Download or read book Shabanu written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Ember. This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Newbery Honor winner about a heroic Pakistani girl that The Boston Globe called “Remarkable . . . a riveting tour de force.” Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she’s been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she’s dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family’s honor—or listen to the stirrings of her own heart? A New York Times Notable Book “Staples has accomplished a small miracle in her touching and powerful story.” —The New York Times

Download or read book The House of Djinn written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). This book was released on 2008-04-01 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suzanne Fisher Staples returns to modern-day Pakistan to reexamine the juxtaposition of traditional Islamic values with modern ideals of love, in this commanding standalone sequel to Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind and Haveli. It has been ten years since Shabanu staged her death to secure the safety of her daughter, Mumtaz, from her husband's murderous brother. Mumtaz has been raised by her father's family with the education and security her mother desired for her, but with little understanding and love. Only her American cousin Jameel, her closest confidant and friend, and the beloved family patriarch, Baba, understand the pain of her loneliness. When Baba unexpectedly dies, Jameel's succession as the Amirzai tribal leader and the arrangement of his marriage to Mumtaz are revealed, causing both to question whether fulfilling their duty to the family is worth giving up their dreams for the future. The House of Djinn is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Download or read book Haveli written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Ember. This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world of Newbery Honor Book Shabanu is vividly re-created in this novel of a young Pakistani woman's heartbreaking struggle against the tyranny of custom and ancient law. Shabanu, now a mother at 18, faces daily challenges to her position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young daughter's education and uncertain future. Then, during a visit to the haveli, their home in the city of Lahore, Shabanu falls in love with Omar, in spite of traditions that forbid their union.

Download or read book An Ocean Apart a World Away written by Lensey Namioka and published by Laurel Leaf. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most 16-year-old girls are planning their weddings, Xueyan, known as Yanyan, has no interest at all in marriage. She is fascinated by medicine. In China in 1921, women rarely attend university, let alone medical school. Still, Yanyan is determined to become a doctor. But Yanyan’s feelings about marriage change when she meets Liang Baoshu. An outstanding scholar and martial arts student, Baoshu is passionate and dangerous. He is determined to rid China of the foreigners who occupy it and restore power to the Manchu dynasty. Life with him would be an adventure. But when Yanyan realizes that being with Baoshu would also mean sacrificing her dream of becoming a doctor, she faces the most difficult decision of her life. And her choice leads to an entirely new adventure an ocean away in America—where Yanyan is the foreigner.

Download or read book Under the Persimmon Tree written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2008-04-01 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intertwined portraits of courage and hope in Afghanistan and Pakistan Najmah, a young Afghan girl whose name means "star," suddenly finds herself alone when her father and older brother are conscripted by the Taliban and her mother and newborn brother are killed in an air raid. An American woman, Elaine, whose Islamic name is Nusrat, is also on her own. She waits out the war in Peshawar, Pakistan, teaching refugee children under the persimmon tree in her garden while her Afghan doctor husband runs a clinic in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Najmah's father had always assured her that the stars would take care of her, just as Nusrat's husband had promised that they would tell Nusrat where he was and that he was safe. As the two look to the skies for answers, their fates entwine. Najmah, seeking refuge and hoping to find her father and brother, begins the perilous journey through the mountains to cross the border into Pakistan. And Nusrat's persimmon-tree school awaits Najmah's arrival. Together, they both seek their way home. Known for her award-winning fiction set in South Asia, Suzanne Fisher Staples revisits that part of the world in this beautifully written, heartrending novel. Under the Persimmon Tree is a 2006 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Download or read book Dangerous Skies written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2006-08-05 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Season of Change Along the Virginia shoreline where their families have lived for generations, Buck and Tunes Smith defy tradition. Raised together like brother and sister, they are bound by surname, but not by skin color. And just as Buck has come to rely on Tunes, Tunes has come to trust that even in a place where race can mean so much, their friendship will remain as dependable as the tides. But then the horrifying events of one spring afternoon tear them apart -- and change their world forever. Desperate to hang on to the thing that he values most, Buck struggles to uphold their friendship -- without realizing that his efforts are pushing Tunes farther and farther away. From a Newbury Honor -- winning author, this is a powerfully moving story of friendship in the face of racism, and betrayal in the name of loyalty.

Download or read book Building Character Through Multicultural Literature written by Rosann Jweid and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive reference to 50 titles that will help children cultivate ethics, assume personal responsibility, and practice moral judgment in unfamiliar cultural contexts.

Download or read book Shiva s Fire written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2001-11 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In India, a talented dancer sacrifices friends and family for her art.

Download or read book Suzanne Fisher Staples written by Megan Lynn Isaac and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2009-11-25 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the six novels and memoir of Suzanne Fisher Staples, including her most famous work: the Pakistani trilogy (Shabanu, Haveli and The House of Djinn). The author considers the predominant themes, characters, and settings of each work, providing background information about the countries, cultures, religions, and art forms that are central to Staples's writing.

Download or read book The Tyrant s Daughter written by J.C. Carleson and published by Ember. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Filled with political intrigue and emotional tension, Carleson’s riveting novel features a teenage refugee caught in a web of deceit and conspiracy.” —PW, starred review When her father is killed in a coup, Laila and her mother and brother leave their war-torn homeland for a fresh start in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At her new high school, Laila makes mistakes, makes friends, and even meets a boy who catches her eye. But this new life brings unsettling facts to light. The American newspapers call her father a brutal dictator and suggest that her family’s privilege came at the expense of innocent lives. Meanwhile, her mother would like nothing more than to avenge his death, and she’ll go to great lengths to regain their position of power. As an international crisis takes shape around her, Laila is pulled in one direction, then another, but there’s no time to sort out her feelings. She has to pick a side now, and her decision will affect not just her own life, but countless others. . . . Inspired by the author's experience as a CIA officer in Iraq and Syria, this book is as timely as it is relevant. Praise for The Tyrant’s Daughter: “Carleson, a former undercover CIA officer, infuses her story with compelling details and gripping authenticity.” —The Boston Globe “Every American should read this book. It’s an eye-opener.” —Suzanne Fisher Staples, Newbery Honor–winning author of Shabanu

Download or read book The House of Djinn written by Suzanne Fisher Staples and published by Ember. This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mumtaz, daughter of Shabanu, has lived with her father's traditional Muslim family for 10 years, enduring the scorn of her auntie Leyla day in and day out. Her only protectors are her uncle Omar and Baba, patriarch of the Amirzai tribe, but even they would disown her if they knew she had a crush on a Hindu boy. The only person Mumtaz can confide in is her cousin Jameel. Unfortunately, Jameel lives with his parents in California and he's been out of touch since he fell in love with a Jewish girl. When Baba dies unexpectedly, Mumtaz's world is thrown into chaos. Without Baba keeping order in the tribe, Mumtaz and Jameel find themselves thrust together in the middle of an ongoing power struggle—the same one that sent Shabanu into hiding a decade earlier. A compelling conclusion to the trilogy that began with the Newbery Honor Book Shabanu and continued in Haveli,The House of Djinn explores the delicate balance between freedom and tradition in modern-day Pakistan.

Download or read book Declarations of Independence written by Joanne Brown and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Female empowerment--especially among girls--is one of the most significant issues to come out of the 90's, and one that will continue to play a significant role in the new millennium. But how do we define empowerment? And more importantly, how do we identify its characteristics within literature? With problems like teenage eating disorders and pregnancy still very much at the core of American society, it is no surprise that a book as important as Declarations of Independence is the latest addition to Scarecrow Press's Studies in Young Adult Literature. Authors Brown and St. Clair use their collective expertise to uncover and trace the development of the young female protagonist from the role of submissive fairy-tale maiden to the spunkier more independent girls who now appear with increasing frequency in young adult literature. This next generation of heroines is the model with which today's readers can readily identify and who the authors believe, become agents of social change for young women. Through careful research that draws on recent scholarship about female adolescent development, situates this shift to stronger female protagonists within a larger cultural context. The empowered girls of this title are defined through close reading of a variety of stories and genres in which they appear-historical and multicultural fiction, social realism, romance and adventure, fantasy, and memoir--with emphasis on books published after 1990. The result is a collection of essays on literature about adolescent girls who have real feelings, passions, and sometimes, rebellious attitudes, and who act upon those feelings, passions, and attitudes to take control of their lives--unlike most of their predecessors, whose fulfillment lay mainly in achieving beauty and suitors. With an annotated list of titles for suggested reading following each chapter Declarations of Independence is the ideal resource for middle and high school teachers, for school and public librarians, a

Download or read book Words in the Dust written by Trent Reedy and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Christopher Medal and a "heart-wrenching" Al Roker's Book Club selection on the Today Show. Zulaikha hopes. She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her--"Inshallah," God willing. Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to her village, promising not just new opportunities and dangers, but surgery to fix her face. These changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha--but can she dare to hope they'll come true?

Download or read book Good Girl Messages written by Deborah O'Keefe and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-10-06 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For much of the 20th century, books for children encouraged girls to be weak, submissive, and fearful. This book discusses such traits, both blatantly and subtly reinforced, in many of the most popular works of the period. Quoting a wide variety of passages, O'Keefe illustrates the typical behaviour of fictional girls – many of whom were passive and immobile while others were actually invalids. They all engaged in approved girlish activities: deferred to elders, observed the priorities, and, in the end, accepted conventional suitors. Even feisty tomboys, like Jo in Little Women, eventually gave up on their dreams and their independence. The discussion is interlaced with moments from the author's own childhood that suggest how her developing self-interacted with these stories. She and her contemporaries, trying to reconcile their conservative reading with the changing world around them, learned ambivalence rather than confidence. Good Girl Messages also includes a discussion of books read by boys, who were depicted as purposeful, daring, and dominating.

Download or read book The Shadows of Ghadames written by Joelle Stolz and published by Yearling. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is a girl forbidden to read or receive an education? This story about a Muslim girl bound by traditional Islamic customs but who yearns for something more explores women’s rights, freedom, religion, and identity. In the Libyan city of Ghadames, Malika watches her merchant father depart on one of his caravan expeditions. She too yearns to travel to distant cities, and longs to learn to read like her younger brother. But nearly 12 years old, and soon to be of marriagable age, Malika knows that—like all Muslim women—she must be content with a more secluded, more limited life. Then one night a stranger enters her home . . . someone who disrupts the traditional order of things—and who affects Malika in unexpected ways. “I was enchanted by this story of a brave Berber girl who dares to dream and its filigree of details about harem life, ancient trade routes, goddesses and healers. The real beauty of The Shadows of Ghadames is that it transcends the exotic to explore universal truths about the condition of being human.”—Suzanne Fisher Staples, author of the Newbery Honor Book Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind *“Stolz invigorates her tale with elegant prose and a deft portrayal of a girl verging on adolescence. The vivid backdrop is intoxicating, but the story’s universal concerns will touch readers most.”—Booklist, Starred

Download or read book Pinky and Rex and the Bully written by James Howe and published by ABDO. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pinky learns the importance of identity as he defends his favorite color, pink, and his friendship with a girl, Rex, from the neighborhood bully.

Download or read book Discovering World Geography with Books Kids Love written by Nancy A. Chicola and published by Fulcrum Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents twelve literature-based units for studying geography, providing general information about the location,topography, climate, flora and fauna, and unique features of each region, and including a selection of children's books that may be used to further understanding of the focus area.