Children's Books About World War II

             This School Library Journal feature provides a curated list of books on World War II covering under-explored events, figures, regions, and angles: 

Picture books: 

• Twist, Tumble, Triumph: The Story of Champion Gymnast Agnes Keleti by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitsky, illustrated by Martina Peluso, grade 1-3
• Violin of Hope by Ella Schwartz, illustrated by Juliana Oakley, grade 2-4 

Middle grades:

• Scattergood by H.M. Bouwman, grade 4-7
• Fighter in the Woods: The True Story of a Jewish Girl Who Joined the Partisans in World War II by Joshua Greene, grade 3-7
• When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman, grade 3-7
• Lifeboat 5 by Susan Hood, grade 4-8
• At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom by Erin Entrada Kelly, grade 4-8
• Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan, grade 5 and up
• The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri, grade 3-7
• The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, grade 6-10
• Wolves at the Door by Steve Watkins, grade 5 and up 

Young adult: 

• The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of the Choice by Edith Eva Eger, grade 8 and up
• The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming, grade 8 and up
• Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros, grade 9 and up 

Graphic novels:

• Pearl by Sherri Smith, illustrated by Christine Norrie, grade 7 and up 
• Song of a Blackbird by Maria Van Lieshout, grade 10 and up 

“Life During Wartime: A Curated List of Untold World War II Stories” in School Library Journal, June 2025 (Vol. 71, #6, pp. 42-45)

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1092 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.

H.454 "While some damage may be irreversible..."

         "While some damage may be irreversible, the midterm elections might be a place where an electoral message could be delivered, and seriously ought to be. The legislative vote was close enough and unpopular enough with much of the general public that the leg might feel the need to reconsider if people lost their seats as a result of their actions. This was the problem with opposition to Act 46. Very few legislators lost their seats over their votes, even when they were against the interests of their constituents. This atmosphere of impunity is a broad problem and needs rectification."

                                                                                                Jack Bryar, 

                                                                                                Grafton, VT

                                                                                                June 18, 2025

                                                            

Books About the Immigrant Experience

            In School Library Journal, author Cynthia Levinson recommends books for educators and students on immigration: 

Books for educators: 

• America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States by Erika Lee
• Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education by Jessica Lander
• Democratic Discord in Schools: Cases and Commentaries in Educational Ethics, edited by Meira Levinson and Jacob Fay 

Books for middle and high school: 

• Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
• Caramelo and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
• Indivisible by Daniel Aleman
• Made in Asian America: A History for Young People by Christina Soontornvat and Erika Lee
• Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, a Chinese American Girl’s Fight for School Rights by Marie Chan, illustrated by Sian James 
• They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles 

Picture books: 

• Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega 
• I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lyn, illustrated by Julia Kuo 
• Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh 
• Without Separation: Prejudice, Segregation, and the Case of Roberto Alvarez by Larry Dane Brimmer, illustrated by Maya Gonzalez 
• Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar 
• The Sole Man: Jan Matzeliger’s Lasting Invention by Shana Keller, illustrated by Stephen Costanza
• Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo 
• Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin 

In their own words: 

• Ánh’s New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language by Hanh Bui, illustrated by Bao Luu
• Finding Home: Words from Kids Seeking Sanctuary by Gwen Agna and Shelly Rotner 
• The Home We Make by Maham Khwaja, illustrated by Daby Zainab Faidhi 

 “Immigration Stories” by Cynthia Levinson in School Library Journal, May 2025 (Vol. 71, #5, pp. 12-14)

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1089 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.

Helpful Post from Michael Moore

"This morning I have been pondering a nearly forgotten lesson I learned in high school music. 

Sometimes in band or choir, music requires players or singers to hold a note longer than they actually can hold a note. In those cases, we were taught to mindfully stagger when we took a breath so the sound appeared uninterrupted. Everyone got to breathe, and the music stayed strong and vibrant. 

Yesterday, I read an article that suggested the administration's litany of bad executive orders (more expected on LGBTQ next week) is a way of giving us "protest fatigue" - we will literally lose our will to continue the fight in the face of the onslaught of negative action. 

Let's remember MUSIC. 

Take a breath. The rest of the chorus will sing. The rest of the band will play. 

Rejoin so others can breathe. 

Together, we can sustain a very long, beautiful song for a very, very long time. You don’t have to do it all, but you must add your voice to the song. 

With special love to all the musicians and music teachers in my life."

- Michael Moore

Graphic Novels on Families

            In School Library Journal, Brigid Alverson recommends these graphic novels about the family dynamics of love, loss, and lineage: 

• Crumble by Meredith McClaren, illustrated by Andrea Bell, grade 3-6 
• Cassi and the House of Memories by Dean Stuart, grade 4-7 
• Soul Machine by Jordana Globerman, grade 7 and up 
• Low Orbit by Kazimir Lee, grade 8-12 
• Family Force V, Book 1 by Matt Braly, illustrated by Ainsworth Lin, grade 9-12 
• Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story by Nicole Maines, illustrated by Rye Hickman, gr. 9-12 
• Little Moons by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe, grade 9 and up 

 “Family Ties” by Brigid Alverson in School Library Journal, May 2025 (Vol. 71, #5, pp. 34-37)

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1087 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.

Hidden Assumptions that Undermine Good Teaching

            “When we articulate our assumptions, we can examine and evaluate their implications and decide if they’re aligned with our deeply-held beliefs about teaching and learning,” say veteran international educators William Powell and Ochan Kusuma-Powell in this Kappan article. Drawing on the work of Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, they list some goals embraced by many teachers: 

• I would like to see all my students achieve success.
• I want to better meet the needs of diverse learners in my class. 
• I want to be more student-centered. 
• I want to personalize learning so every student feels included and invited to learn. 

But here are some unconscious tendencies that pull teachers in another direction: 

• I like to feel in control of the classroom. 
• I need to be needed. 
• I want students to feel I am indispensable to their learning. 
• I don’t want to try something new, fail, and look like a fool. 
• I tend to think that the way I learn is the best way. 

And here are some of the ways these tendencies manifest themselves in the classroom: 

• I have a tendency to jump in to “save the day.” I like to be helpful. 
• I look for (or manufacture) situations in which students depend on me for their learning.
• Sometimes I don’t listen well. 
• I have difficulty appreciating that other people may learn differently. 
• I’ve taught this way for many years, and it works for most kids. 

And here are the underlying assumptions that need to be confronted for transformational change to occur: 

• I assume I won’t feel professional satisfaction unless all learning in the class comes from me. 
• I assume that success (mine and students’) is monolithic and defined by outside forces over which I have no control. 
• I assume that failure (mine and students’) is something to be avoided, rather than something to be learned from. 
• I assume that to engage in public learning may be a sign of weakness (that I don’t know everything I’m supposed to know) and may make me look like a fool. 

“Overcoming Resistance to New Ideas” by William Powell and Ochan Kusuma-Powell in Phi Delta Kappan, May 2015 (Vol. 96, #8, p. 66-69), www.kappanmagazine.org; these thoughts are adapted from Immunity to Change by Kegan and Lahey (Harvard Business Press, 2009).

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1088 and #587 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.

Online Music Resources

            In a sidebar of this Knowledge Quest article, Lucy Santos Green (University of Iowa) lists resources for bringing music into school libraries and classrooms:

• Beth’s Notes http://www.bethsnotesplus.com – high-quality songs and classroom resources organized by theme, categories, and subject areas
• Smithsonian Folkways Children’s Music https://folkways.si.edu/folkways-childrens-collection/music/album/smithsonian - searchable by genre, geography, artist, label
• The American Folksong Collection https://www.kodalycollection.org – searchable by origin, region, state, subject, song type, grade level, tonal center, and games 

“Music + Literacy in Your Elementary School Library” by Lucy Santos Green in Knowledge Quest, March/April 2025 (Vol. 53, #4, pp. 30-34); Green is at lucilia-green@uiowa.edu.

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1086 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.