Breaking Through

By Francisco Jimenez

Most enjoyed by 6th through 8th graders

Trying to fit in is hard. We want to be accepted so we try to be like everyone else, wearing the same clothes, styling our hair just so, and making sure we have the right stuff - i-pods, video games. Francisco feels the same way. He is entering 6th grade and wants to be like the other happy, carefree kids in his class. But he has a secret that hangs over his head. Francisco is here illegally.

One day, fear becomes reality. La migra, the immigration police, come for him at school, take him out of his class in front of the other students, and tell his family they have 48 hours to pack up their belongings and get on a bus to the border of Mexico. There, they will be sent back to Mexico, back to the extreme poverty they left in the first place.

Francisco's family returns to America legally shortly afterwards, but the stigma of being Mexican follows Francisco. He faces discrimination on many fronts, works long hours to help support his family, and longs for an education to carry him from the poverty that lurks around each corner. The fact that he is able to succeed and consider college is testament to the love and support of his family as well as the hard work and determination of a young man destined to rise beyond the harsh reality of discrimination.

'Breaking Through' is an excellent choice for older junior high readers. It opens up thoughts and discussions on illegal immigration and discrimination. Readers will find as they read that they are putting themselves in Francisco's shoes, imagining getting to work at 6AM before school, cleaning an office, going to school all day, going to the library to do homework until the next job then working until late in the evening. One closes the book thinking, could I do that?

One of the titles in the We the People bookshelf, 'Breaking Through' is a book that will stay with readers long past the final page.

Give Me Liberty!

The Story of the Declaration of Independence

By Russell Freedman

Most enjoyed by 4th graders and up

The 4th of July is just around the corner which means it's time to remember why we celebrate the day with fireworks, picnics, and baseball. In 'Give Me Liberty!', author Russell Freedman writes about the events and people behind the creation of our most treasured document, the Declaration of Independence. Freedman goes beyond the big names that are so familiar (Franklin, Jefferson, Revere) and talks about how the English policy of taxation without representation affected average colonists and what those colonists did to let their feelings be known. 'Liberty' is not about the the revolutionary war, although initial battles are discussed. Freedman's focus here is on the creation of the Declaration itself, what it meant for Americans then, and what price they were willing to pay for that freedom. Definitely the title to pick up to read to make you wave the red, white and blue harder and higher! This is another title in the "We the People: Created Equal' bookshelf so watch for more about the book when we get back to school in the fall.

Saturnalia

By Paul Fleischman

Most enjoyed by 4th through 8th graders

Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman is one of the titles Zion received in the We the People: Created Equal bookshelf this spring. It's one we'll be reading this fall but it doesn't hurt to get a jump start on it now!

Saturnalia is an old festival that is at the heart the story. It was celebrated on the winter solstice (the longest day of winter) in recognition of the birth of the Roman god Saturn. The celebration included gift giving, feasting, and the chance to turn the world upside down, with masters becoming slaves and slaves becoming masters for the length of the celebration.

Our story takes place in Boston, in 1681, during the month of December. Mr. Baggot, the town's tithingman, is in charge of making sure that the townspeople under his watchful eye learn their Bible verses, stay awake during long church services, and have nothing to do with that pagan festival Saturnalia. Mr. Baggot has heard that Mr. Currie, the printer, and his household celebrate the festival but he hasn't been able to catch them at it. This year for sure, he will make every effort to do so, especially if it means he has a chance to see Mr. Currie's apprentice, William, caught in wrong doing. William is a young Indian boy, captured and taken as a slave during a raid on his tribe. He's found a home, and an education, with Mr. Currie who treats William like part of the family. This irritates Mr. Baggott who has his own personal reasons for hating William.

Mr. Speke is a wood carver who has been commissioned to carve a figurehead for a ship being built in the harbor. He roams the streets at night, unable to sleep for the sound of the screaming Indian girl that haunts his mind. Mr. Hogwood, the wigmaker, wants to court the widow Mrs. Phipp, not for love but for the wealth she has. Not very good at figuring out just what the lady wants, he relies on his servant Malcolm for dating advice. Malcolm, who has yet to meet a pretty face he doesn't like, is more than willing to give Mr. Hogwood advice, especially when he can use it to woo his own sweethearts.

All of the characters in Saturnalia are intertwined in ways both funny and sad. Behind them all though, is the idea of Saturnalia, that time when the characters of the world trade places. There are lots of masters and servants in Saturnalia, and despite the fact that they aren't supposed to celebrate the pagan holiday, the world has a way of turning itself upside down anyway for all of these characters! Look forward to hearing and learning more about Saturnalia this fall!