Click on the title of each book to reveal the discussion questions.
Baseball Saved Us
Ken Mochizuki | New York: Lee and Low Books, 1995
The all-American sport of baseball helped Japanese-Americans held in internment camps during World War II maintain their identity and feel strong in spite of hardship.
- What does the word “freedom” mean to you? How can you help yourself and others to feel free?
- What lessons about trust and forgiveness can we learn from this period in Japanese-American history?
- How can being active in our community help us to overcome difficult situations? See if you can think of examples from your own life to support your point.
Because of Anya
Margaret Peterson Haddix | New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2004
A girl comes down with an illness that changes her physical appearance forever, and she struggles with social acceptance as a result.
- How does what someone looks like affect the way they are looked at and treated by others?
- If you find yourself making assumptions or mistreating someone because of the way they look, how can you stop yourself? How do you think the experience of being very sick might change a person’s way of acting toward others, and what extra help might they need from classmates or friends?
Bud, Not Buddy
Christopher Paul Curtis | New York: Laurel Leaf Publishing, 2004
This first-person novel deals with an African-American boy's adventures when he runs away during the Depression Era.
- What does Bud’s story teach you about some of the challenges of being poor?
- A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people. How do you think stereotypes about African-Americans and poor people have changed since the Depression Era? How have they stayed the same?
- Bud’s name is very important to how he thinks about himself and who he is. Can you think of anything about yourself—your name, your appearance, your interests—that is that important to you? What is it?
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan | New York: Scholastic, 2002
A family moves from Mexico to the United States during the depression, and the daughter, who is used to being wealthy, must learn to deal with her new life and challenges as a migrant farm worker.
- What does this book teach us about what it feels like to go from having a lot to having very little?
- Esperanza has to learn a lot of hard lessons in this book about treating others fairly. Do you think it’s necessary to have hard things happen to you in order to learn about fairness? Explain why or why not.
- Esperanza really changes over the course of this book. Do you believe that it is possible for people to change so deeply? Use real-life examples to explain why or why not.
Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman
Dorothy Sterling | New York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1987
Set in the years running up to the Civil War, this book tells the story of Harriet Tubman, born a slave, who became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape to freedom.
- How do you think Harriet Tubman got the courage to do what she did? Can you imagine getting such inspiration, and how would you use it?
- How can we motivate ourselves to support others in our community in little ways as well as big ones?
Just Kidding
Trudy Ludwig | Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press, 2006
When is teasing not funny? A young boy, DJ, learns how to deal with Vince, a classmate who is always "just kidding."
- When does teasing and just kidding around turn into bullying?
- What are some tactics you might use to stop someone from tormenting you with teasing?
- Was DJ’s dad’s advice helpful? Explain your thinking.
The Hundred Dresses
Eleanor Estes | San Anselmo, CA: Sandpiper Press, 2004
A Polish immigrant struggles with the fact that she does not have the nice clothing her classmates have.
- What does it feel like to have less of something than people around you? Why can this be such a difficult feeling?
- Why might children from immigrant families feel especially worried about fitting in, and what can other children do to help them with these concerns?
- Have you ever jumped to a conclusion about others based on their physical appearance and dress?
The Sneetches and Other Stories
Dr. Seuss | New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1961
These lighthearted stories use engaging rhymes and fantastical illustrations to communicate messages about peer pressure to conform and about tolerance.
- Why do you think people are often tempted by pressure from others to look different from the way they are?
- What good comes from trying to change the way you look? What harm comes from it?
- What advice would you offer a friend who was feeling pressure similar to what the Sneetches felt?
The Stories Julian Tells
Ann Cameron | New York: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1981
The stories of an African-American boy reveal the things that make him and his family special.
- What do Julian’s personal stories teach us about his cultural traditions? Why do you think a personal story is such an important part of some cultures?
- What stories would you choose to show what is important about your personal or family values?
Touch Blue
Cynthia Lord | New York: Scholastic Press, 2010
A school on an isolated island in Maine will close unless more children enroll. Several families take on foster children from the mainland to try to keep the school and the island alive. The story is told from the point of view of an 11-year-old girl.
- How would you feel if your family knew it might have to leave a place that had been home for many generations—and is the only place you knew and loved?
- What are some things that are important to you about where you live?
- How would you feel if you were a foster child and realized that one of the reasons you were taken in was to prevent a school from being closed?
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