Fiction Friday

Amanda over at The Teaching Thief is hosting this very cool linky called Fiction Fridays. I love Fiction Fridays because not only am I new to 4th grade, I also have daughters who are 10 and 12 and am always having conversations with them about books, too.

Here are some good reads I found this week:

Esperanza Rising

This is a story of a 13 year old girl who lives on a ranch in Mexico with her mother and father. Her father is murdered on the night of her birthday, leaving Esperanza and her mother and grandmother to support themselves. Eventually, they must go to California to work in the fields.

This is a story of changing perspectives. It features strong women who are vulnerable yet grit it out. It is about values and what is truly important in life - family, love and happiness.

Esperanza Rising is a historical fiction aimed at giving a perspective on Mexico and California on the 1930's. It provides a context for learning about immigrant workers and the onset of the depression.

Grandfather's Journey

This beautifully illustrated book by Allen Say is the story of a man who travels between two countries, Japan and the U.S., only to find that one can have two homes of the heart oceans apart. Eventually his grandson travels from Japan to California and discovers why his grandfather had such a deep love of both places.

If you are unfamiliar with Allen Say, his illustrations alone are worth a trip to the library.