NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 1

Notable Books for a Global Society Project

Hannah Gookstetter

April 8, 2018

Teaching and Learning 307

Washington State University

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Introduction

Having access to and being able to understand and interpret multicultural literature is an

important skill to have as a future educator. As future educators, we will have a diverse group of

students in our classrooms each year. Each student will have a different background, home life,

and culture that defines who they are. By reading multicultural literature, we as teachers expand

our perspective of our students lives. Reading multicultural literature allows us to better

understand our students’ lives and history, thus why reading multicultural literature is so

impactful and important. However, it is not just impactful and important for teachers; it is also

has the same effect for students. When students read multicultural literature, they gain a new

perspective or expand their perspective about the lives of their peers and those in the world. It

allows for students to learn about historical events, the lives, cultures, and stories of people who

have cultures that are different from their own. It makes them more culturally aware. Because of

this, reading multicultural literature is important.

The Notable Books for a Global Society list is a list of twenty-five trade books that

exemplify a books ability to increase children’s understanding of the cultures and people who are

a part of the world (“About NBGS,” 2011). This analysis focuses on eight of the numerous books

that have been highlighted throughout the years. The eight books I chose to focus on are the

following: When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Activists, My Neighbor is a Dog, The

Book Thief, Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, Burn My Heart, An

Uninterrupted View of the Sky, Every Falling Star, and Her Right Foot. My choices consist of

four chapter books and four picture books of varying levels. These books were published from a

variety of years, coming from a range of 2005 to 2017. Throughout this project, my focus has

been on critiquing multicultural literature and improving my understanding of what multicultural

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literature is. It has definitely given me a better appreciation for multicultural literature. I hope to

read more multicultural literature in the future to obtain further knowledge about cultures other

than my own, to become more culturally aware, and to be able to teach my future students about

the vast amount of diverse cultures that surround us.

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment was to teach us how to assess and critique multicultural

literature. This is a very important skill to have as a future educator because books that fall into

the category of multicultural literature are ones that we should expose our students to and share

with them. They should be incorporated into our lessons. According to Children’s Literature

Briefly, multicultural literature has the following benefits for students: it can “foster an

awareness, understanding, and appreciation of people who seem at first glance different from the

reader, present a positive and reassuring representation of a reader’s own cultural group,

introduce readers to the literary traditions of different world cultures or cultural groups within a

specific nation, and introduce readers to outstanding books, authors, and illustrators from other

countries” (Tunnell , Jacobs, Bryan & Young, , p. 200-201). Additionally, it is never too early to

expose children to multicultural literature; exposing them at a very early age will break down

barriers of ignorance and prejudice. Multicultural literature is also very beneficial for students of

minority cultural groups to read because these books can “bolster self-esteem and pride in their

heritage” (Tunnell et al., 2016, p. 202). “A kaleidoscope does not offer on true picture; it morphs

and changes at every move, proffering a multifaceted, prismatic perspective” (Landt, 2008, p.

891). It is my job as a future teacher to expose my students to new perspectives, just as a

kaleidoscope does. I can offer them new perspectives through multicultural literature. By being

able to effectively critique multicultural literature, I as a teacher can best assess which books I
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should include as a part of my classroom library, which books are appropriate for the age group I

am teaching, and which books fit into certain categories of lessons or certain units.

Book Selection Process

My book selection process consisted of a few steps which ultimately lead me to the eight

books that will be analyzed later in this project. First, I downloaded the list of Notable Books for

a Global Society from Blackboard. I then read through the entire list of books. Whenever I am

choosing books to read, I look at the cover and title of the book. If the cover is eye-catching or

intriguing and title sounds interesting, then I will most likely choose to read it. I did this same

method when selecting books for this project. As I read through the list of books, I paid specific

attention to the ones that caught my attention. I wrote down the ones that caught my attention

and ignored the rest. I narrowed down my list. I did this by looking at my list of titles and

deciding which ones truly intrigued me. Next, I located the books. I searched for them on the

Washington State University Libraries website along with my local library in my home town’s

website. I like using my local library’s website because the books are more readily available than

they typically are when checking out books from the library here at WSU. Once I was on the

websites, I searched for the titles from my list. I prefer to read a tangible, real book rather than an

e-book, so I tried my best to get hard copies of each book. I ended up finding eight of the books

that interested me in hard copy form, so I checked those books out.

Steps Taken to Complete the Assignment

The first step I took in completing this assignment was reading all eight of my books. The

picture books were obviously an easy read and could be completed in one sitting. When I read

my picture books, I was able to read them and write the summary and critique for them in one

sitting. However, the chapter books were a different story. When I read the chapter books I
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selected, I read half of one book at a time. I used the general understanding I obtained from

reading half of the story to formulate a summary for the book. Once I had formulated all of the

summaries, I completed each of the books. By completing each of the books, I was able to

further develop and elaborate on the summaries I had created. I was also better prepared to

effectively critique the books I had selected.

After writing the summaries and critiques for each of the books, I proceeded to selecting

which book would be my award winner and which two books would be my honor books. I did

this by looking at the Notable Books for a Global Society criteria. I compared the criteria with

the strengths and weaknesses of the books that I selected. The book that best fit the criteria out of

the eight books I selected was declared the award winner. The ones that were almost as effective

as meeting the Notable Books for a Global Society criteria were declared the honor books. From

this point, I brainstormed ways each of the books could be incorporated into the classroom. This

included determining which age group the books were best suited for, topics and themes that the

books covered, and what units and lessons these books could be a part of.

What is Multicultural or Global Literature?

I, Hannah Gookstetter, believe that multicultural or global literature is literature from all

around the world. It is from a diverse group of authors and covers a variety of topics that pertain

to events that occur mainly outside of the United States. It talks about cultures that are outside of

the United States. Global literature does not necessarily have to be written by authors from

outside of the United States; it just needs to focus on topics and cultural aspects that do not occur

inside of the United States. Multicultural literature can be fiction or nonfiction. The purpose of

multicultural literature is to expose children to new perspectives in correct manner. My

definition will be much different from that of other students because each person has their own
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perspective on what multicultural literature is. However, my definition may be too narrow.

According to Children’s Literature, Briefly, multicultural literature can “promote understanding

among religious factions” and effectively represent individuals with “intellectual and physical

challenges” (Tunnell et al., 2016, p. 201). It is clear that multicultural literature does more than

just represent ethnic groups. I developed my definition of multicultural literature by reflecting

back on what I have learned in my English Language Learner education classes. These classes

focus on becoming more culturally aware and more culturally sensitive. In these classes, we

learn about the importance of being knowledgeable of other cultures and how we as future

teachers need to approach cultural diversity and how to incorporate the culture of our students in

the classroom. My definition was also developed by reading our textbook, Children’s Literature,

Briefly. A description of what multicultural literature is, along with a description of international

books is the focus of one of the chapters in the textbook.

My definition of multicultural literature has changed throughout the course of completing

this project. Because I worked on this project individually, it is easy for me to look back and

reflect on how my definition has been altered. For example, while I did realize that multicultural

literature would focus on a variety of different cultures, I thought the books would be mostly

nonfiction trade books about those cultures. I did not realize that they would be historical or even

realistic fiction trade books. I thought facts could only be accurately portrayed in nonfiction

books. Previously, I never really thought that culture could be accurately and effectively

portrayed as fiction. After completing this project, it is clear that cultural details can be

accurately depicted as a part of both fiction and nonfiction works. Multicultural literature can tell

of fictional characters and occurrences that could have taken place during a certain era, time

period, or event.
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Summaries, Strengths, and Weaknesses of the Eight Books

When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders by J. Patrick Lewis

Summary: When Thunder Comes is an anthology of poems written by J. Patrick Lewis. This

collection of poems provides a new perspective to the struggles of those yearning for Civil

Rights from recognizable names like Coretta Scott King, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Jackie

Robinson, and Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Carthan Till. These along with various other Civil

Rights Activists are given a new voice through the poetry in this anthology. My favorite poem

from the anthology is “The First” which is about Jackie Robinson who was the first African

American to play on a Major League Baseball team. Specifically, my favorite line from the poem

is the following: “I time the wind up, my pistons primed to shovel under Yogi’s glove. Yankee

Stadium is stunned! But you can hear the cheering all the way from Harlem.” I like this line of

the poem because it shows how much of an impact Robinson had not only on the world of sports,

but on the Civil Rights effort, too. When Thunder Comes features a variety of poems discussing

the feelings and efforts from a diverse group of activists: Native Americans, African Americans,

Japanese, Chinese, Indians, and Americans. The new perspectives this anthology presents are

eye-opening and give the reader a new appreciation for all of the effort put towards civil rights.

Also, by sharing poems from such a diverse group of activists, the author is opening to the

reader’s eye to the fact that it was not only African Americans who were struggling for civil

rights, there were other groups struggling for civil rights, too. Often in schools, the struggle of

African Americans is the only one paid attention to, while the struggles of other groups and

populations is just as important as theirs. This book highlights those struggles and would be great

to use in the classroom during a unit about the Civil Rights Act to show students how civil rights

impacted everybody. The illustrations are clearly hand painted. Each is painted in a different

style which showcases the diversity of each of the Civil Rights activists that are featured in this
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book. They all consist of bright colors and beautiful details. The one issue that I found with this

book was that some of the poems included in the book feature some Civil Rights activists that

most students are not familiar. Because of this, these people would have to be introduced before

this book is read to the students. This means that this book should not be used as an introductory

element to a unit or lesson about Civil Rights.

Strengths: A strength of this book is that there is a clear, overarching theme: Civil Rights and

overcoming oppression and obstacles. This theme is obvious despite the fact that there are a

variety of poems included in this book. The theme is clear and concise because all of the poems

in the book are about Civil Rights activists who have all faced some form of oppression in their

lifetime. Additionally, this book features more than just African American activists. As

previously stated, we often think of African Americans as being the only ones who were facing

extreme oppression and were the only ones who benefitted from the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

We only acknowledge the struggles of African Americans because this is what we are typically

taught in school. African Americans were not the only ones who benefited from the Civil Rights

Act of 1964: so many minority populations benefitted from it. When Thunder Comes features

Native American activists, Japanese activists, Chinese activists, Indian activists, and American

activists alongside African American activists. Because When Thunder Comes features a diverse

group of activists, it provides students and young readers with an opportunity to learn about the

activists they have not heard about or perhaps will not hear about during their time in school.

Weaknesses: One weakness of this book is that there is no plot. Because it is an anthology of

poems, it would be hard for there to be a plot at all because each poem features a different

subject, a different story, and has a differing theme. Since there is no plot, students may see no

point in reading a book without much of a story. Another weakness of this book is that the
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illustrations differ from page to page. I understand that the differing illustrations are most likely

intended to represent the diverse lives and cultures of the diverse group of Civil Rights activists

featured in this book; however, because the illustrations are different, there is no sense of unity

throughout the entirety of the book. The sole unifying element that I was able to identify

throughout the book is that all of the poems are about Civil Rights activists. If the illustrations

were more similar, there would be more unity and connectedness throughout the book.

My Neighbor is a Dog by Isabel Minhós Martins

Summary: Everyone loves dogs, especially children. When a dog moves into the apartment

next-door to a little girl, she could not be happier. He brings such vivacious life to the apartment

building! Things begin to get a little strange though when other animal neighbors start moving

in: a pair of elephants and a rather fashionable crocodile. The little girl’s parents do not like their

new neighbors, but the little girl absolutely adores them and accepts them for who they are. Her

parents always seem to find something wrong with the new neighbors and cannot seem to accept

their uniqueness. The little girl talks to her new neighbors about how she cannot believe that her

parents do not like them. The new animal neighbors have noticed that the little girl’s parents

think they are better than them which makes the little girl decide that the animals deserve better

neighbors. Just as a new neighbor – a giraffe – is about to move in, the little girl and her parents

move out. The little girl vows that she will move back to the apartment building some day and

her new neighbors will not find her strange at all. This book would be a great tool to use to teach

very young students – preschoolers, kindergarteners, or first graders – about diversity and how it

is important to have their own opinions and not judge others just because they are different. The

illustrations are bright and colorful and have a naïve style to them, which will catch the eyes of
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young children and entice them to continue to read the book. Occasionally, some of the text is a

color that is similar to the part of the illustration that it is mounted on which makes it difficult to

read. Additionally, to me the story ended in an abrupt manner. All of a sudden the young girl and

her parents move out of the apartment building without much of an explanation and the little girl

promises to come back some day. Rather than the young girl’s parents just up and leaving and

solving their problem with their neighbors, they should have worked out a solution to their

problem with their diverse neighbors. Then, the story would have been a tool to teach students

problem solving along with teaching them about the importance of accepting diversity.

Strengths: First, this book is a tool that can be used to teach students about diversity and how to

be accepting of others. It is simple enough that the youngest of students can understand the

theme – there is nothing wrong with being different. This brings us to the second strength of My

Neighbor is a Dog: there is a clear theme. As previously stated, the theme is about being

accepting of diversity and others’ differences. Even though the characters in this story are rather

silly and would be unrealistic neighbors, their quirkiness and individuality make it easy for

children to understand that people are different and that is an aspect that is acceptable.

Weaknesses: The first weakness I can identify from this book is that it is originally from

Portugal. The fact that it is originally from Portugal is not the issue; the issue is with the

translation of the book into English. Not all languages have words that directly translate into

English, therefore there could be some lapses in translation. Lapses in translation could mean

that the original meaning of the story is not being properly conveyed, which in turn affects the

overall quality of the book. A second weakness of My Neighbor is a Dog is that the plot ends

very abruptly. I acknowledged this weakness in the summary paragraph for this book. All of a

sudden, the girl and her parents move away. It is clear that they moved away because they
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disliked their odd neighbors, but it happens so suddenly without any true explanation. Rather

than just abruptly moving away, the young girl should have introduced her parents to the new

neighbors and showed them how it is acceptable to be different from others. By doing this, the

author and the story would be teaching students how to problem solve, rather than showing them

it is acceptable to desert your problems leaving them unsolved.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Summary: Liesel Meminger, a foster girl, has a love she cannot deny: a love for books. Her love

for books is so strong that she actually steals them. Her stealing ways stem from a tragic event in

her life. While she is riding a train to the town where her new foster family lives with her mother

and her younger brother, her younger brother suddenly dies. Liesel finds him slumped over in the

seat. They get off the train at a random station in a random town. In this random town, they have

to bury her brother. They bury him in some random, unmarked spot which will someday be

forgotten. One of the grave diggers left behind a book about how to dig graves. The cover is

black with silver writing. Liesel and her mother part ways; now it is just Liesel and her foster

family. Liesel stores the book under the mattress of her bed, but she cannot read it. She keeps it

as a token of remembrance of her brother’s passing. Although this book means so much to her,

she cannot read it yet because she did not go to school much when she was younger. Liesel

struggles with adjusting to life with her new foster family. Her foster mother – who she calls

‘Mama” – is extremely vulgar and harsh. She is always swearing or complaining about

something or someone. On the other hand, Liesel’s foster father, ‘Papa,’ is very kind and loving.

He helps Liesel get through her nightmares about her brother every night. Over her time with her

foster family, Liesel begins to accrue quite the collection of stolen books, but she cannot read
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them. With the help of her foster father, Liesel learns to read the books she, which she then

proceeds to share with her neighbors. The book she shares help her and her neighbors get

through the struggles they face in Nazi Germany during World War Two. What is interesting

about The Book Thief is that it is narrated by Death, which gives the entire story an eerie, somber

mood. While this is an interesting component of the book and definitely makes it different from

most novels, it also makes the story challenging to follow at times. The story may have been

easier to follow if it was told from first-person-point-of-view rather than third-person. The Book

Thief emphasizes the importance of aesthetic reading, which, according to Children’s Literature,

Briefly, is reading to “participate in an experience” (Tunnell et al., 2016, p. 3). Reading for

aesthetic purposes provides the reader with an experience and an opportunity to escape from

reality, which is what Liesel and her neighbors utilize the books Liesel has stolen; they use the

books as an escape from the hardships of living in Nazi Germany.

Strengths: As previously stated in the summary paragraph, The Book Thief truly places an

emphasis on reading for aesthetic purposes. Liesel and her neighbors read books to participate in

an experience that mentally draws them away from the horrible lives they are living while caught

up in the midst of Nazi Germany. It is important for students to understand the importance and

benefits of aesthetic reading because it is an activity that they can partake in for their entire lives.

Additionally,

Weaknesses: One weakness of The Book Thief is that it lacks characterization. As a reader, one

does not learn much about Liesel and her background. We are thrown into the midst of her story

without much explanation. With more characterization, readers may be more excited about

reading about Liesel, her journey, and struggles. Another weakness is that the story is narrated by

death. There is no explanation as to why death is the narrator. Perhaps death is the narrator
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because of all of the death that was occurring during this time period. The story takes place

during the reign of Hitler and Nazi Germany which was a time full of malicious and wrongful

death. In addition to the lack of explanation of death as the narrator, having death be the narrator

of the story makes it hard to follow. At times it is hard to tell if portions of the story are about

death or about Liesel and her journey. Death interjects at random times, making the reader lose

sight of Liesel’s story. Plus, having death narrate the story is just flat out creepy and eerie. This

may have been done to represent the eeriness in this time throughout the world.

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds by Paula Yoo

Summary: Sammy Lee has come a long way. Sammy and his parents left Korea in order to live

a better life in the United States. While at the public pool in the summer, which we can only

access on Wednesdays due to segregation laws, Sammy discovers his passion for diving. He

practices with his friend, Hart Crum. Sammy is a natural at diving; however, his father wants

him to become a doctor and for his son to stop fooling around with sports. One day, Sammy and

his father drive to the market downtown to discover that the streets are lined with numerous

colorful flags. Sammy’s father tells him that Los Angeles is hosting the Olympics this year and

that the gold medal winning athletes are considered the best of the best. This lights a spark in

Sammy: in that moment he knew he wanted to become an Olympic diving champion. Eventually,

Sammy meets Jim Ryan who becomes his coach. Jim Ryan trains Sammy in a sandpit in Ryan’s

backyard because Sammy has limited access to the public pool. All of Sammy’s hard work in

school and diving pays off when he gets a scholarship to Occidental College in Los Angeles. But

despite his success, Sammy continues to face discrimination. For example, he was not allowed to

attend his own senior year prom. In college, Sammy studies to become a doctor and continues to
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work on his diving, hoping to qualify for the next Olympic games. His dreams come to a halt

when his father dies and Sammy enrolls in the United States Army Medical program. He left

diving in the dust, but soon discovers that he misses it very much. He returns to diving and ends

up winning a competition with his highest score ever. He ends up qualifying for the Olympics

and becoming an Olympic champion! Sammy had overcome all of the discrimination he had

faced throughout his life and made his late-father proud. The illustrations in this book appear to

be either hand drawn or perhaps created with some type of oil paint. Each illustration is either

rectangular or square and is framed by a white background. The text is also placed on a white

background; it is not placed over top of the illustrations like text is in many picture books. All of

the illustrations are very dark in color, consisting of predominately neutral tones. Each

illustration is extremely detailed; it is clear that the illustrator put a lot of hard work and

dedicated a lot of time to crafting these illustrations. One issue that I had with this story is that I

wish it focused more on the Civil Rights aspect. Sammy Lee faced a ton of discrimination and

was clearly a Civil Rights activists. The author should have focused more on this aspect of Lee’s

life. I feel like it would have made the story stronger.

Strengths: Just like many of the other books I read for this project, this book also has a strong

and apparent theme. The theme in this book is that it is possible to overcome the odds and prove

people wrong. Sammy Lee does this by winning a gold medal in diving at the Olympic Games.

He overcomes discrimination to prove to everyone that he is just as capable as everyone else.

Another strength of this story is the characterization. The reader gets to observe Lee grow up

through the illustrations and the text. Because of this, the reader really gets to know Lee as the

protagonist. The reader is aware of his upbringing, his determination, and his growth as a diver.

The plot also wraps up well in my opinion. The story ends at a high point, shortly before the
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culmination of the plot Lee reaches a low point in his life. He overcomes this by winning gold at

the Olympics. The plot begins with Lee becoming interested in diving and then culminates with

him reaching his goal: winning gold at the Olympics.

Weaknesses: Because this is a book about racial discrimination and Lee did partake in a time

when there was a struggle for Civil Rights, I feel as though the book should have focused more

on discrimination Lee faced rather than his journey. The discrimination he faced was mentioned

a few times, but it was mentioned briefly. It was never elaborated on. If the author would have

focused more on Lee’s discrimination, this book would have made a great addition to a history

unit on Civil Rights. Because the book does not discuss this very important influence in Lee’s

life and journey as an Olympic diver, the book in my eyes is less strong.

Burn My Heart by Beverly Naidoo

Summary: Mathew, a young white British boy, is growing up on the family farm in rural Kenya

in the 1950’s. His father’s slave, Mugo, is a thirteen-year-old African native boy. The two boys

are friends and Mathew enjoys spending time with Mugo any chance he can get. Mugo spends

much of his days working in Mathew’s father’s kitchen, so Mathew has to ask the head chef for

permission to hang out with Mugo during the day. One day, Mugo and Mathew discover that the

fence around the farm has been cut, but there was no trace left behind to show who did it.

Mathew, with his rifle in hand, takes off past the fence to seek out any evidence on who cut their

fence. Mugo reluctantly follows him, even though he knows it is not safe. It is not a safe time in

Kenya because an uprising is happening: African natives are rebelling against their white masters

in an attempt to reclaim the land that once belonged to their ancestors. A secret grass-roots

movement has begun, called Mau Mau, which has a goal to take back their ancestral land from
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the white man. Neither Mugo or Mathew have had a run in with anyone involved with the Mau

Mau, but the threat from them still exists. While on their journey outside of the fence, the boys

have a run in with an angry elephant who is upset at Mathew because he disturbed the elephant’s

meal by shooting his rifle at an impala. Later that night, Mugo reveals to his father that they did

not inform anyone about the cut in the fence, but the punishment that Mugo receives is not the

worst of his problems. In the middle of the night in the midst of a lightning storm, Mugo

awakens to shadow figures whisking away his parents. He follows the figures to a dairy barn,

where he finds many people, including his parents. People are taken away and then they come

back without any harm done to them. Mugo is confused by this. It turns out that people are being

taken into a separate room to take the oath of the Mau Mau and join the group. Mugo’s parents

are not a part of the group. Additionally, Mugo finds out that while his brother has been away at

school, he also joined the Mau Mau. Mugo is conflicted as to which side he should take in this

conflict: should he fight for his ancestors or be a “traitor” and stick with the white man. This

book gives the reader a glance into what British colonialism and the time of apartheid may have

been like in Africa. It is full of emotion and realities of what life was like during this time. It tells

the story of friendship and confliction. Although this book is very insightful, powerful, and

informative, it is not suitable for younger ages. This book should only be used for students who

are in the sixth grade and older. It would be a great addition to a lesson about apartheid and

British colonialism in the mid-1900’s because it provides the reader with a perspective they do

not normally read about in their textbooks or hear about from their teachers. In regards to the

format of this book, it is an easy read; however, I found it challenging to follow at some points.

The perspective of the story switches often between Mathew and Mugo, but it is not really made

clear when the perspective switches whose perspective the story is being told from. It would be
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nice to have an indicator at the beginning of each chapter to help guide the reader through the

story.

Strengths: One thing I enjoyed about this book was that it discussed the lives of people during

the time of apartheid in southern Africa. I feel as though there are not many books, at least that I

am aware of, that discuss conflicts, issues, and the lives of people in this region during this time

in history. It was very eye-opening to read about a revolution and uprising that actually occurred

during this time. The author did an excellent job of teaching about the Mau Mau movement

without the book falling into the nonfiction genre. Learning through fiction was almost more

insightful than learning through reading nonfiction in this case, in my opinion. Additionally, I

thought the character development in this story was very strong. The reader learns a lot about

both Mugo’s and Mathew’s life within the first few chapters of the book. Even within the first

few pages of the book each of the boys’ personalities become clear. Mugo is more reserved,

cautious, and rule-abiding whereas Mathew is more adventurous, risk-taking, and outgoing.

Mugo is also very curious. The writing style was also very strong: each chapter (or few chapters)

the perspective would switch from one boy to the other, which allowed the reader to see both of

the boy’s perspectives on the Mau Mau uprising. The author does an excellent job of

incorporating multiple perspectives in order to give the reader a complete experience.

Weaknesses: Although I declared the author’s writing of both of the boy’s perspectives as a

strength of the book, I believe that it could be considered a weakness, too. I believe this because

at times it was hard to tell whose perspective the story was focused on. The reader has to read a

page or two of each chapter in order to be able to identify whose perspective the story is being

told from in that chapter. This issue could be easily changed by adding indicators at the
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beginning of each chapter to signal to the reader the change from Mugo’s perspective to

Mathew’s perspective or vice versa.

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder

Summary: Francisco does not like school. If he had the choice, he would drop out and open a

soccer equipment store with his friend Reynolado and play soccer for the rest of his life.

However, life is expensive in Bolivia, so Francisco spends his days going to school, being

lectured by his father about how he needs to do well in school so he can go to university, and

being frustrated with the small amount of personal space he has to share with his younger sister,

Pilar. One day, Francisco’s life is flipped upside-down when his father is arrested on false drug

charges based on the 1008 law in place in Bolivia. His father’s taxi car ran out of gasoline; while

he was walking to the gas station to get more gas, he is arrested and accused of utilizing the

gasoline to make cocaine. He is sent to an all-male prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Francisco

and his family all know his father is innocent, but the legal system does not believe them at all.

When Francisco, his sister, and his mother go to visit his father in prison, Francisco’s mother

abandons them in the prison. Francisco returns home the next day to find that his mother has

taken absolutely everything from what was once their family home except for three boxes of

items she left behind of Francisco, Pilar, and Francisco’s father. Francisco and Pilar must now

live in the prison with their father. The prison is absolutely unsafe until: Pilar is constantly being

eyed by male predators, the bathrooms are covered with human waste, food is limited, and they

must sleep outside until they can afford to rend a cell from the prison. Spirits are dwindling in

Francisco, Pilar, and Francisco’s father. Francisco’s father decides that the only solution to Pilar

and Francisco living in prison with him is to have them move in with his parents – Francisco’s
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 19

grandparents – who live up in the Andes mountain range in Atiplano. Francisco refuse and will

do anything he can to keep his family together. He begins to take an interest in law while he is

attempting to find a way to get his father out of prison. This leads to him taking school more

seriously so he can perhaps pursue a career in law to help his father get out of prison. Ultimately,

Francisco ends relocating to Atiplano with Pilar and a student from his school, Soledad, who was

also living in the prison in order to live a safer life. In the end, things begin to work out for

Francisco when he is accepted into university as a part of the law department. This story is very

eye-opening: it shows the readers what life under a corrupt legal system is like. It also shows the

effects of the war on drugs that is occurring in the United States has on countries aside from our

own. It is an emotional tale full of perseverance, optimism, determination, and mental strength.

The reader falls in love with Francisco and continually hopes for the best for him and his family.

This book should not be read by students who are in the fifth grade or lower grades because the

story is so emotionally heavy and contains some events that would be hard for them read about.

In that case, it makes a strong and powerful read for students in sixth grade and upward. It would

be an interesting read to include as part of a unit on legal and justice systems in other countries

or about the War on Drugs in the United States as it does showcase the effects of the War on

Drugs having effects on countries other than our own.

Strengths: The voice in this story is clearly a strength of this story. It feels as though one is

actually inside Francisco’s mind when they are reading it. As the reader, one can truly feel the

struggle and pain this family is going through as they transition to living life confined within the

walls of a disgusting prison. The imagery created throughout the story is also amazing. At times

it truly feels like the reader is living in the prison with Francisco, his sister, and father. In

addition to these two strengths, characterization is also strength. The author does an excellent job
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 20

of developing the three main characters in the story: Francisco, Pilar, and Francisco’s father. In

fact, the reader gets to know them so well that if feels like they have known the characters their

whole life. The plot is also developed quite well; however, it ends in a very disappointing

manner. I wish things would have worked out with Francisco and his quest to get father out of

jail; however, this is a reality for many families. Although this is frustrating, it truly is the reality

for many families, which makes the story very eye-opening and emotional. Overall, the story is

extremely emotional and raw, making it an exciting and powerful read for all who choose to pick

it up.

Weaknesses: I struggled to identify a weakness with this story aside from the plot not ending as

hoped. Another aspect that could be considered a weakness is that it is a book that should not be

read by younger students because it is so raw, emotional, and graphic. It is definitely intended for

middle graders and up.

Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee and Susan McClelland

Summary: Sungju – an eleven-year-old Korean boy – has never known anything more than the

happy, ideal life he lives with his mother, father, and dog in Pyongyang, Korea. Pyongyang is the

capital city of North Korea. Sungju spends his days studying and practicing martial arts. He

dreams that one day he will be a military officer just like his father. Little did Sungju know that

his life would be drastically changed because of the actions of his father. Sungju never took his

luxurious life for granted, until the day came when he was no longer living that life. Because of

his father’s actions, Sungju and his parents lose almost everything they have and must move

immediately to Gyeong-Seong. His parents try to tell him that they are just going on a simple

vacation, but Sungju is smarter than that and knows that something is wrong. Life is completely
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 21

different in Gyeong-Seong: their new home is falling apart and disgusting, there are poor people

roaming the streets, and everything is generally more hostile. Previously, Sungju lived a

privileged and protected life; he did not know the truth about his own country. Once he gets out

into the hurting world that is Gyeong-Seong, he learns more about the gruesome, awful, and

horrible realities that make up his country. He and his family have to do everything they can to

survive. Sungju ends up dropping out of school in order to assist his parents in scavenging for

food, hunting, and collecting water. Eventually, the living conditions get bad enough where both

Sungju’s mother and father must both leave to find food, but they disappear just like every other

child’s parents in town. Sungju is left to fend for himself by living on the streets. In order to

prosper, he and some friends from school create a gang where they make money by performing

and collect food and other goods by stealing from the townspeople and merchants in the local

market. They get off the streets by living in one of the boy’s homes. This works for a while until

people start catching onto what the boys are doing. Then they travel from town to town to make

ends meet. After spending many years stealing and living on and off the streets, Sungju is

reunited with his father when he smuggles him out of North Korea and into the much safer South

Korea. From there, Sungju blossoms: he earns a college degree and continues his studies in the

United Kingdom. There are many themes in this story, but the two that come to mine when I

reflect back on reading this book are optimism and overcoming the odds. Sungju never gives up

on himself; when times are tough he finds a way to survive and to prosper in some ways. When

he loses the support system of his parents, he gains a support system by banding together his

friends as a gang to help each other survive. Although at times he does lose hope (he actually

contemplates suicide at one point in the story), Sungju is continually optimistic about his life and

the return of his parents. This book tackles a lot of topics that are hard for the reader to ingest:
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 22

famine, loss, poverty, violence, crime, homelessness, and more. Because of this, this book should

be intended for students who are old enough to be able to understand these topics and are able to

handle the emotions they carry with them. These students should be in no grade level lower than

the sixth grade. Another excellent component of this book is that it provides the reader with an

insight into the reality of life in North Korea. We all know that North Korea is a bad place, but

with limited information about its current and past state that is available to the general public, it

is hard to understand just how bad life is in this country. This book portrays just how much of a

struggle life is for people in this country and how indoctrinated they are to believe anything their

government tells them is true. Because of the wonderful insight this memoir provides, it would

be a great book to include as a part of a unit on foreign governments or Asian countries in a

broad sense. The only flaw that I found within the covers of this book was that at times it was

difficult to follow the story. It bounced around a lot through time, which made the concept of

time in the story hard to keep track of. However, this is made up for by the beautiful imagery that

exists in the text that makes the reader truly feel like they are living on the streets with Sungju.

Additionally, I felt emotionally attached to this story because I could relate to Sungju at times,

especially when his family was struggling day-to-day without food because they did not have the

money to pay for food. My family went through a challenging time similar to this one where we

were barely scraping by. Perhaps this is why I enjoyed the story so much.

Strengths: One very apparent strength of this story is the imagery that the author has created in

this story. The reader truly feels as though they are living on the streets with Sungju. The

imagery alone is extremely powerful. Additionally, the voice in the story is extremely powerful.

Once can truly feel the pain and loss that Sungju is going through, yet despite his pain one can

sense his optimism. Both the imagery and voice work together to glean incredibly strong
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 23

emotion in the text. The plot is also extremely strong: most of the loose ends in the story are tied

up, aside from the reader left wondering what happens to Sungju’s buddies that got him through

life on the streets. Finally, this book provides readers with an insight to what life is really like

within the borders of North Korea. It is often hard to find accurate information about life in

North Korea; this book provides insightful information on life in North Korea that is from a true

story. Sungju Lee is a real person and his story provides us with great information about what

life is like in North Korea.

Weaknesses: The sole weakness I could identify is that it was occasionally challenging to keep

up with the story at times. There is no concept of time in the story, which makes it feel like the

story bounces around. Because of this, it is hard to keep track of the story at times and causes the

reader to get occasionally lost.

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers

Summary: Her Right Foot, written by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Shawn Harris, is a

nonfiction picture book that focuses on the Statue of Liberty. It tells about the history of the

Statue of Liberty: who designed it, who built it, where it came from, and how it got to the United

States. It even includes a miniscule detail about science; it discusses how the Statue of Liberty

was once copper, but because of oxidation, it turned green which is the color it is today. More

importantly, the book tells about an element of the statue that most are not aware of: The Statue

of Liberty’s right foot. Most people are not aware of the fact that the statue’s right foot is

positioned so it looks like she is walking forward. Also, there are broken chains attached to her

foot. Her moving foot and broken chains show that she is moving away from oppression and

boundaries. The broken chains represent her breaking through oppression and breaking
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 24

boundaries. Most recreations of the statue show her standing straight and not moving, which is

not accurate. When they do this they take away from the meaningfulness that the statue

possesses. The statue stands over the New York City harbor, out towards the Atlantic Ocean. She

welcomes all of the immigrants who are coming to the United States. Her welcome was not

intended just for the immigrants who were coming to the United States in the 1800’s; her

welcome is intended for immigrants in the past, today, and the future. This book would be a great

one to include in a lesson about immigration. It explains the concept of immigration in a manner

that would be understandable for younger students without getting extremely political or

overwhelming. I would use it at the beginning of a unit on immigration as an introduction to

immigration in the United States. Then, I would progress the unit by teaching about how

immigration has impacted the United States, specifically. A cool project that could be done based

on this book is to have the students create their own statue that they would use to welcome

immigrants into our country. In regards to the illustrations in the book, they are created in more

of a collage style. The illustrations appear to be crafted out of basic crafting materials: paper,

paint, and a material that appears to look like foam. There also appears to be some hand drawn

elements, as well. The only thing that I would change about the book is I would make it shorter

perhaps by including more text on each page. However, if this was done, the reader would be

limited to the number of beautiful illustrations they would get to see.

Strengths: A clear strength of this book, which makes it stand out amongst the seven other

books, is that it discusses a topic that most readers are not aware of: the fact that the Statue of

Liberty’s right foot is meant to look like she is walking forward. Because of this, the book is very

insightful and informative. Another strength of Her Right Foot is the voice. The voice in the

story makes the reader feel like the story of the Statue of Liberty and her right foot is being told
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 25

by a small child. Because of this aspect, the story may be more comprehensible for younger

students because it is in a voice that they can identify with and relate to. It also makes the story a

very cute and adorable story. The voice also creates a tone of awe and wonder, which makes the

reader feel as though this new information they are learning is something that has never been

discussed or discovered before they picked up this book. An additional strength of this book is

that it teaches concepts like immigration in a manner that is understandable to younger students.

It is challenging to teach controversial concepts like immigration to young students; this book

would be a great addition to a lesson on immigration.

Weaknesses: A weakness of Her Right Foot is that there are not really any characters featured in

this book. The architect who designed the Statue of Liberty, those who constructed the statue,

and the Statue of Liberty herself could be considered characters; however, they are never really

developed. Because of this, the book lacks characterization. It also lacks a strong theme. One

theme that appears towards the end of the book is a theme of immigration and welcoming others

into our country. This theme is apparent; however, the story still lacks an overarching, general

theme.

The Criteria

There are eleven different criteria that a book must meet in order to be included on the

Notable Books for Global Society list for any given year. The criteria involve aspects like

authenticity, details, honoring diversity, and more. Along with the criteria that pertains to the

elements of the story, there is criteria that focuses on the language and style used in the book.

From this criteria, a list of twenty-five ‘winners’ is crafted annually, highlighting outstanding

multicultural literature published in a given year.

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 26

` The first criterion that a book must meet is that a nominated book must have “accuracy

and authenticity of the people depicted” (“About NBGS,” 2011). What this means is that the

people depicted in the story are depicted accurately and authentically. A person must be depicted

accurately and authentically in regards to the following terms: “physical characteristics, social

and economic status, intellectual and problem-solving abilities, and displays of leadership and

cooperation” (“About NBGS,” 2011). A piece of multicultural literature is not worth reading if it

does not depict the group or population it is focusing on. By not depicting the group of focus in

an authentic light, the book shines a negative, inaccurate light on the group. If a teacher was to

read an inaccurate and inauthentic piece of multicultural literature to their students, the students

may develop negative, xenophobic feelings about a particular group. One of their peers may be a

part of said group which could lead to the student being outcast and bullied. Xenophobia is

defined as “the mistrust or fear of people who are strangers or foreigners” (Tunnell et al. 2016, p.

201). When young children develop this fear, they become unaccepting of cultures and people

other than their own or those which they are familiar with. They do not want learn about other

cultures or are rather afraid of other cultures. We as teachers do not want to foster this fear in our

students; by reading accurate and authentic multicultural literature to our students, we

acknowledge the importance of learning about other cultures and becoming cultural aware. We

paint the lives of those from other cultures in a positive, informative light by reading accurate

and authentic multicultural literature. It is very clear this first criterion is extremely important for

a book to meet when it is being nominated as an outstanding piece of multicultural literature.

Second, a book that is an exemplifies multicultural literature must have “richness of

detail concerning the group or groups depicted” (“About NBGS,” 2011). This means that the

author cannot just simply graze over important facts about a cultural group or a cultural event.
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 27

When discussing cultural groups or events, it is important to focus on as many details as possible

because the more details that included, the more accurate and authentic the depiction of a group

or event becomes. This criterion is clearly connected to first criterion. The second criterion

described in this paragraph explains why I was frustrated with Paula Yoo, author of Sixteen

Years in Sixteen Seconds. Yoo skims over all of the discrimination Sammy Lee faces throughout

his journey to become a successful Olympian. The discrimination Lee faces is a crucial

component of his journey and his life in general. Yoo only mentions the discrimination he faces

a couple of times. Because of this, I do not think Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is not worthy

of winning the award I will be awarding in the coming section of this analysis. Having extensive

detail is just as important as having authenticity and accuracy.

The third criterion is that the book must contain “an approach that honors and celebrates

diversity as well as the common bonds of humanity” (“About NBGS,” 2011). Simply put,

excellent multicultural literature must celebrate diversity. Multicultural literature is all about

providing resources to readers of all ages that educate them about the diverse cultures that exist

around the world. The heart of multicultural literature is celebrating diversity.

Next, the fourth criterion states that nominated books must have “in-depth treatment of

issues” (“About NBGS,” 2011). This is similar to the second criterion describe above. It focuses

on the extensive details necessary to accurately tell a story. This criterion requires the book to

have extensive, accurate details about the issue it focuses on. During the time I spent reading the

eight books I selected to focus on for this project, I noticed that a majority of the books I selected

were rather lengthy. Even some of the pictures were lengthy or had large amounts of text

included within them. Perhaps this criterion is responsible for the lengthy-ness of all of these

books. Although the books are long and take a solid amount of time to read, the in-depth detail
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 28

they provide about the lives and stories of the characters in these books is extremely intriguing

and eye-opening.

The fifth criterion is that the book must consist of a “depiction of substantive authentic

interaction among characters within and across groups” (“About NBGS,” 2011). This criterion

focuses on the dialogue and interactions betwixt the characters in the story. It also focuses on the

interaction of one cultural group with another. Authors should not sugar-coat interaction between

cultural groups. For example, interactions between South Korea and North Korea should be

authentic, not sugar-coated. Interactions shared by these two countries are malicious and terrible.

Exchanges, whether they involve dialogue or not, need to be authentic because when exchanges

are authentic, they are accurately portraying the tensions or feelings characters or groups share

about one another. This criterion falls into the same realm as the first criterion in regards to

accuracy and authenticity. Authentic interactions attribute to the authenticity and accuracy of a

story.

Another criterion a book nominated as a Notable Book for a Global Society is “inclusion

of members of a ‘minority’ group for purposes other than tokenism or fulfillment of any type of

‘quota’” (“About NBGS,” 2011). This means that when a “minority” group is included as a part

of a story the group cannot be included just for the fun of it or for meeting a quota of having a

certain number of diverse characters in a story. When authors do this, it can make readers who

are a part of a minority group that is included in a story feel as though they are not intended to be

an important component of a story. This can make a story feel forced. As a class, we discussed

authors forcing certain groups or types of diverse characters in their stories in order to be

inclusive as possible. The goal of this criterion is to prevent books that are forcefully and

intentionally inclusive from being a part of this list of the top multicultural books.
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 29

Next, is the seventh criterion which states the following: a notable book must have

“thought-provoking content that invites reflection, critical analysis, and response” (“About

NBGS,” 2011). Any quality book must have all of these qualities; however, it is very important

for multicultural literature to have these qualities. Multicultural literature is a tool that teaches us

about cultures and people are unfamiliar with. In order for multicultural literature to be effective,

it must be thought-provoking along with allowing the reader to critically analyze, reflect, and

respond to the story. When multicultural literature has these attributes, it allows us to learn more

about a culture in an effective manner.

Language and style is the focus of the eighth criterion listed. The eight criterion states

that excellent multicultural literature has “uniqueness of language or style” (“About NBGS,”

2011). For any story, language and style is important. It is what moves the plot of the story

along, progresses characterization, and allows for a strong theme to effectively develop. Unique

language and style in regards to multicultural literature may emphasize a writing style that

highlights common speech patterns or colloquial words used in a specific culture. The language

and style of a multicultural piece of literature must represent how people who are a part of this

culture would speak or interact with one another.

The ninth criterion that a book must meet to be included on the Notable Books for a

Global Society list that is “high quality as determined by evaluation in terms of generally

accepted criteria for the genre” (“About NBGS,” 2011). This criterion is rather simple. Simply

put, this book must be considered high quality in respect to what is considered high quality for

the genre that the book falls under. Any book that falls into a specific genre has certain aspects of

it that make it a quality piece of literature for that genre. Those aspects for any given genre are
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 30

taken into consideration when deciding whether a piece of multicultural literature will be

included as a part of the Notable Books for a Global Society list or not.

The second-to-last, or the tenth, criterion that a book must satisfy is yet again simple: it

must have an “appealing format” (“About NBGS,” 2011). This means that the book must be in a

format that is appealing to a wide variety of readers. Because of this, a book could really be of a

form and design. As long as the format of the book makes sense and works well with the story,

this criterion should be an easy one to satisfy.

Finally, the eleventh criterion that a book must satisfy is that it has “enduring quality”

(“About NBGS,” 2011). A quality piece of multicultural literature must stand the test of time. It

must resonate with readers of all ages. ‘Enduring quality’ could also mean that the story is

powerful, moving, and influential. An enduring story must be thought-provoking and life

changing. It is challenging for a story to last the tests of time. If a piece of multicultural literature

can do this, it is of enduring quality.

The Winner

I have selected An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder as the winner of

the Notable Books for a Global Society award. This book is the one that has resonated with me

most out of all of the eight books I read for this project. When reading this book, one feels as

though they are truly living in the prison and experience the everyday struggles of life in the

prison alongside Francisco, his little sister, and his father. The imagery is extremely powerful; so

much thought and detail clearly went into the creation of this story. I feel as though this book

best meets the criteria for this award.

The first criterion pertains to the accuracy and authenticity of the people and groups

included in the story.

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 31

Second, the story must consist of extremely strong detail about the group being depicted

in the story. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky exemplifies this criterion. The amount of detail

included about Francisco, his family, his life, and where he lives is exquisite. Because of the

extensive amount of detail included in this story, the reader cannot help but feel as though they

are one of Francisco’s closest friends or even a member of his immediate family. One truly gets

to know many of the cultural aspects that comprise the culture of Bolivia.

The third criterion that must be met pertains to the story having an approach that

celebrates diversity and the common bonds of humanity. Once again, Melanie Crowder, the

author of An Uninterrupted View of the Sky, exemplifies this criterion. This book celebrates

diversity by sharing about a group that is not typically focused on in books nor is commonly

discussed. Personally, I have never read a book nor have I ever come across a book about that

focused on people from Bolivia. Even in my history and geography textbooks from the past did

not focus on Bolivia. The only time I have ever learned about Bolivia was in my Spanish class in

high school. Because of the fact that book focuses on a population of people – people from

Bolivia – it celebrates diversity. Additionally, this book celebrates the common bonds of

humanity. It focuses on the importance of family and the bonds one shares with their family

members through challenging times.

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky also satisfies the fourth criterion by focusing on a

controversial issue: the War on Drugs and drug-related issues in other countries. Crowder

focuses the story on Francisco’s father being arrested and detained in prison for violating the

1008 law that is in place in Bolivia. Francisco’s father was not actually violating the law like the

police thought he was: he was walking to get gas to fill up his broken down taxi whereas the

police thought he was going to go acquire gas in order to make cocaine. This book showcases
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 32

how the War on Drugs taking place in the United States and on the U.S. – Mexico border is

trickling down into Central and South America. This is a real, very serious issue that is plaguing

this region of the world right now.

The fifth criterion is also satisfied by the book I chose as the award winner. This

criterion, as previously stated, focuses on authentic interaction between characters. An

Uninterrupted View of the Sky is filled with authentic interaction between the characters. The

dialogue included in the story is very realistic: parents would actually talk to their children in the

concerned and caring manner that Francisco’s father would. Also, before they move into the

prison, Francisco and his sister, Pilar, share a room in their house. Their spaces are separated by

a bed sheet hung from the ceiling. Francisco and Pilar’s interactions reflect how a real-life

brother and sister would pester and annoy each other when they had to share a room. In general,

their interactions are very representative of how brothers and sisters typically interact with one

another.

Sixth, an award winning book must include members of minority groups in an authentic

manner, not just to fulfill a certain quota. Crowder is clearly not trying to meet some sort of

quota with the ethnicity of the characters that appear throughout the story. Each of the characters

is Bolivian. There are no additional groups focused on or forced to be a part of the story because

the story takes place in a specific country and geographical area.

The seventh criterion is also met within the pages of An Uninterrupted View of the Sky.

As previously stated, this criterion states that a notable book must provoke critical analysis,

reflection, and response. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky does just this. It truly makes the

reader reflect on how they should be thankful that the government of the country the live in is not

extremely corrupt like it is in some countries, specifically like in Bolivia, the country in which
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 33

this story takes place. It also makes the reader think critically about the War on Drugs here in the

United States and in other countries. It sparks critical thinking regarding other, more efficient

and effective solutions to drug-related issues locally, nationally, and internationally. Finally, it

also makes the reader appreciate their family and all of the resources and possessions that they

possess. In the United States, many of us are very lucky that we are as well off as we are. This is

not the case in many, many countries around the world.

The eighth criterion is met, too. This criterion focuses on the language and style of the

text. Crowder has truly created a quality piece of literature when writing An Uninterrupted View

of the Sky. While the language she utilizes in the text is nothing too advanced, it conveys strong

imagery and emotion. As previously stated multiple times when discussing this story, the reader

truly feels as though they know Francisco and are living his life right alongside of him. This

feeling is all possible because of the beautiful, imagery-filled prose that Crowder has crafted.

The language and style utilized in this story also captures the family-first aspect of many cultures

in Central and South America. This can be seen in Francisco’s father’s continuous pushing for

Francisco and Pilar to move away and live with their grandparents up in the mountains.

This story additionally satisfies the ninth criterion: a notable book must be a quality work

based on the acceptable criterion for its particular genre. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky could

be categorized into two genres: historical fiction and contemporary realistic fiction. It could be

classified as historical fiction because the story takes place in 1999, which was almost twenty

years ago. It could also be classified as contemporary realistic fiction because it focuses on an

issue that plagues society today: drugs and drug addiction. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky fits

the requirements for both of these genres. In regards to contemporary realistic fiction, the

characteristics a book must have that makes it this genre are the following: deals with
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 34

contemporary issues, has a contemporary setting, emotional appeal, realistic characters, and a

theme that is applicable to everyday life (Tunnell et al., 2016, p. 137-139). An Uninterrupted

View of the Sky fits these characteristics. It deals with contemporary issues because it focuses on

the drug-related issues that currently plague many countries. Bolivia is an existing country

therefore; it has a contemporary setting. The characters are realistic, also. Francisco and his

family could be a real family that is dealing with a similar situation in Bolivia right now. The

story has a strong emotional appeal because the reader becomes attached to Francisco and his

family, which keeps the reader engaged in the story until the very end because the reader desires

to know what happens to them. Finally, there is a clear theme that is applicable to everyday life

now. This will be discussed in a latter paragraph. In regards to historical fiction, a book must

consist of the following characteristics: the story is set in the past, introduces a new perspective

to readers, and the story is historically accurate and authentic (Tunnell et al., 2016, p. 155-159).

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky takes place in 1999, which is in the past, therefore its setting is

in the past. Additionally, it introduces readers to a new perspective on drug-related issues and

corrupt governments. Often times, we only focus on the issues in our own country or other

countries that have an obvious history of issues. For example, textbooks and stories often focus

on the issues of corrupt government in countries like Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s, North

Korea, Russia, and China. One would never think of Bolivia as a country that has a corrupt

government of corrupt legal system. This story teaches the reader about the issues that torment

this country and offers a new perspective about drug-related issues and corrupt governmental

systems to readers. Finally, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky is historically accurate and

authentic. Crowder includes a historical note at the end of the book to add to the historical

authenticity and accuracy of the book. It is up to the reader to determine which genre this book
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 35

falls under. “The determining factor is the age of the reader” when it comes down to deciding

what genre a book should be classified as (Tunnell et al., 2016, p. 155). Some readers were alive

and remembering 1999 like it was yesterday; this would make the story contemporary realistic

fiction. However, for those readers who were not alive until sometime after 1999, this book

would be considered historical fiction. Nevertheless, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky follows

all of the characteristics for both genres.

The tenth out of the eleven criterion is also met. Simply, a notable book must have an

appealing format. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky is in the common, yet classic novel format.

It consists of multiple “chapters;” however, they are not set up as typical chapters. The

“chapters” are set up chronologically based on dates that range from October 6, 1999 to

November 18, 1999. They are broken up as if they were multiple journal entries from each day.

This is much different than the typical chapter approach. Because of this, readers may find the

book more appealing. It is unique compared to most novels.

Finally, the eleventh criterion is additionally met. The eleventh criterion states that a

notable book must have an enduring quality. It must stand the test of time. Because An

Uninterrupted View of the Sky is such strong piece of multicultural literature, it definitely has an

enduring quality. A book of this strength will withstand the test of time.

This book excels in regards to its literary elements, too. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky

has a very strong plot that is engages the reader. As the reader becomes increasingly engaged

with the plot, they cannot help but wonder what is going to happen to Francisco and his family.

This entices the reader to continue reading. The theme of the story is also strong, too. One theme

that I identified from this story is the following: never quit fighting. This does not mean fighting

as in a physical altercation, rather it means that one should never give up hope and should
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 36

continuously fight for what one desires or believes. Francisco desires to find a loop-hole or some

way to get his father out of prison so he and Pilar do not have to go live with his grandparents in

an underdeveloped location. He continuously fights to get his father out of jail by being more

successful in school than he has ever been in his entire life. Francisco hopes to pursue a career in

law with hopes of one day representing his father in court in order to get him out of the atrocious

prison he currently resides in. Voice and writing style go hand-in-hand; both are executed

spectacularly in this book. As previously stated multiple times throughout this analysis, the

reader truly feels as though they personally know Francisco and are fighting for justice right

alongside of him. A strong voice and writing style are responsible for this. Finally, the

characterization of the characters in the story is strong. The reader really gets to know about who

Francisco is as a person and what his life is like. The strong characterization of the characters in

the story is responsible for the reader’s engagement and attachment to this emotional, powerful,

and inspiring story. Overall, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky is a sound piece of literature.

Although this book is long in length, I believe that it still has kid appeal. One of the

reasons it would have kid appeal is that it deals with issues that many children may be dealing

with or have dealt with in the past. Children may have a parent or parents, or other family

members who are currently serving or have served time in prison. Perhaps, this person was

wrongfully incarcerated. Whatever the case, children may be able to relate to the story. They

may be able to relate to Francisco and what he is going through. Young children may not be able

to relate to Francisco, but middle school and high school aged students definitely may be able to

relate to Francisco because they are around the same age as him. Readers around this age may

also be interested in drug-related issues; this book would be appealing to them if that is a topic

they are interested in because that is the main issue that the story revolves around.
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 37

The Honor Books

The first book I have selected as an honor book is Her Right Foot, written by Dave

Eggers and illustrated by Shawn Harris. Overall, this book is relatively strong. One thing I

enjoyed about this book is that it discusses a topic that I have never heard about anywhere else

before reading this book: the Statue of Liberty’s right foot. The Statue of Liberty’s right foot is

on the move to a bright future full of one thing: freedom. She symbolizes immigration. This book

would be a great addition to any classroom library. Additionally, it would be great to include as a

part of a lesson on immigration for really any grade level. Its picture book format makes it an

excellent read aloud and the simplicity of the language in the book allows for the youngest of

students to understand the story.

In regards to the literary elements that comprise the story, this book is relatively strong.

The voice and writing style in particular stand out. The voice of the story reminds me of how a

young child would tell someone about the Statue’s right foot. This becomes even more evident

when the story is read aloud. Because of this, younger students may be better capable of

comprehending the story. It is how their peers would retell the story and is a familiar style of

voice that their peers use daily. Additionally, the writing style reflects the voice. The story is

written as though it was being told by a small child. These two components go hand-in-hand to

create a well-rounded story. In regards to the theme of the story, the theme is strong, also. The

theme is clear: we should be accepting and welcoming of those who come into our country. This

theme is simple enough that any school-aged child would be able to understand it. While the

book is strong in the previously described three areas, it could use some work in regards to plot

and characterization. There is not really a plot that develops throughout the course of the story.

The story is more factual and didactic rather than being an actual story. Also, none of characters
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 38

– if there are characters at all – are lacking in development. When I say that there may be no

characters, that is because there is no real protagonist, antagonist, or any other character variety

in the story. The only people that could be considered characters in the story are the designer of

the Statue of Liberty, those who constructed the statue, and the Statue of Liberty herself. If one

considers those as characters, then they are clearly lacking development. If these areas were

improved upon, the book would be even stronger and impactful. Overall, the good literary

elements out-weigh the bad.

In regards to the Notable Books for a Global Society criteria, Her Right Foot does a great

of meeting and exemplifying some of the criteria, also. One criterion that it truly exemplifies is

in regards to the celebration of diversity as well as the common bonds of humanity. The story

explains that the Statue of Liberty’s purpose is to welcome immigrants into our country and that

we should be accepting and welcoming of these immigrants because we – the people who

comprise the population of the United States of America – were once immigrants ourselves. It

states that we should welcome people no matter what their race, ethnicity, or cultural background

is. Also, it does not include characters of a minority in order to meet a certain quota of minority

characters that must be a part of the story. The story provokes reflection, critical analysis, and

response about current immigration issues and policies in our country. Immigration is a huge

issue in the United States right now and it is important that students understand the implications

of certain policies. As noted above, the story has a unique language and style along with an

appealing, picture book format. Based on all of the strengths of this book, it also has an enduring

quality. A book that covers this topic has never been published; it will continue to intrigue minds

young and old for generations to come.

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 39

Even though Her Right Foot is generally a strong book overall, some changes could

improve its strength. The addition of some characters would be an improvement for the story.

Perhaps a child could go back in time to when the statue was being constructed while reading

about the Statue of Liberty. The child would then learn about how the statue was constructed and

how it got to the United States. While he is observing the construction of the statue, he could

discover her right foot, which would then launch into the importance of the statue’s right foot

and what is represents. Also, the book could be condensed length wise. It is rather long for a

picture book; in total the book is around seventy pages. When a teacher is reading this book

aloud to a class, it would be challenging to keep a group of students engaged long enough to read

a picture book of this length. Perhaps placing more text on each page would be a solution to this

problem. Other than these two changes, Her Right Foot is an excellent piece of multicultural

literature, but is only deserving of being an honor book rather than the winner.

The book I selected as the second honor book is Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee and

Susan McClelland. This book is a novel, unlike the first honor book which was a picture book.

Overall, this book is also very strong. The story, although upsetting, is powerful and inspiring.

There were many things that I enjoyed about this book, but one in particular is that it tells about

life in North Korea. North Korea is a very controversial country right now; the lives that the

people of North Korea live are very intriguing because they live in a land full of propaganda and

false information. This book allows the reader to learn a little bit about how life is like for some

citizens of North Korea. It exposes the harsh reality that is life in poverty stricken regions of

North Korea. Because it discusses life in North Korea, middle school and high school aged

children will be drawn to it. The lives and safety of people living in North Korea is a current

issue that many people young and old are interested, thus why it will garner interest from older
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 40

children. This book would be a great addition to a unit about corrupt governmental systems for

older students or as a part of a unit in a class about current issues.

In regards to the literary elements of this book, all of the elements are very strong. The

plot of the story is very strong and engaging. The reader cares about what happens to Sungju and

whether he survives living on the streets or not. The story has a happy ending: Sungju escapes

the corrupt clutches of North Korea and is reunited with his father. The theme is the same as it

was for An Uninterrupted View of the Sky: never stop fighting. Sungju never stops fighting to

survive, even when he is at the lowest point of journey. He stays optimistic and fights for his life

by working with others in order to get the resources they need to survive. Characterization is also

very strong. Similar to the winning book, the reader learns a lot about Sungju and his friends

from the streets. The reader truly feels like they know Sungju and his buddies. Voice and writing

style are also strong in this book. Both the voice and the writing style work together to make the

reader feel as though they are living on the streets with Sungju and his friends. The imagery

created is so strong and is in turn responsible for this feeling. Also, the voice and the writing

style both foster the emotion that is conveyed to the reader through the text. This is an

emotionally charged book; the reader cannot help but feel sad for Sungju because of the situation

he is now in. Overall, all of the literary elements of the book are very strong making Every

Falling Star a well-rounded piece of literature.

In regards to the Notable Books for a Global Society criteria, I feel as though Every

Falling Star met a majority of the necessary criteria. Every Falling Star is both accurate and

authentic in regards to the depiction of the people included in the stories. Sungju, the protagonist

in the story, is based on Sungju Lee, one of the authors of Every Falling Star. Lee lived the story

that is being told in the book and is Korean himself, therefore his descriptions of the people
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 41

depicted in the story is going to be extremely accurate. They may be a bit biased because he may

have more negative feelings for some people, but for the most part the depictions are accurate

and authentic. Every Falling Star celebrates diversity and the common bonds of humanity by

having Sungju cooperate and befriend the diverse children he meets on the streets and showing

how they work together in order to provide and care for one another. We as humans, for the most

part, care a lot about people and want to help them out; this is depicted in this story. There is no

quota of characters from a minority group trying to be met in this story as all of the characters

are Korean. Every Falling Star looks into the issue of poverty in North Korea in an in-depth

manner that provides numerous details about the lives about people who live this lifestyle in this

corrupt country. Additionally, the story is though-provoking, allows for reflection, critical

analysis, and response. The reader cannot help but think about how they would feel if they had to

live life like Sungju or what they would do to survive. Sungju and his friends come up with some

ingenious ways to get the resources they need, some that the common person may not think of. It

also makes the reader think about what can be done to relieve the people of North Korea of this

terrible life that they live, which is a current issue in the world. Every Falling Star will intrigue

readers of all ages because it is about a hot-button topic in the world: North Korea. Many people

are interested in what life is like in North Korea because there is limited information available to

the public about it. Because of this, this book is of enduring quality. It will withstand the test of

time solely because it is such an interesting read.

Every Falling Star is a very strong piece of multicultural literature; however, it has its

flaws. If improvements were made, the story would be much stronger and much more successful.

The main issue with the story is that it is hard to keep track of the sequence of events. This issue

exists because there is no concept of time in the story. Because of this, it seems as though the
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 42

story is jumping around, which makes it hard to keep track of. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky

discusses a topic similar to the one discussed in Every Falling Star – homelessness. However, An

Uninterrupted View of the Sky has time integrated into it so it easier for the reader to keep track

of when events are occurring in the story. Perhaps rather than having the typical chapters that

Every Falling Star currently has, it needs to be reformatted to be more like An Uninterrupted

View of the Sky. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky is formatted like a journal with specific dates

that identify each “chapter.” If this change is made, the reader will be more capable of tracking

the sequence of events in the story. Plus, this will the book a more appealing and unique format,

which adds to the overall quality of the book. Overall though, Every Falling Star is a very strong

book, but at this point in time is only worthy of being deemed an honor book based on my

personal observances.

How to Use the Winning Book in the Classroom

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder would be a great addition to all

classrooms; however, it should only be used in the classrooms where students are in the sixth

grade through the twelfth grade. This is because the story deals with topics that are will be more

difficult for younger students to wrap their minds around: drug-related crimes, prison life,

parents leaving their children’s lives, poverty, etc. As a piece of multicultural literature, this book

should be used to give students a new perspective on the issues focused on in the story. I stated

in my definition of multicultural literature that the purpose of multicultural literature is to expose

readers to new perspectives. According to Susan Landt (2008), “literature can…introduce

students to ideas and insights they would otherwise not have encountered” (p. 891). This means

that An Uninterrupted View of the Sky should be used as a tool to expose students to a new

perspective on a particular culture or issue. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky focuses a lot on the
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 43

issue of drug-related crimes. Drug-related crimes are an issue in the United States; the federal

government is currently fighting a so-called War on Drugs. The War on Drugs is focused on the

United States-Mexico border on the southern end of the country. We as Americans seldom think

about how our country’s actions and policies affect other countries. In the case of An

Uninterrupted View of the Sky, the effects of the War on Drugs in the United States are shown to

be trickling down into Central and South America. Specifically, the effects are shown in Bolivia.

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky could be incorporated into a lesson or unit about drug-related

issues outside of the United States. We seldom look at the problems that are occurring outside of

our own country, so reading this story would provide students with the opportunity to expand

their perspective and understanding of drug-related issues and the effects of U.S. based policies.

By doing this, students would be exposed to a new perspective on this issue and would be better

understanding that what happens in the United States does in fact affect other countries. This

would fulfill the purpose of multicultural literature as defined in my personal definition of

multicultural literature.

Conclusion

What I learned from this assignment was that there are various different types and

formats of multicultural literature that exist and are accessible to readers. Multicultural literature

does not have to be nonfiction; it can be fiction. I also learned that one can learn a lot about a

place, culture, event, or time period by reading fiction. Typically, learning is associated with

reading nonfiction or textbooks, but learning can be done through reading fiction books, too. It

was exciting to read trade books that would normally be read for aesthetic purpose and be

learning from them at the same time. Additionally, I learned the importance of reading

multicultural literature. Multicultural literature exposes readers to so many new perspectives on a

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 44

variety of different issues, events, time periods, and cultures. There is a book available for almost

every one of the things that were just listed.

Although I have learned a lot about multicultural literature from doing this assignment,

there is still much more that I need to learn. One thing I would like to learn is specific ways to

incorporate multicultural literature in the class. I feel as though there are a variety of methods

that can be used to do this and I would like to learn them. Also, I desire to learn about when it is

appropriate and inappropriate to incorporate multicultural literature into a lesson or unit.

According to Susan Landt (2008), often times “teachers may decide it is better to avoid

integrating multicultural literature with their curriculum rather than take the chance of including

inappropriate choices” (p. 891). I assume that there is not really an inappropriate time to

incorporate multicultural literature, I would like to be aware of times when it is actually

inappropriate. Assuming that there is no bad time is not the greatest idea. Rather than completely

shying away from the use of multicultural literature in the classroom, I would like to know when

it is appropriate and inappropriate to incorporate multicultural literature into my lessons. Finally,

I would like to learn what a weak or bad piece of multicultural literature looks like. If I know

what a weak piece of multicultural literature looks like, then I will learn what books I need to

avoid. I want to promote cultural awareness not xenophobia in my classroom; if I use the wrong

books, I may end up doing the latter.

This assignment was challenging. I had to a lot of critical thinking in order to complete it,

which was not always easy to do. This assignment also required a lot of time, but it helped me

work on my time management skills because I had to set aside large portions of time to work on

this assignment. I had to manage my time well in order to complete the assignment. In fact, I

started working on this assignment about a month before it was due in order to get it done in a
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 45

timely matter. There are some things that I would change about this assignment if I were to do it

again, however. One thing I would change is that I would not have the assignment due close to

the end of the semester. Rather, I would have it due earlier in the semester. I would do this

because at the end of the semester, students are very stressed out because they have large

amounts of homework and projects. The end of the semester approaches very quickly and this

time becomes a very stressful time for students. There is another large and important project due

in this class – the children’s book assignment – that is due shortly after this one. Rather than

trying to dedicate my time to two major assignments at once, I would have preferred to focus all

of my attention on my children’s book at this point in the semester and had done this assignment

more towards the beginning of the semester. Another thing I would change about this assignment

is including an outside journal article as a reference for this assignment. I felt as though this

component was unnecessary because I was already drawing a lot of information from Children’s

Literature, Briefly. Other than these two components, the assignment went smoothly and taught

me a lot.

To my surprise, I am able to incorporate what I learned from this assignment into my

other classes. My endorsement is English Language Learner’s education; in my classes we

dedicate a lot of our focus towards cultural competency and awareness. For example, in the

Teaching and Learning 339 class I am currently enrolled in, we learn about the cultures that

make up various regions of the world each week. Each week we focus on a different region.

Multicultural literature is a tool one can use to learn about cultures other than their own. I can

employ multicultural literature to learn more about the cultures I am learning about in class or

about the cultures of my future students. It will provide me with new perspectives on these
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 46

cultures. Additionally, I can use the information I have learned from the multicultural literature I

read for this assignment to complete assignments in my ELL classes.

Overall, this assignment was beneficial and eye-opening. I had no idea that multicultural

literature existed before completing this assignment. Because of this assignment, I plan reading

more multicultural literature in the future in hopes of opening my eyes to new experiences and

knowledge. Reading multicultural literature will not only impact me and how I teach my future

students, but it will impact the lives of my future students as well. I am excited to see the ways I

incorporate multicultural literature into my classroom.

NOTABLE BOOKS FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY PROJECT 47

Works Cited

About NBGS. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.clrsig.org/nbgs.php.

Crowder, M. (2017). An uninterrupted view of the sky. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Eggers, D. (2017). Her right foot. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC.

Landt, S. M. (2008). Multicultural literature and young adolescents: A kaleidoscope of

opportunity. International Reading Association, 49:8, 890-897. doi:

10.1598/JAAL.49.8.5

Lee, S. & McClelland, S. (2016). Every falling star: the true story of how I survived and

escaped North Korea. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Lewis, Patrick J. (2013). When thunder comes: poems for civil rights leaders. San Francisco,

CA: Chronicle Books LLC.

Martins, I.M. (2008). My neighbor is a dog. Carcavelos, Portugal: Planeta Tangerina.

Naidoo, B. (2007). Burn my heart. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Tunnell M. O., Jacobs J. S., Young, A. T., & Bryan G. (2016). Children’s literature, briefly.

Pearson.

Yoo, P. (2005). Sixteen years in sixteen seconds: the Sammy Lee story. New York, NY: Lee &

Low Books.

Zusak, M. (2005). The book thief. New York, NY: Random House.