Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Nonfiction Wednesday

Thanks to Kid Lit Frenzy, I made a goal to read more children's nonfiction this year which I will be featuring on my blog every Wednesday.
 
 
This week's nonfiction book is actually a book inspired by a true story, so it isn't purely nonfiction.  However, it can be paired with a nonfiction article that our class recently read, so I'm going to use it for Nonfiction Wednesday.
 
First, the article:
I ordered Scholastic Scope Magazine this year for my 5th/6th grade gifted ELA classes, and I'm so glad I did.  The September issue had an excellent article about Malala Yousafzai in it that went perfectly with our Crusader/Hero unit.  She's an incredibly brave young woman.  Read about Malala in these articles:
 
 
 
 
Diane Sawyer will be interviewing Malala this Friday at 10:00 EST on "20/20."  It should be an excellent show!


 
 
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
 
 
Now, the book:
 
Razia's Ray of Hope: One Girl's Dream of an Education
 
 
 
 
My Goodreads review:
 
This is a book based on a true story. Razia represents the experiences of girls in Afghanistan who are prevented from going to school by the Taliban. The real Razia was born in Afghanistan and moved to the U.S. as a young woman. In 2007, she founded Razia's Ray of Hope Foundation, hoping to provide Afghanistan girls opportunities through education. She was honored by CNN as one of their Top 10 Heroes of 2012. Our class just read about Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager who was shot by the Taliban last year for advocating girls' rights to go to school, in Scope Magazine. She will be interviewed by Diane Sawyer this week on 20/20 because more threats have risen against her since being named a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. This book will be a good addition to our unit on crusaders/heroes who stand up for what is right.  The illustrations are gorgeous.  They remind me a little of Patricia Polacco's illustrations.
 
What nonfiction books have YOU read this week?
 
 

4 comments:

  1. Hi Holly,
    Not non-fiction, but your blog reminded me of A GIRL CALLED PROBLEM, by Katie Quirk. It's based on the true story of a girl in Tanzania who wants to go to school. Starred review from Kirkus.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like a great read. I will have to look for it. Thanks for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! What an amazing story. Sad but powerful and one we can learn from at the same time. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the paring of the article and book. Such a powerful story.

    ReplyDelete