Youths4Peace

2001
Jane Addams
Award Books

2001 Jane Addams Awards

Books for Older Children

Ryan. Pam Muñoz.  Esperanza Rising.  Scholastic Press, 2000.  ISBN:  0439120411.

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, & servants.  But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces.  When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances.  Mama's life and her own depend on it.  (Also available in audiocassettes.)  Gr. 5-8.

Honor Books

Joseph, Lynn. The Color of My Words.  HarperCollins, 2000.  ISBN:  0060282320.

Twelve-year-old Ana Rosa is a blossoming writer growing up in the Dominican Republic, a country where words are feared.  Yet there is so much inspiration all around her -- watching her brother search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be part of a community -- that Ana Rosa must write it all down.  As she struggles to find her own voice and a way to make it heard, Ana Rosa realizes the power of her words to transform the world around her -- and to transcend the most unthinkable of tragedies.  Gr. 7-9.

Levine, Ellen. Darkness over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews.  Holiday House, 2000.  ISBN:  0823414477.

An account of people in Denmark who risked their lives to protect and rescue their Jewish neighbors from the Nazis during World War II.  Gr. 5-up.

Robinet ,Harriette Gillem.  Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000.  ISBN:  0689831919.

Twelve-year-old Alfa Merryfield, his older sister, and their grandmother struggle for rent money, food, and their dignity as they participate in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott in the summer of 1956.  Gr. 3-7.

Picture Books

Antonio Skármeta.  illustrated by Alfonso Ruano.  The Composition.  Groundwood, 2000.  ISBN:  0888993900.

Skarmeta's sensitive story explores a boy's experience with the military dictatorship in his country.  After he witnesses his friend's father being taken away by a military jeep, Pedro begins to wonder about his own relationship with his country's government.  This award-winning story focuses on an aspect of current political history that is seldom presented in children's books.  Gr. 3-up.

Honor Books

Deedy, Carmen Agra.  Illustrated by Henri Sorensen.   The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark.  Peachtree Publishers, 2000.  ISBN:  0888993900.

Retells the story of King Christian X and the Danish resistance to the Nazis during World War II.  Gr. 3-5.

2000

2002