Why am I passionate about this?
I work as a journalist and delight in telling true stories about amazing people. Sometimes, my feature stories are about famous people; other times, I focus on those who don't always get the attention they deserve. I love telling their stories, and I enjoy reading about people who do heroic acts. Mary Anning, the person I profiled in my book, and the main characters in some of my favorite middle-grade books face adversity and triumph. Moving forward after facing hardships is a message I love and want to share with others. Positive actions lead to happiness.
Michele's book list on middle graders to learn about the past
Why did Michele love this book?
I wish everyone would read about the Holocaust. It's a hard topic to digest, especially for a child. The main character is an orphan trying to survive on the streets of Warsaw, Poland, during World War II. Parts of the book are frightening.
Sadly, antisemitism has resurfaced today; it has never really disappeared. Carrying such hatred, whether in the past or the present, is hard for me to wrap my head around. Reading this book, I was able to get an inside look at a character who wanted to be a Nazi soldier until he truly understood the evil and horrors these soldiers caused.
My son read the book in middle school and introduced it to me. Afterward, we talked about the holocaust and why it's important to never forget.
1 author picked Milkweed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.
A stunning novel of the Holocaust from Newbery Medalist, Jerry Spinelli. And don't miss the author's highly anticipated new novel, Dead Wednesday!
He's a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Filthy son of Abraham.
He's a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He's a boy who steals food for himself, and the other orphans. He's a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels.
He's a boy who wants to be a Nazi, with tall, shiny jackboots of his own-until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind.
And when the trains come to empty the Jews…