Literature+Circle+Book+Choices

Buck, P. (1947). //The Big Wave//. New York: Curtis Publishing Company. Kino is a young boy living on a farm in Japan. His friend Jiya lived in a small fishing village near the ocean. A tsunami came and destroyed Jiya’s village and his family was killed. Kino’s family took in Jiya. When they became men, they returned to the where the old village had been and began to rebuilt it.
 * Literature Circle Books: **

Coerr, E. (1993). //Mieko and the Fifth Treasure//. New York: Puffin Books. Mieko is a 10-year-old girl who lost the use of her hand after surviving the bombing of Nagasaki. Through the encouragement and help of family and friends she regains her “fifth treasure”, that of calligraphy.

Dejong, M. (1956). //The House of Sixty Fathers.// New York: Harper Trophy Publishing. Tien Pao is a Japanese boy who overcomes great peril as he escapes Chinese invaders of his village and finds himself being cared for by American soldiers. In the end, he is reunited with him family in a refuge camp.

Hesse, K. (1992). //Letters from Rifka//. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Rifka is a young Jewish girl living in Russia in 1919. The book tells the story of her families’ journey to America. Rifka is left in Russia as she recovers from illness. She communicates her feelings of loss and separation to her cousin through letters. Through the support of family and friends, she reconnects with her family in America.

Lasky, K. (1981). //The Night Journey.// New York: Puffin Publishing This is the story of ten-year-old Sachie. She escapes from Russia in 1900. The book links Sachie to her past by retelling the story of escape, survival, and surviving loss that her great-granddaughter Rache experienced as a boy. Whelan, G. (1992). //Goodbye, Vietnam//. New York. Yearling Publishing. This is the story of Mai, a young girl from Vietnam, whose family escapes Vietnam to Hong Kong. The journey is difficult and Mai and her family worry about their survival. She also fears she may be sent back to Vietnam. Eventually, Mai’s family is able to gain entry into the United States, although they continued to grieve the loss of their home.