Two teenage boys, Sam an Israeli Jew, and Yusuf, a Palestinian Muslim from the West Bank, find themselves as uneasy roommates in a Jerusalem hospital. They each hold the strong antagonistic feelings for the other's race and religion that society dictates. As they learn more about each other, they discover that many of the things they believed were in fact misconceptions. They embark on a dangerous escapade into the Old City of Jerusalem at night. Both would be viewed as collaborators and are at great risk if they are found together without the right papers. Despite their serious injuries, they persevere through a series of perilous adventures. Their relationship with each other develops from belligerence into grudging tolerance and acceptance and finally to strong admiration and friendship as they rely on each other to survive and find their way back to the hospital. This is a great book that broaches the issues of the Middle East and of tolerance and friendship in a fast paced action packed story that will surely engage JH readers.

Reviewed by: jcooper

Date read: 1/26/2013

ISBN-10: 1554514312

ISBN-13: 9781554514311

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If you were a slave in North America and wanted to escape, you would stick a magical hoe in the ground and fly away. Why were the Celtic 'little people' green? Begochiddy created the world- so the early Native Americans thought. These are examples of the many varieties of folklore, brought to or created in North America, that are introduced in this book. The stories and explanations are accompanied by illustrations, poems, and songs that further expand on the particular folklore of that region. Ethnic Folklore touches on Native American, Celtic, African-American, Northern and Eastern European, Hispanic, Jewish, Southern European, French-American, and Asian American cultures. How the traditional tales of these groups have been influenced by others, and by the North American experience, is also discussed. If you enjoyed this book, look for other titles by Ellyn Sanna: Food Folklore; Folk Tales and Legends; Firefighters Folklore.

Similar books: Children's Folklore by Sherry Bonnice; Contemporary Folklore by Shirley Brinkerhoff; Family Folklore by Shirley Brinkerhoff

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/29/2009

ISBN-10: 1590843320

ISBN-13: 9781590843321

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Abby is on the verge of repeating sixth grade. Her only hope is to get good grades the rest of the year and complete a special assignment. The assignment she chooses is to be a pen pal to a student in Afghanistan. The letters from a farm in Illinois to a mountainous region near Kabul become very personal and the friendship crosses their cultural differences. But it is these same differences that cause unrest in Sadeed's village and his life is threatened. At Abby's school, the flag of Afghanistan is taken off her bulletin board and she is told she cannot replace it. Their simple letters of friendship have to stop to avoid conflicts. Is this fair?

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award Nominee 2012 and Bluestem Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: rn

Date read: 7/1/2011

ISBN-10: 1416949313

ISBN-13: 9781416949312

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Have you heard of Antonio Taguba, Eleanor Concepcion Mariano, or Allan Pineda Lindo? They are all Filipino Americans-either half Filipino or all Filipino who have grown up in America. Antonio Taguba was a U.S. Army general who had the courage to write a report about his collegues who were mistreating Iraqi prisioners. Eleanor Concepcion Mariano was the White House physician for Presidents George H.W.Bush and Bill Clinton. Allan Pineda Lindo is a singer in the group The Black Eyed Peas. The Black Eyed Peas were the featured group of the 2011 Super Bowl halftime show. There are many other interesting biographies of notable Filipino-Americans in this book. This book is part of the Succesful Americans series. Isn't it great that America is made up of people from so many different countries of the world?

Reviewed by: jb

Date read: 2/19/2011

ISBN-10: 142220524X

ISBN-13: 9781422205242

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Sang-hee's village is next to a mountain: the first hump in a range of mountains. Every night, his father walks to the top of the mountain and lights a fire so big it can be seen on the next hump. These fires are lit on each hump until the last fire can be seen by the king from his palace. When the king sees the fire, he knows all is well in his kingdom. But one night after his father walks up the mountain, Sang-hee doesn't see the fire. What happened to his father? How will the king know that all is well? What can Sang-hee do to help?

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 7/6/2009

ISBN-10: 0618133372

ISBN-13: 9780618133376

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