When it comes to literature, teaching the classics is important. But it’s a good idea to add contemporary titles to your curriculum, too, especially if your students sometimes have trouble connecting with older texts.
That’s why we created the Discovering Literature collection, a curated selection of noteworthy books that are capturing the attention of teachers and students across the country.
In our first digest of 2022, students can step into the shoes of characters trying to find their voice in Nikki Grimes’s prose and verse novel, or follow the journey of children searching for familial ties in Reyna Grande’s heart-wrenching memoir. They can also travel back in time to the turbulent 1960s with historical fiction works by Rita Williams-Garcia and Sonia Manzano. No matter which book they choose, readers will find gripping stories that examine the effects of family, culture, and community in shaping one’s identity.
The Distance Between Us
In this compelling memoir, Reyna Grande offers a glimpse into the immigrant experience through the eyes of the children left behind. When Reyna was young, her parents made the dangerous trek across the border to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream, leaving her and her siblings in Mexico. Living with their impoverished grandmother, the children struggle with feelings of abandonment, longing for the day the family will be reunited. But when things don’t go according to plan, Reyna begins her own journey to El Otro Lado, “The Other Side,” to live with her father, a man she hardly remembers.
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The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano
It’s 1969, and fourteen-year-old Evelyn Serrano finds her boring life turned upside down after her fiery grandmother, Abuela, arrives from Puerto Rico. Unsure at first, Evelyn warms up to Abuela as the older woman shares stories of the family’s involvement in Puerto Rico’s revolutionary history. And when Abuela shows support for the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, in their fight against inequality in their Spanish Harlem neighborhood, Evelyn grows interested in the movement and, in turn, her Latino heritage. Based on true events, this work of historical fiction provides powerful lessons on culture, family, and forgiveness for middle-grade readers.
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Bronx Masquerade
After reading poetry out loud in their English class, Wesley Boone and his high school classmates establish weekly poetry sessions where, one by one, they reveal their inner struggles through the written word. A mix of prose and verse, this moving book tackles topics relevant to adolescent readers, including self-image, personal expression, and dreams.
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One Crazy Summer
In the summer of 1968, sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern travel from Brooklyn to California to spend time with their estranged mother, Cecile. Unlike the affection they imagined after being separated for so long, the girls are met with painful indifference. Cecile dashes the girls’ plans for a fun-filled summer, instead sending them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. It’s here that Delphine must stand up for her younger sisters while trying to connect with Cecile, learning more about their family’s history as the season progresses.
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Find even more exciting books in the Discovering Literature collection!