Kids Book Index
Virginia Frances Schwartz
Sixteen-year-old Orpha is imprisoned at Tothill prison but will not explain what brought her there because she believes no one would accept her account. Troubled by frightening memories and worn down by the prison’s harsh conditions, she persists. While trying to endure confinement, Orpha also reaches out to the other imprisoned girls, forming connections and doing what she can to keep them safe.
This book appears on 1 reading list across 1 edition.
Soaring Earth: A Companion Memoir to Enchanted AirMargarita EngleIn this companion memoir, Margarita Engle recalls a childhood divided between Cuba and Los Angeles. Cuba is remembered as a lush, welcoming island, while life in Los Angeles carries loneliness and dreams. After the revolution, Cuba becomes inaccessible to her in ordinary life and takes on the character of an unreachable mystery. The book contrasts connection to a beloved homeland with separation brought by political change.Ninth to Twelfth GradeOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the BorderJuan Pablo VillalobosThis collection follows eleven young people who leave dangerous conditions in their home countries and immigrate to the United States in search of safety and stability. Their routes include trains, cars, buses, walking, river crossings, and hidden spaces beneath buses or in trailers. Some stories focus on the dangers that forced them to leave and the risks of travel; others describe what happens before or after crossing the border, including time in temporary detention and homes.Twelve to FourteenOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today (Revised Edition)Cynthia Levinson, Sanford Levinson, illustrated by Adela Pons. Peachtree Publishing Company IncFault Lines in the Constitution examines the U.S. Constitution as an origin point for political issues that remain urgent today. Written by a children’s nonfiction author and a constitutional scholar, it puts the country’s founding document at the center of present-day political struggles. The book links constitutional origins from the past with questions and debates facing politics today.Ninth to Twelfth GradeOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details