Upon moving to a new apartment, twelve-year-old Lucy befriends an autistic boy who lives upstairs and, along with her friend Theo and a pampered pooch, takes Matthew on neighborhood adventures hoping to open him up to the world around them.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
First Apple
The author describes 1940s China and her quest, as a nine-year-old girl, to buy a precious apple for her grandmother’s birthday. By the author of A Day on a Shrimp Boat.
Spilled Water
After her father’s death, Lu Si-Yan’s uncle sells her to a rich family who expect her to work as their servant until she is old enough to marry their son, but when she runs away things only get worse.
A Little Piece Of Ground
During the Israeli occupation of Ramallah in the West Bank of Palestine, twelve-year-old Karim and his friends create a secret place for themselves where they can momentarily forget the horrors of war. Also written by Sonia Nimr.
Lan Shi Tou (The Blue Stone)
Chinese-language only humorous graphic novel of cartoons about a blue stone.
Birthdays around the World
This book describes the way birthdays have been celebrated in the past and the customs used to mark these special occasions in such countries as Finland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand and others.