The Gold-Threaded Dress by Carolyn Marsden (Middle Reader)
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (Middle Reader)
Neela by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Middle Reader)
We are Americans by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler (Middle Reader)
Maya Running by Anjali Banerjee (Middle Reader)
Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Middle Reader)

First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants edited by Don Gallo (Young Adult)
Quinceañera Means Sweet 15 by Veronica Chambers (Young Adult)
Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat (Young Adult)
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez (Young Adult)
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier (Young Adult)
The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri (Young Adult)

Kira-Kira
by Cynthia Kadohata
Candlewick

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Guest Reviewer: Quinn W., Age 11

If you're a young reader who wants to win a free book and get your review published on the Fire Escape, find out more here.

Kira-kira, kira-kira. This is the sound of Katie's first word. This word means glistening.

Katie lives with her mother, father, and sister in Iowa. When Mr. Kadohata gets a job offer in Georgia, he accepts on behalf of the entire family. Katie and her sister, Lynn, have a hard time surviving in the southern state with the other 32 Japanese immigrants. The two are so close to the other and such best friends. It's as if the words "quarrel" and "fight" do not exist in their vocabulary!

Finally, Lynn gets lucky and makes a good friend, but Katie does not exist in the world of Lynn anymore. Suddenly, a miracle happens in the Kadohata family. They are blessed with a new baby boy, Sam. Lynn looks after Katie and Katie looks after Sam. The relation of the three is a good one for the mother and father now are only at home for food and sleep.

One day, Lynn comes from her friend's home with an ill feeling and has the color "green" on her face instead of the usual rosy red. Another day falls like this, and another. And so many more days...

Kira-Kira is not a book. It is a lesson. When you read this novel, a chill travels up your spine, a warm feeling fills your heart, and tears spring to your eyes. Kira-Kira feeds a strange feeling into your body. There is no word for this feeling. In fact, it cannot even be put into words! But when you read the mesmirizing words contained in the pages of Kira-Kira, you'll get this feeling and you will understand just like all the others enchanted by this heart warming novel known as Kira-Kira .

First Crossing:
Stories About Teen Immigrants
Edited by Don Gallo
Candlewick

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I'm committed to keep reading aloud to my boys now that they are teens, but haven't been finding much appropriate fiction that is sure to capture their imaginations. Picking up this excellent anthology of ten stories about contemporary immigrants, I started with Rita Williams-Garcia's lighthearted but poignant story about Martine, a Haitian immigrant who isn't too interested in becoming American and wants to "make Maddie mad."

They were hooked, and we moved next to read about Ameen, a Palestinian working to gain the respect he needs from his teammates to play varsity quarterback (story by Elsa Marston). Next we met Pam Muñoz Ryan's Marco, a Mexican making his first trip to America to work with his father. Seven other stories by talented authors complete the collection, and include the perspectives of a girl adopted from Korea (story by Marie G. Lee), a young woman from Kazakhstan whose aunt found her American husband through an international dating magazine (story by Jean Davies Okimoto), and an American boy picking on a Swedish newcomer (story by Alden Carter).

Each selection is perfect as a twenty-minute-or so read-aloud while serving a snack and chilled root beer, and the experiences of each teenager can be compared readily for interesting discussions (see below). Another boon is that several authors chose to feature male protagonists, something much needed in the genre of YA lit between cultures.

For Discussion: Compare the experiences of two of the immigrant teens in the book. Why did their families come to America? Are they happy to be in this new country? What is the most challenging aspect of their lives? Write two imaginary letters dated ten years from the time of the story, one from each of them to the other, describing their changed lives and relationships with the characters in their story.

Before We Were Free
by Julia Alvarez

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Like every good Red Sox fan, I knew that the Dominican Republic is fertile ground for major league baseball players. But that's about all I really knew about that country — that is, until I listened to Julia Alvarez read her beautiful semi-autobiographical story chronicling the independence of her native land (1960-1961). Talk about a painless way to learn details about history, political science, and culture!

Time flew as I drove down I-95 from Boston to New York, enmeshed in this well-told tale of twelve-year-old Anita de la Torre, whose father decides to take a stand against the corrupt Trujillo regime. For social studies, geography, and world culture middle school and high school courses, this novel is a perfect introduction to Latin American dictatorships, as well as a vehicle to teach students the high price people are willing to pay for the prize of freedom. The audio version is highly recommended for families.

For discussion: What was important to Anita at first? How did that change? What are some things you can do in your country that she couldn't in the DR under "El Jefe"? How did things get worse for her during the course of the story? Do you think Anita's father and Uncle were right in forming a plot to kill the dictator? From where did Anita draw strength to survive her struggles?

The Namesake
by Jhumpa Lahiri

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It's every middle school girl's dream — you gain magical powers to make THE guy fall madly in love with you, your parents obey your every command, and suddenly you're brace-free and drop-dead gorgeous. Or is it a nightmare? This fantasy illuminates an immigrant kid's desire to escape the confusion that a mix of cultures adds to adolescent angst. Especially poignant is that Maya's dream-come-true includes fluency in a lost mother tongue. Where is home, especially as Maya is about to move from Manitoba, the place where she's lived all her life? "Home is a place that etches itself into you, that becomes a part of you," Maya reflects. Who am I, when everybody and everything around me seems to underline who I'm not? "I am changeable, as transient as the seasons. My mother and father, my ancestors, the dust and heat of India, the northern lights and the snow melting on the prairies — I am all of this and none of this." Sweet, funny, and smart, Maya's voice and the lure of magic will transport readers quickly through this engaging read.

Teaching suggestions:
Write a letter from Maya to Pinky, Jamie, Psycho, or Darpan from her new home in Santa Barbara. This book will also enhance any Canadian classroom's unit on new immigrants.

For Discussion: How would Maya's life have been different if other immigrant kids had been part of her school? Why did Maya feel such reluctance to spend time at the Ghose house?

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What can an immigrant do to make the American dream come true? In this wistul yet hopeful vignette, Barbara Timberlake Russell articulates the newcomer's game plan -- "wish for luck, work hard, and hold hope inside." The muted colors in Claire Cotts' lovely paintings, full of wind and movement, echo the feelings of change, loneliness, and longing articulated in the text. Ana, a girl who dreams of traveling to visit her grandparents in Costa Rica, is nonetheless carving out a new community for herself in the neighborhood. The urban setting made up of immigrants from various countries demonstrates the commonality of newcomers in the "land of opportunity," and yet also reveals their isolated pursuit of hopes and dreams.

Teaching suggestions:
Although this is a picture book, I recommend using it in the early high school or advanced middle school classroom. The book presents several strong characters and two well-defined settings. Invite older students to develop the plot. They can use details, metaphor, and simile in Russell's lyrical style to write a paragraph "prequel" to the story imagining why and how Ana and her mother came to America. Why did this family of two leave the idyllic setting of Costa Rica as described in the book, complete with loving grandparents and a relatively prosperous home? Alternatively, ask students to write the rest of Ana's story — does she make it back to Costa Rica? When? How? Is it a happy ending or a sad one? Have them imagine and describe a reunion between Ana and Sophia as old women sharing about their lives.

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The Fire Escape normally doesn't review non-fiction, but I had to bring this chronological story of America to your attention. If you're looking for one "textbook" to teach upper elementary or middle school students about immigration in America, the Hooblers have provided it. The book begins with speculation about immigration in prehistoric times and ends with an overview of what's happening today. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the stories, letters, and photos of immigrants who recount their own stories. As the jacket flap puts it, "Every child will find an ancestor or a contemporary in this moving story of the immigrant experience." I couldn't put it down, and especially liked the "people movement" take on American history.

Teaching suggestions:
Have each student choose the experience of one of their ancestors in the book and write a first-person description about that person's coming to America. First-generation immigrants can write about their own experiences. What led to the decision to immigrate? What were the challenges they faced when they first arrived? You could also use this book as a supplement to some of the fiction recommended on the Fire Escape's bookshelf.

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Immigrant kids recognize that hesitation during roll call when a new teacher gets to their name. I used to dread it, but the experience depended on how a grownup handled these encounters with the unfamiliar. If only all teachers (and immigrant parents) were as wise as the ones in this book! Recorvits' poetic, spare text and Swiatkowska's imaginative paintings explore one aspect of feeling "foreign" -- an immigrant child's name. In a new language and a new alphabet, Yoon's beautiful Korean name seems foreign even to herself. Are you still "Yoon" when people outside the family pronounce your name differently? When they don't know that it means "shining wisdom?" For a child to feel at home in a new country, she needs a loving circle of teachers, parents, and classmates, as well as a good measure of her own courage. Reading My Name is Yoon might compensate somewhat if any of those crucial ingredients are missing.

Teaching suggestions:
Children can discover the meanings and cultural origins of their own names and make posters to decorate in the classroom. After reading this book, teachers may ask: How did the "ponytail" girl make a difference in Yoon's life? What do you wish your parents had named you and why? What do you like about your name?

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Using fresh metaphors and lyrical writing that dances across the page, Tanuja Desai Hidier introduces us to unforgettable Dimple Lala, a seventeen-year-old photographer and ABCD, or American Born Confused Desi. Born Confused is a fairy-tale love story, a moving reflection on female friendships, a paean to the power of music and dance, and a delightful exploration of life between cultures. Dimple discovers the power to define her own identity, and immigrant teens who accompany her on her journey will definitely gain insight into their own culture-balancing acts.

I found myself reading the lilting Indian accents of Dimple's parents aloud to enjoy their humor and language. ("Stop trying to ghee me up!" says Dimple's mother). Along with Gwyn, Dimple's best friend, and Karsh, her "suitable boy," I envied the security and love these savvy, strong characters provide for their daughter. Despite their comparative enlightenment, they, like many Indian parents, fear the intermarriage of the next generation with African-Americans. By commenting on this and other attitudes and idiosyncracies, Dimple's wry, astute first-person voice brings the best and worst of Indian culture into focus.

Born Confused made me laugh, long for a deeper connection to my native land, and wish that this book and the whole "South Asian" scene had been around when I was growing up. Anybody want to bhangra in the Asian underground this weekend?

Teaching suggestions:
This book should not be read without listening to Indian music and watching a few classic Bollywood films. Encourage students to explore the ancient and modern musical traditions and instruments of India. Bring in records and let the students listen and/or dance. Discuss the use of metaphor and simile, which are strewn like treasures throughout Hidier's writing ("underwater copper eyes" in a fountain, etc.). She also modifies strong, startling nouns to use as adjectives and adverbs, bringing scenes to life for her reader.

For discussion in the classroom: Compare the experiences of immigrants growing up as minorities in the suburbs to those who grow up in cities surrounded by others from their native lands. Could Dimple have gained her insights if she hadn't stumbled across the Indian sub-culture at NYU? Racism does not exclusively belong to Europeans, and the possibility of intermarriage often brings racist attidudes to the surface in every culture. Who would your parents NOT want you to marry/date and why?

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As I walked through the leafy Boston suburb, I saw a uniformed chauffeur waiting outside a big house. He was gazing into the trees, obviously enjoying the quiet spring morning. A nametag on his lapel identified him as "Jean."

"Are you from Haiti?" I asked.

He nodded, surprised.

"I just read a great book about your country," I told him. "I learned about the beautiful mountains and hibiscus flowers there."

I watched the smile spread across his face. Were it not for Edwidge Danticat's young adult novel, Behind the Mountains, I might have walked wordlessly past this stranger. Now I was curious about his journey, and he was thrilled by my knowledge of his country and culture. That's the purpose of Orchard's First Person Fiction series — to create understanding and empathy for the immigrants around us. Using fictional diary entries, Danticat recounts Celiane Esperance's journey from a rural town to Port-au-Prince to Brooklyn. I painlessly learned about Haitian history and politics, and gained insight into why some Haitians desire to immigrate to America.

The book is also particularly written for immigrant teens. Danticat, the acclaimed author of three adult novels, expertly depicts Celiane's high hopes of seeing her father again and the subsequent stressful reality of a family reunion. Reading about Celiane's first miserable days in New York will encourage immigrant teens to welcome other newcomers. As Celiane describes her sorrow over her father's conflict with her older brother Moy, I remembered my older siblings hammering out compromises with our parents. These and other themes common to immigrants from any country make me wish this book had been around when I was reading out on that Flushing fire escape.

Teaching suggestions:
This book and the others in the series would be successful in any world cultures course or unit on immigration. The intriguing first-person story doesn't take long to read and provides insights into immigrant life beyond the reach of any textbook. For more teaching suggestions, visit the Scholastic website.

For discussion in the classroom: What made Celiane's family leave Haiti? Do you think they made the right decision? Who helped the family when they first arrived in Brooklyn? What were the main challenges of their new life in America? Research and write the imaginary diary entries of an ancestor of yours who immigrated.

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Moving back and forth deftly between an American garden to scenes in the author's native Korea, this picture book from Arthur Levine/Scholastic tells the story of how one family finds a new place to thrive in America. Five full-spread illustrations take us back to a more dangerous and sorrowful time, when this family experienced violence, lack of opportunity, unemployment, and disruption. With a turn of the page, though, we return to the warmth and safety of a Father's love and a growing garden. Using a few, well-chosen metaphors, Soyung Pak's words and Marcelino Truong's paintings will help young children grasp the concept of being transplanted so that you can grow. The author and illustrator team also manage to express the mixed emotions of a young immigrant's life -- poignant farewells, hopeful fresh starts, strong family ties, and insecurity about the future.

Teaching suggestions:
This lyrical story/poem provides a good introduction to the "push" factor behind immigration. Pick dandelions and ask the kids to blow the seeds into the air and watch where the seeds land. Have the students plant marigold or other easy-to-grow seeds in styrofoam cups. Talk about how plants need soil, sun, and rain. Talk about how in the book, soil represents a safe place to grow, the sun is the chance to dream and hope, and the rain symbolizes opportunities to work. For more teaching suggestions, visit the Scholastic website.

For discussion in the classroom: Did your parents grow up in this town? Why did they move here? Is this town a good place for you to grow? Do you think you want to stay here for your whole life? If so, why? If not, where do you dream about living and why?

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The great partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 caused chaos, conflict, and displacement throughout the sub-continent. Uma Krishnaswami masterfully introduces the partition to kids, using the relationship between an immigrant boy and his grandfather to illuminate the cost of that historical event. Readers will relate to Neel, a typical elementary-aged American boy who loves shooting hoops and playing computer games. When Neel decides to honor his family's history and heritage, the encouragement for readers to do the same is subtle but powerful. After finishing this moving book and enjoying Sitaraman's delightful illustrations, I wanted to share a cup of steaming tea with my Dad and hear a few more of his Partition stories.

Teaching suggestions:
Use this book as a supplemental resource as you introduce students to the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. This might be especially significant around Martin Luther King day, as King employed many of Gandhi's strategies during the civil rights movement. For more teaching suggestions, visit the Children's Book Press website for a teacher's guide.

For discussion in the classroom: If you had to leave your home and country forever in the middle of the night, what one thing would you bring along? What meaning would this item have for your grandchildren? Ask your grandparents to show you a family heirloom and ask them why it is so precious to the family.

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From Candlewick Press comes this engaging, easy-to-read story of fourth grader Oy, a Thai-American student new to a predominantly Mexican-American school, who struggles to fit in with the popular clique. The understated yet poignant description of the girls tearing apart Oy's precious family heirloom was especially moving. Readers will sympathize with Oy's desire to find a friend and enjoy the glimpses of wry humor, which is especially prized in Thai culture. The book weaves in other lovely details about Thai traditions like dance, cuisine, and cultural gatherings.

Oy's benevolent, wise parents calmly guide her through the dilemma and act as her advocates in the school. This doesn't always happen in immigrant families, especially when a principal's public reprimand is seen as bringing shame on the whole family. My parents, for example, would have hit the roof! However, Oy's unquestioning devotion to her parents is common among pre-adolescent immigrants, and the cool-headedness, or "jai-yen," of her parents is certainly a prized Thai trait. (My fourth-grade son, who loved living in Thailand, devoured this book in one day, even taking it to school in spite of the 'girly' cover).

Teaching suggestions:
Why did the class think Oy was Chinese? Explore differences in language, traditional dress, religion, and between four Asian cultures -- Mainland Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai. The class can divide into four groups to do research and combine their findings in a chart/collage that presents all of the results.

Children can learn about the tension between immigrant communities. Immigrants who have settled in foreign lands often resent and look down on the newest arrivals. Why did Frankie make fun of Oy? What made him change his mind?

Discuss how kids in different cultures relate differently to parents. Ask the class what their parents would do if a note came home from the principal.

Discuss how the desire to fit in sometimes leads to us damaging ourselves or our possessions. What harmful things can kids do to make other kids like them?

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Hyperion's easy-to-read sequel to Marisol and Magdalena continues to immerse readers into the life of a sweet Latina teenager growing up in Brooklyn. Deftly, Chambers weaves in details about the language, food, values, faith, and pride of the Panamanian immigrant community.

Immigrants like the Panamanians who cluster in the same neighborhood have certain advantages over those of us who grew up scattered in the suburbs. Although Marisol struggles with the abandonment of her father, I found myself envying her strong sense of identity, forged in a community that shepherds her into womanhood. She has aunts and cousins and neighbors who understand what it means to be a Panamanian-American growing up in Brooklyn. Best of all, she has a Mami who knows what she's feeling almost without a word.

Unlike immigrant kids who grow up in non-immigrant communities, there's hardly any culture clash between the generations. Marisol accepts and internalizes the values of the community because they are validated all around her. She dates a Panamanian boy, accepts the Catholic faith, delights in her Latina heritage and language, and eagerly desires a quince. One wonders if Marisol and her peers will choose to separate more from their community and culture than their mothers did, eventually moving out of Brooklyn into the suburbs. Will Marisol's daughter spend hours dreaming about her quince? Maybe. Perhaps the author's point is that in tightly-knit urban immigrant communities, the tensions between a first generation of immigrants and their American-born children don't have to tear families apart.

Teaching suggestions:
Immigrant communities often have different views of discipline than Americans of European descent. Students can discuss whether Magda's parents were fair or harsh in their response to her shoplifting. Children of immigrants tend to keep more secrets from their parents than their peers. Did Marisol do the right thing by not telling her Mami about Magda's new habit? Students can also discuss dating people from the same cultural background versus interracial dating. How would Marisol's family have reacted if her new boyfriend Francisco wasn't Panamanian, didn't speak Spanish, or if he were African-American or Anglo?

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Esperanza Rising won the 2002 ALA Pura Belpre Award, and rightfully so. The book serves as an excellent tool for teaching about California history, the Great Depression, Mexican immigration, forced repatriation, and labor camps. Esperanza's transformation from a protected rich girl to an independent young woman is believable and engaging. Young readers will enjoy reading (or hearing their teacher read) about Esperanza's budding romance with Miguel, her struggles to care for two babies (including hand-washing cloth diapers!), and her decision to "rise" above natural feelings of jealousy and revenge to rescue another girl. The author's biographical notes at the end of the novel reveal how the "American Dream" came true for her family.

Teaching suggestions:
This book illustrates how some immigrants arrive because of a "push" factor out of their home countries. Students can debate the points of view of Marta, who advocates striking for better wages, and Esperanza, who is desperate to earn money and must keep working. This book could be read along with The Circuit to include the perspective of a boy's memoir (Jimenez, Francisco, The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child, University of New Mexico Press, 1997.) Students could write an imaginary dialog between Francisco and Esperanza about their hopes for life in America. Other teaching enhancement options for Esperanza Rising are available from Scholastic.

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Neela by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is part of the Pleasant Company's "Girls of Many Lands" series. The book is not about an immigrant, but Neela is certainly caught "between cultures." My own parents experienced much of what the author describes, and the events led to their eventual immigration to America.

Divakaruni's well-told story is bound to enthrall non-Indian readers as well as Bengali-Americans like me. Nobody can help sympathizing with Neela, whose strong character and voice pulls the reader through tumultuous events taking place in India. Providing a well-balanced introduction to the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Bose, this novel could also serve as supplemental reading for a world history and/or social studies class. The fast-paced plot ensures that boys as well as girls will enjoy it, and the brief non-fiction appendix anchors Neela's story firmly in the context of India's struggle for independence.

My only suggestion for improvement would be to add illustrations of the village and barn, the wedding, the bandits, how Neela manages to disguise herself successfully as an elderly holy man, the train station, and the rich house in Calcutta. A map of Neela's odyssey would also help. I can't wait to read the next installment and find out how the dashing Samar returns for Neela before she's forced to marry the unknown rich guy!