Michael Morpurgo is one of my all-time favourite children's authors. His books are often about amazing kids and animals.
Kensuke's Kingdom is the story of a boy, Michael, who is washed up on a Pacific island after he falls overboard from his parents' yacht. He struggles to stay alive but soon realizes that someone is watching over him and helping him. Kensuke's Kingdom is a magical adventure story that would be perfect for children aged nine and older. The first line of the story captures your imagination and you will not be able to put this book down: "I disappeared on the night before my twelfth birthday."
Another book by Morpurgo, An Elephant In The Garden, tells the story of Marlene, an elephant that is supposed to be shot before the bombing of Dresden, Germany during the Second World War. Lizzie and her brother Karli have a wonderful life in Dresden but then one day her father comes home in an army uniform and tells them he is being sent to war. Their mother goes to work in a zoo near their home and there she meets Marlene. Lizzie's mother brings Marlene home with her so the elephant will not be destroyed before Dresden is bombed. This is an enchanting story of how an elephant comes to save the lives of so many people.
The Secret of Gabi's Dresser by Kathy Kacer is the story of Gabi, a Jewish girl living in eastern Europe in 1942, and it's based on the author's mother's wartime experiences. Gabi's peaceful life ends when the Nazis invade Czechoslovakia. Gabi is harassed and is not allowed to go to school. There is a rumour that Jewish girls are being taken away from their families and no one knows where. Gabi must hide - but where?
Inspired by real events, The Secret of Gabi's Dresser is a work of historical fiction for children ages eight and older. It was the winner of the Silver Birch Award for excellence in Canadian Children's Literature.
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine is the most awarded children's book in Canadian history. Hana Brady was a brave young girl killed in the Holocaust. "Hana Brady, thirteen years old, was the owner of this suitcase crowded into the freight train, she was sent to Auschwitz. She was taken to the gas chamber right after. People were allowed to take only one suitcase with them. I wonder what Hana put in her suitcase."
This is the story of that suitcase and Hana. Of how a small Holocaust education centre in Tokyo receives the empty suitcase from the Auschwitz museum. The children of the education centre were determined to learn Hana's story.
The Breadwinner Trilogy by Deborah Ellis tells the story of Parvana, a young girl, and her family as they struggle to survive under the Taliban in Afghanistan. The three books in the series are The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey and Mud City.
In the first book, Parvana's father is arrested and she must transform herself to become, to outside eyes, a boy and become the family's breadwinner. The second book tells the story of Parvana's journey across the desolate Afghan countryside to find her family. Throughout her journey, Parvana encounters other children who are escaping the war.
Mud City, the final book in this award-winning trilogy, tells the story of Shauzia, Parvana's best friend, who escapes from Afghanistan only to end up in a refugee camp in Pakistan. She dreams of seeing the ocean and of making a new life in France.
If you are looking for more great titles, don't hesitate to ask at your local public library. Librarians are always happy to recommend books for you and your children.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Dianne Allan works at Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
