Theme: abandonment

Hansel and Gretel

By Book Importer | Published: February 22, 2010

A richly illustrated version of a classic fairy tale is set on the remote North Atlantic coast of Canada and casts Hansel and Gretel as the children of a destitute fisherman and his  wife.

Descriptors: Europe, Folklore, Germany, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Hansel and Gretel

By Book Importer | Published: October 1, 2009

Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora gives readers a stunning new interpretation of this classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, setting the infamous witch’s cottage deep in a lush African forest. Hansel and Gretel’s plight feels all the more threatening as they’re plunged into the thick, dark jungle of Isadora’s rich collages.

Descriptors: Africa, Folklore, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

Asphalt Angels

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

A raw, poignant story of a band of Brazilian street kids who survive — if they can — by their wits alone. Asphalt Angels centers around a boy named Alex, a street child of 13 in Brazil who has been kicked onto the city streets by his stepfather after his mother dies. He is alone [...]

Descriptors: Brazil, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

Found

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

In a deserted countryside of the future, Ren, a young girl whose mother has abandoned her, and three other children discover a baby whom they name Found, and they join together to fight for survival.

Descriptors: England (UK), Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Scarlet Stockings

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

As an infant, Daphne was abandoned on the doorstep of an all-girls school. Now, at thirteen, she longs to discover the truth about her past and to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a prima ballerina. When a book containing a tantalizing riddle and a magical pair of stockings arrive, her dreams of glory and [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Fantasy, France, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Brave Story

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Young Wataru Mitani’s life is a mess. His father has abandoned him and his mother has been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Desperately he searches for some way to change his life—a way to alter his fate.   To achieve his goal, he must navigate the magical world of Vision, a land filled with creatures [...]

Descriptors: Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Japan » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Rits

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

When his father runs off with his girlfriend and his distraught mother is admitted to an institution, thirteen-year-old Rits goes to live with his uncle and tries to make the best of his unusual circumstances.

Descriptors: Netherlands, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

A Bridge to the Stars

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

12-year-old Joel lives with his father in the cold northern part of Sweden. At night he often sneaks out of the house to look for a lonely dog he has seen from his window. On the bridge across the icy river he starts a secret society and has adventures. But one night he discovers that [...]

Descriptors: Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction, Sweden » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Porcupine

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

War-torn Afghanistan could not seem farther from Newfoundland, but it is about to change twelve-year-old tomboy Jack Cooper (or Jacqueline, as her mother insists on calling her) forever. When her father is killed in the war, she watches helplessly as her mother crumbles under sorrow and depression. Jack and her younger sister and brother, Tessa [...]

Descriptors: Afghanistan, Canada, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Wilderness

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

A novel of mothers lost and found. Grainne’s Mom disappeared years ago when her parents were divorced, and Mom moved to the U.S. Now, bafflingly, she’s reappeared and wants to meet. What could she be up to? To get out of the way of this mysterious reunion, Grainne’s half-brothers, Johnny and Tom, go with their [...]

Descriptors: Finland, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Ireland, Realistic Fiction, United States of America » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment