More Suggested Titles for Jan./Feb. I haven't necessarily read the following books, but have seen them recommended for seventh graders. Parents, please be aware of what your children are reading. Better yet, read what your children are reading so you can discuss books with them.
One More River -- by Lynne Reid Banks is about a 14 year old girl who moves with her parents to an Israeli kibbutz because her father feels that the family has lost any sense of what it means to be Jewish. A large part of the novel--set during the days before, during, and after the 1967 Six-Day War--chronicles Lesley's gradual, difficult adjustment, and her growing friendship from afar with Mustapha, an Arab boy.
A Coming Evil -- by Vivian Vande Velde -- From a review on Amazon.com -- "This well-written novel combines two periods in French history-the 1940s and the early 1300s. Lisette Beaucaire, 13, is sent to live in the country with her aunt, since food is scarce in Paris, which is overrun by German soldiers. Although she dreads spending time with her bratty cousin Cecile, Lisette is even more dismayed to discover that her aunt is hiding Jewish and gypsy children from the Nazis. As Lisette and the children practice what to do if the Nazis arrive unexpectedly, she begins to understand the seriousness of the situation. Then she encounters the ghost of Gerard, a young knight who died in 1314." I do have this in the classroom library.
