The books excerpted here are all written by American authors, but the stories they tell exemplify values that are shared by many societies in the world today. They all feature young protagonists in the process of finding their own personal strength and courage.
"1. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park....................................................................6
2. The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg..........................................................16
3. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman........................................................ 24
4. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War II by Joseph Bruchac..............................................................31
5. Letters From the Corrugated Castle: A Novel of Gold Rush California, 1850-1852 by Joan W. Blos....................................................... 38
6. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.......................43
7. Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples..........................................................52
8. Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos......................57
9. Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury.................63
10. A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer......................................................... 72
11. Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff...........81
"