Theme: Fear

The Castaways

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Tom Tin and his four convict companions are only too glad when they come upon a deserted ship. The boys clamber aboard, not knowing whether they’ve been saved or set on a course toward doom. But after rescuing two men stranded on a melting iceberg, Tom begins to suspect that these unsavory sailors are dangerous [...]

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

Hurricane!

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

One moment the sun is shining on the slopes of El Yunque, the largest mountain in eastern Puerto Rico. The next, everything has changed. The sky has turned deep purple, and you feel as if the air has been sucked from your lungs. That can mean only one thing: A hurricane is coming!

Descriptors: Caribbean, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Puerto Rico, Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Composition

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

In a village in Chile, Pedro and Daniel are two typical nine-year-old boys. Up until Daniel’s father gets arrested, their biggest worry had been how to improve their soccer skills. Now, they are thrust into a situation where they must grapple with the incomprehensible: dictatorship and its inherent abuses. This sensitively realized story touches a [...]

Descriptors: Chile, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Latin America, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Alert!

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Tobias is a very special mole. He collects shiny round pebbles and hides them down in his burrow where they’re safe . When a friend warns him about robbers on the prowl, Tobias begins to worry. Frantically, Tobias moves his stones from one place to another until he discovers, too late, that he has been [...]

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

Disguised: A Wartime Memoir

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Here is the true story of a girl who posed as a boy during World War II — and dared to speak up for her fellow prisoners of war.With the Japanese army poised to invade their Indonesian island in 1942, Rita la Fontaine’s family knew that they and the other Dutch and Dutch-Indonesian residents would [...]

Descriptors: Biography, Indonesia, Japan, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is [...]

Descriptors: Biography, Israel, Palestine, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » 2 Comments

Ziba Came on a Boat

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: July 2, 2007

Ziba came on a boat. Sitting in the crowded hull, with her mother’s arms around her, Ziba remembers all that she has left behind. They hope to find peace and safety in a new land, but where will their journey end.

Descriptors: Afghanistan, Asia, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , » Comments closed

Sam Is Never Scared

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: June 29, 2007

Sam feels fearless compared to Max who is afraid of climbing trees and watching scary movies, until Sam learns that everyone is afraid of something.

Descriptors: Early Years (ages 2-6), Europe, Fantasy, Netherlands, Picture Book » Tagged » Comments closed

Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: June 20, 2007

When Marie brings the moon into her bedroom, it scares away the monsters who have tormented her but also causes problems which only the village cats can help solve.

Descriptors: Europe, France, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , » Comments closed

Songs Of Papa’s Island

By Kathy G. Short | Published: March 14, 2007

A mother tells her daughter a series of stories about life on Guam before the daughter was born and when she was a baby.

Descriptors: Fiction, Guam, Oceania, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: » Comments closed