Cholodenko, G. (2013). A Tale from Alcatraz: Vol. 3. Al Capone does my homework. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Summary: Moose Flanagan and his friends are off to solve a new mystery. Who started the fire in their apartment? Mrs. Trixle thinks it's Natalie. Also, lots of money has been coming onto Alcatraz. Where's it coming from? Moose, Annie, Jimmy, Natalie and Piper are at it again.

Review: My favorite of the Al Capone series so far. A real dilemma for kids to deal with when someone who is different gets blamed. Lots of parallels in real life. Moose is growing up in this book and it's fun to see how he's maturing.

Diversity: Moose's sister, Natalie, has Autism though at the time there isn't a name for it.

Suggestions for Teachers: Great book to study ally-ship in an ELA classroom and connect to CA history as well. Lots of parallels for students when studying difference and family.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 600L, ATOS Book Level 7.00-9.98, Flesh-Kincaid 6.51-10.34, 7.04-9.57 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; the organization is chronological and straightforward. The language is largely contemporary. Knowledge of Alcatraz and Al Capone will make this text more accessible to readers.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Relevant links: Teaching Books

Subjects/Themes: family, acceptance, difference, mystery

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Lake, N. (2012). In darkness. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

Summary: Shorty is trapped under a hospital after an earthquake. He is flooded with memories of his life which is filled with tragedy. Alternatively, Toussaint is organizing slaves to fight for their freedom. These two are connected through Haiti's trajectory.

Review: A difficult an intense examination of Haiti from its successful slave uprising to the corruption of Westerners interfering for the worse when tragedy strikes during present day.

Diversity: Although written by an English man, this book speaks to the hardship and extreme poverty of Haiti. Shorty's character has much humanity.

Suggestions for Teachers: This would be a good core text to teach. High on the complex level. Could connect it to a study of Haiti with Social Studies.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 800L, ATOS Book Level 9.67-12.01, Flesh-Kincaid 8.32-12.12, 8.41-10.81 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is very complex; the organization goes back and forth between Shorty in present day 2010 post earthquake and Toussaint, hundreds of years back. The language is also very complex and vernacular infused with some Creole. Life experiences and cultural knowledge of Haiti will make this more accessible.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Bloomsbury Guide

Subjects/Themes: Haiti, revolution, acceptance, family

Awards: Printz Award

Series Information: N/A

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee

Mochizuki, K. (1993). Baseball saved us (D. Lee, Illustrator). New York, NY: Lee & Low Books.

Summary: Shorty is an okay baseball player and is often made fun of because of his size. He and is family are sent to an internment came during WWII where the poor quality of life causes tensions to run high. Shorty's father has Shorty help him build a baseball field in the camps. This entertainment increases the quality of life and improves Shorty's baseball skills. Shorty is able to transfer his perseverance to the ignorant and racist society he returns to when he is freed from the camp.

Review: This is a slice of life of historical fiction about Japanese Americans during WWII. It is a story many students who like baseball can relate to. I have read a few books about this particular event (the baseball field built) so I hope it isn't an overrepresentation of what was otherwise a horrific experience for many. But hopefully, students who read this picture book will begin to ask more questions about Japanese internment during WWII.

Diversity: This picture book is about a Japanese American boy during internment in WWII. It is historical fiction and that chronicles this specific ethnic group. For the purpose of teaching history, this is a great addition. However, this isn't a "normalized" experience. I would love to see more books about Japanese Americans in their everyday life now.

Suggestions for Teachers: This picture book would be a great addition for studying history. You could also use it on a unit on perseverance. It would make a great read-aloud or mentor text.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 550L, ATOS Book Level 3.9, Flesh-Kincaid 3.7, 4.83 RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological. For a second or third grade book, this has a lot of text. The language is simple although there are some words like "Jap", "Camp" with a capital C and words relevant to building that may need explaining. The theme of perseverance and acceptance during difficult times is accessible. Students who have prior knowledge of WWII, Japanese Internment and baseball will be able to make more meaning with this text. The pictures really enhance the meaning of this text and are literal.

Content Areas: Literacy, History, Family, Community

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

Relevant links: Scholastic, Teaching Books, YouTube Read Aloud, YouTube Read Aloud 2, Teacher's Guide

Subjects/Themes: family, community, acceptance, perseverance, racism

Awards: 
Best Multicultural Title - Cuffies Award

Publisher's Weekly

Choices
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Editor's Choice
San Francisco Chronicle

Not Just for Children Anymore Selection
Children's Book Council

Series Information: N/A

Dragon's Gate by Laurence Yep

    

Yep, L. (1993). Golden mountain chronicles (1867): Dragon's gate. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Otter has to leave his home in China fast to avoid danger. He joins his Uncle Foxfire in America working on the transcontinental railroad. He realizes the visions of America, the land of golden mountains, were false as he, like the rest of the Chinese including Uncle Foxfire who is renowned like a king in China, are treated like slaves. Yep details the hard work and horrendous working conditions of chiseling a tunnel through the Sierra Nevada during the snowy winter. This is a story of friendship, family and action under oppression.

Review: Yep fills a void that is often skimmed over in elementary classrooms. He is honoring the hard work of Chinese Americans and this tale, similar to Paulsen's Hatchet, has the suspense and drama to keep students hooked, especially our boys.

Suggestions for Teachers: Have students read this book with a CA history unit. Compare it with expository texts and primary source documents about the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Or use this text with a unit on immigration and immigrant experiences in America.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 730L, ATOS Book Level 6.1, Flesh-Kincaid 5.4, Readability Grade Level 6.1, RMM 6.9
2. Qualitative: The text structure is slightly complex, but overall the plot line is chronological. Language conventions are moderately complex as they are largely explicit and easy to understand. Vocabulary is mostly familiar and conversational and sentence structure has some complex constructions but is primarily simple. The theme is very complex as it is slowly revealed over the course of the work. Knowledge of China and California in the 1860's would be helpful as well as some knowledge of Chinese traditions and cultural customs, but overall Yep makes Chinese cultural practices come alive for the reader.

Content Areas: English, Social Studies

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Relevant links: Scholastic, Harper Collins study guide, Teaching Books, Teaching Multicultural Literature

Subjects/Themes: survival, transcontinental railroad, California history, Chinese immigration, family, friendship, legacy

Awards: Newbery Honor

Series Information: Gold Mountain Chronicles