A Bountiful Harvest of Great International School Reads
By Margriet Ruurs 10-Dec-14
Every Last Drop by Michelle Mulder is a new, nonfiction book about everything water. From how to get it, to how water is used around the world, this book gives kids usable facts, information and a new appreciation for one of earth’s most precious resources. A great addition for primary and intermediate social and environmental studies (Orca Books, ISBN 978-1-4598-0223-0). Families Around The World by Margriet Ruurs is a nonfiction celebration of family life in 14 different countries. It features an ordinary day in the life of a multigenerational family in Pakistan, a single-parent family in France, life in a kibbutz in Israel, an emigrant family in Canada, and much more. Illustrated in delightful paper collage (Kids Can Press, ISBN 978-1894786577). So Much For Democracy by Kari Jones is a story that middle school students in international schools can relate to. Astrid’s family moved from Canada to Ghana. Here she learns all about a military coup, illnesses, and poisonous spiders. Suddenly nothing is like the life she used to have and Astrid is not impressed (Orca Books, ISBN 978-1-4598-0481-4). Just Deserts by Eric Walters is a middle grade-and-up novel that will appeal to boys, telling the story of a spoiled, wealthy boy who gets expelled from boarding school. In typical Eric Walters fashion, this page turner is full of adventure and suspense, when young Ethan is dropped in the middle of the Sahara and left to fend for himself (Puffin Canada, ISBN 978-0143179351). Moon At Nine by Deborah Ellis; Based on interviews with a young woman forced to flee Iran because of her sexual orientation, Moon at Nine is a tense and riveting YA novel. Fifteen-year-old Farrin has grown up with secrets: ten years after the overthrow of the Shah, her aristocratic mother is still working against Iran’s conservative revolutionary government. But when Farrin befriends Sadira, the new student at her school, her own secret is even more dangerous. Because the girls discover their relationship is more than just a friendship—and in Iran, being gay is punishable by death (Pajama Press, ISBN 978-1927485576). And finally, a good read for both YA and adults: Throwaway Daughter by Ting-xing Ye. Throwaway Daughter tells the dramatic and moving story of Grace Dong-mei Parker, a typical Canadian teenager who sets out to explore her Chinese ancestry, only to discover that she was one of thousands of infant girls abandoned in China since the introduction of the one-child policy. She studies Chinese and then travels back to China in search of her birth mother (Seal Books, ISBN 978-0770429218). Margriet Ruurs is the author of 27 books for children. She lives in Canada and conducts school visits around the world. Learn more at http://www.margrietruurs.com
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The articles presented in TIE are a reflection of the variety of perspectives within the international school community and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the organization.
