Deborah Ellis presents the stories of children of the war-torn Middle East, based on interviews with Israeli and Palestinian children.
In a rehabilitation center for disabled children, twelve-year-old Nora says she loves the color pink and chewing gum and explains that the wheels of her wheelchair are like her legs. Eleven-year-old Mohammad describes how his house was demolished by soldiers. And we meet twelve-year-old Salam, whose older sister walked into a store in Jerusalem and blew herself up, killing herself and two people, and injuring twenty others. All these children live both ordinary and extraordinary lives. They argue with their siblings. They dream about their wishes for the future. They have also seen their homes destroyed, their families killed, and they live in the midst of constant upheaval and violence.
This simple and telling book allows children everywhere to see those caught in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as children just like themselves, but who are living far more difficult, dangerous lives.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3
Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
Deborah Ellis presents the stories of children of the war-torn Middle East, based on interviews with Israeli and Palestinian children.
In a rehabilitation center for disabled children, twelve-year-old Nora says she loves the color pink and chewing gum and explains that the wheels of her wheelchair are like her legs. Eleven-year-old Mohammad describes how his house was demolished by soldiers. And we meet twelve-year-old Salam, whose older sister walked into a store in Jerusalem and blew herself up, killing herself and two people, and injuring twenty others. All these children live both ordinary and extraordinary lives. They argue with their siblings. They dream about their wishes for the future. They have also seen their homes destroyed, their families killed, and they live in the midst of constant upheaval and violence.
This simple and telling book allows children everywhere to see those caught in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as children just like themselves, but who are living far more difficult, dangerous lives.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3
Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Jun 1, 2004 |
| Specifications | 112 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in |
| Keywords | true story; war and conflict; Israeli-Palestinian conflict; childhood; rehabilitation center; social issues; activism; disability and special needs; Middle East; respect for self; perseverance; first person narration; child as narrator; connecting; determining importance; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 5; grade 6; Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading; nonfiction; middle grade; map; photographs; introduction; |
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Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Excerpt |
| Written By |
DEBORAH ELLIS is the author of The Breadwinner, which has been published in thirty languages. She has won the Governor General’s Award, the Middle East Book Award, the Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Deborah has donated more than $2 million in royalties to organizations such as Right to Learn Afghanistan, Mental Health Without Borders and the UNHCR. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario. |
| Written By |
|
DEBORAH ELLIS is the author of The Breadwinner, which has been published in thirty languages. She has won the Governor General’s Award, the Middle East Book Award, the Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Deborah has donated more than $2 million in royalties to organizations such as Right to Learn Afghanistan, Mental Health Without Borders and the UNHCR. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario. |
| Audience | ages 11 and up / grades 6 and up |
| Reading Levels | Lexile 790L |
| Key Text Features | map; photographs; introduction |
Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award, 2007
Long-listed, OLA Silver Birch Award, 2006
Long-listed, BC Teen Reader's Choice Award Stellar Awards, 2006
Commended, CCBC Our Choice (Starred Selection), 2005
Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice - Best of the List, 2005
Commended, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) YA Top Forty (or so) List, 2005
“...a moving, sometimes chilling, expression of the disruption and distress created in young people's lives by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as well as a reminder of the human capacity for hope and renewal.” —Quill & Quire
“...it also gives a wrenching sense of childhood during a terrorist war, expressed in what appear to be genuine voices. It requires discussion after reading and would be an especially apt choice for school libraries. Recommended with reservations for Grades 5 to 12.” —Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
“...stirring...These young people come from diverse faiths - they are Jewish, Muslim and Christian - and yet it is the commonality of their experience that impresses the reader.” —Yellowknifer
“A balanced historical introduction provides background for the interviews in which children talk about how the choices other people have made have affected their lives. Ellis alternates Israeli and Palestinian voices and prefaces each of the accounts by an informative discussion of pertinent issues and a profile of the interviewee and his/her experiences...The candid and passionate voices in these narratives may be used to awaken interest and encourage discussion among young readers.” —Canadian Materials
“An accessible historical overview that is fair to all sides...” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“An excellent presentation of a confusing historic struggle, told within a palpable, perceptive and empathetic format.” —School Library Journal
“Here is a balanced and thought-provoking work recommended for school and public libraries.” —Multicultural Review
“Highly recommended for school and public libraries.” —Resource Links
“To read the collection as a whole is inspiring.” —VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)