Theme: power

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

The Waorani: People of the Ecuadoran Rain Forest (Global Villages)

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Describes the culture and plight of the Waorani, an indigenous tribe of the Ecuadoran rain forest whose environment and way of life are threatened by the encroachment of the industrial world.

Descriptors: Ecudor, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Latin America, Nonfiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Tales Of The Monkey King

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

The first night I went to work at the shelter, the attendant said, “You know they will not rest.”I stood in the doorway of the dormitory crowded with children. In the dark, the nightmares would come, but rest would not.Empowering Mexico’s vulnerable street children is no easy task when the dangers they face are real [...]

Descriptors: Folklore, Mexico, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , » 2 Comments

The Disappeared

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

A riveting tale about love and sacrifice by a National Book Award winner. The Disappeared. Los desaparecidos. This is the name given to those who opposed Argentina’s dictatorial government and were kidnapped to ensure their silence. With her hometown of Buenos Aires ensconsced in the political nightmare, Silvia devises a plan to save her missing [...]

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

Journey for Peace: The Story of Rigoberta Menchu (Rainbow Biography)

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

The winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, Rigoberta Menchuis a poor, uneducated Mayan woman who has helped her native people fight oppression in Guatemala and who has told the world about their suffering. Part of the Rainbow Biography series, the account is quiet, but it tells of violence and poverty and amazing courage. Beginning [...]

Descriptors: Guatemala, Latin America, Nonfiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Teenage Refugees from Nicaragua Speak Out (In Their Own Voices)

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

This book begin with historical overview of Nicaragua, including the reasons for recent political unrest. The first-person narratives of young refugees follow. All of the teens tell why they left their native countries, how they made their journeys, their experiences and difficulties in North America, and if they plan to return to their homelands. The [...]

Descriptors: Latin America, Nonfiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Child of Dandelions

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

The river of jubilant people alarmed Sabine as they bobbed along Allidina Visram Street in Kampala….The dark faces drew closer. Women in bright gomesi and headscarves danced, and bare-chested men punched their fists into the air, chanting, “Muhindi, nenda nyumbani! Indian go home.”Sabine felt she was drowning in their cries.In August 1972, President Idi Amin [...]

Descriptors: Africa, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Uganda, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , » 1 Comment

Tiny Tyrant

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Portocristo has clear skies, sandy beaches, bustling streets–and a spoiled rotten, six-year-old king. The little despot is grouchy, whiny, outrageous…everything you’d hate to find in a boy on a throne.  But here in Portocristo, anything he says goes, no matter how bizarre or harebrained.  Young King Ethelbert swaps his country’s kids for Ethelbert robots, tests his [...]

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

Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk about AIDS

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: July 6, 2007

In Malawi and Zambia, children who have lost family to the AIDS pandemic tell their stories. This book is about the power of the human spirits to endure and hope for a better tommorrow.

Descriptors: Africa, All Ages, Malawi, Nonfiction, Tanzania » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , » 1 Comment

The Lion’s Share : A Somali Folktale

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: July 6, 2007

The Lion’s Share is one of the most widely known animal fables throughout Somalia. It is told for entertainment but also for its wisdom about the misuse of power. At different times in history the folktale was retold in poems, songs, and other prose.

Descriptors: Africa, Folklore, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Somalia » Other Themes: , , , » Comments closed