I know this post is a bit early, but I wanted to make sure it went up before Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for the many s tories that have captivated me and taught me so many things this month. Here are a few of my favorites:

 Wink by Rob Harnell

Ross Maloy just wants to be a normal kid, despite having a rare eye cancer. He views his new life, full of medical treatments, as a video game, and often describes his life in an action comic format. Ross starts to lose vision in one eye, his friends who don't know what to say to "the cancer kid," and endures cruel bullying. But, just when Ross starts to feel like he's losing his footing, he discovers how music, art, and true friends can change everything. This tory is funny, sad, real, and honest. 

 Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Hanna is determined to fit in, get an education, become a dressmaker in her father's shop, and make at least one friend. However, Hanna is half Asaian and lives in a small town where the townspeople are predujice against Asains. Will she be able to overcome the stereotypes and predujice to show everyone how truly amazing she is?

 Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson

When McKenna's little sister requests that she sign up for a mail run in the Canadian wilderness, she hesitantly agrees. McKenna's sister has lost her sight from a debilitating disease. What her sister doesn't know, is that McKenna is trying to hide her own worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. McKenna is torn. Winning the mail run would mean getting her and her sister’s disease national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights. All of whihc, she can not see.

Code Talker: A Novel About The Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac

This novel taught me about a side of World War II that I had not realized even existed. Historically, Navajo children were brought to boarding schools, where they learned English and were told to forget their Navajo language. However, when World War II began, the Marines quickly realized that they could use the Navajo language as a code to communicate with each other. Throughout World War II, Navajo code talkers sent messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. What was once an undesireable and forgettable language, helped save countless American lives. The Navajo code talkers and their story remained classified for more than twenty years, so it is widely unrecognized. Read this novel to hear the story of a Navajo boy who is drafted into the Marines and becomes a war hero, without being able to be celebrated.