format for free!
CLASSICS CORNER -- NIGHT BY ELIE WIESEL
CONNECTION:
El Deafo, It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime, and Persepolis capture true stories in engaging formats and storytelling styles from around the world. If you enjoyed any of these books, then you will love Night by Elie Wiesel. It is a haunting true story of a man recounting his experience surviving the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War Two.
TEACHING TOOLS:
Listen - Super Soul Conversations -- Elie Wiesel: Living with an Open Heart (episode)
Watch - Opera’s Interview -- Auschwitz with Nobel Laureate and Holocaust Survivor Elie Wiesel
Read - Fish Tank Learning’s lesson plan is thoughtful and well done.
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