New Curriculum: Children’s Literature 

 
​Children’s Lit Book of Choice Unit Texts 
 
 
House on Mango Street ​(1984) 
The ​House on Mango Street​ is the remarkable story of Esperanza 
Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for 
herself who and what she will become.  
Told in a series of vignettes-sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes 
deeply joyous-Sandra Cisneros' masterpiece is a classic story of 
childhood and self-discovery. Few other books in our time have 
touched so many readers. 
Notable awards and recognition: ​American Book Award 
 
 
The Giver ​(1993) 
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war 
or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role 
in the community. Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. When 
Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The 
Giver.  
The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of 
life. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does 
Jonas begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile 
community. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is 
no turning back. 
Notable awards and recognition: ​1994 Newbery Medal 
 
Holes ​(1998) 
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his 
no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has 
since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been 
unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where 
the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes 
exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp 
Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. 
Notable awards and recognition: ​1998 Newbery Medal, ​ 1998 U.S. 
National Book Award for Young People's Literature​[ 
 
 
R. Sarmiento 1 
New Curriculum: Children’s Literature 
 
Because of Winn-Dixie ​(2000) 
One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the 
local supermarket for some groceries – and comes home with a dog. 
But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that 
Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she 
finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal 
was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens 
that summer is because of Winn-Dixie. 
Notable awards and recognition: ​ ​Newbery Honor​ distinction the 
following year. In 2000, the book won the J​ osette Frank Award​,​[2]​ and 
in 2003 won the ​Mark Twain Award​. 
 
 
Book of Lost Things ​(2006) 
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of 
his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for 
company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the 
darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that 
reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart 
around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange 
reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and 
ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious 
book... The Book of Lost Things. An imaginative tale about navigating 
the journey into adulthood, while doing your best to hang on to your 
childhood. 
Notable awards a​ nd recognition​: 2​ 007 Alex Awards 
 
One Crazy Summer ​(2010) 
 
Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, 
Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left 
them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the 
sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, 
Cecile is nothing like they imagined.  

While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their 
mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. 
Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their 
family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer. 

Notable awards a​ nd recognition​: 2​ 011 Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott 

R. Sarmiento 2 
New Curriculum: Children’s Literature 
 
 
Amina’s Voice ​(2017) 
A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her 
family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school 
after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle 
grade novel from the award-winning author of ​It’s Ramadan, Curious 
George ​and G
​ olden Domes and Silver Lanterns​. 
Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just 
hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in 
middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging 
out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking 
about changing her name to something more “American.” Does 
Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? 
While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when 
her local mosque is vandalized. 
Amina’s Voice​ brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights 
the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and 
support each other. 
Notable awards a​ nd recognition​: W
​ ashington Post B
​ est Children’s Book of 2017 

R. Sarmiento 3