Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

If you enjoyed Umbrella Summer, you should try this book.  Deborah Wiles develops great, quirky characters in this book set in Mississippi.  The main character's name is Comfort.  Comfort's family runs a funeral home and Comfort seems to be very good at dealing with death and grief.  But of course, every book has a problem, and Comfort gets hit with a few big ones in this book.  I can guarantee that you'll fall in love with her and her dog Dismay.  Give it a read, and let me know what you think.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

I know that some of my fourth graders are currently learning about immigration.  Well, here's a book that will bring you from the beautiful countryside of Mexico, to the hard reality of the migrant worker's life here in the United States.  Esperanza is forced to leave the land she loves and has to learn to be brave and strong through all the hard times ahead.  Follow along with her in her travels, you won't regret it!

I've included a link to the author's website, if you want to check out more books by Ms. Ryan.  Just click on the title of the book above.

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

For a little book, with few words to a page, this one story packs power in every line.  Follow the true story of Jennifer Roy's aunt's childhood during the Holocaust in Poland at the start of World War II.  Both horrifying and fascinating, listen to history unfold through the eyes of a child.  The author's aunt really lived through the events told in this story and was one of only 12 children to survive the Lodz concentration camp in Poland by the war's end.

For any teachers following this blog.  I would mark this book a great read aloud that would lead to many great discussions.

For my students, read and be moved by this book.