Looking for books for ELL students?

Literature teachers are always looking for books to engage and interest students. ESL teachers are looking for books that are good for ELL students to work on, alone or in groups, to build their language skills. In my travels, I've come across a few books that work around my level (I teach high school) that are worth looking into:

Aronson, M., and Campbell, P. (2008). War Is... Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

This book is an anthology of firsthand accounts from soldiers and survivors of war, including letters from civil war soldiers, an account of a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, to AP news reports of soldiers in Iraq. The book is valuable for grade levels 10-11, and useful in any Social Studies curriculum where war, any war, is the topic. because the book is an anthology, any one of its 20 stories can be used or skipped as needed. Due to the wide range of writing styles, this book is best suited for nearly fluent ELLs, in small or whole groups, depending on the number of stories used.

Beals, M. P. (1994). Warriors Don't Cry. New York: Simon and Schuster.

This book is a memoir detailing that author and group of other African American students being integrated into the Little Rock, Arkansas school system in 1957. It is suitable for High School students of any grade level, and while the general language is fit for speech emergent ELLs, some assistance may be required to decipher slang terms of the 1950s. Not only is this useful in an American history lesson, but ELL students may be able to compare the author's hardships with possible experiences of their own, facing discrimination, rejection, and persecution. Individual or small groups preferred.

Boas, J. (1995). We are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers who Died in the Holocaust. New York: Square Fish Publishing

The title is the summary -- this book is a collection of actual diaries detailing the lives of five young people as they lived in various concentration camps during WWII. Due to the mature subject matter, the book is best suited for 12th grade high school students, bringing the reality of WWII and the Holocaust into a social studies curriculum. Best for Nearly Fluent ELLs, working individually or in small groups (groups of five would be the most logical choice)

Busby, C. and Busby, J. (2008). The Year We Disappeared. New York: Bloomsbury.

This true crime story focuses on a father and daughter who struggle after he, a police officer, is shot and disfigured while on duty. her reactions to the transition from a normal life to living under constant police protection and supervision may echo the feelings of ELLs who have had upheavals in their own lives. grades 11-12, nearly fluent ELLs, Individual to small group work.

Houston, J. W., and Houston, J. D. (1973) Farewell to Manzanar. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston recounts her own true life experience of being forced into an internment camp in Manazar, California, during WWII. It would augment a Social Studies curriculum to hear about the camps: a seldom-discussed topic. Suitable for all high school grade levels, speech emergent to nearly fluent, small to whole groups.

Janeczko, P. (2006) Seeing the Blue Between. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

This book is a compilation of poems combined with words of encouragement from the poets themselves, directed at students interest in poetry. This book would be invaluable as a tool in any literature class where poetry is the subject. 9-10th grades, speech emergent to nearly fluent, individual work.

Jiminez, F. (1999). The Circut. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P.

Francisco Jiminez tells a series of short stories to describe his childhood as part of a family of Mexican migrant workers in the American Southwest, beginning with his emigration from Mexico. one or more of the dozen stories presented can be used to augment a social studies lesson on the region, or any work of literature set in the time or place (Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men comes to mind). Good for any high school grade level, speech emergent to nearly fluent (Spanish students will benefit from Jiminenz's use of Spanish in the text), individual, small, or whole groups.

Kohler, D. (2009). Rock 'N' Roll Soldier: A Memoir. New York: Harper Collins.

Dean Kohler formed a rock band, wrote and performed music while serving in the Vietnam War. This memoir would be useful for any Social Studies curriculum studying the Vietnam War, the 1960s, or the American counterculture. Grades 10-12 preferred, nearly fluent ELLs, small groups.

Lekuton, J. (2003). Facing the Lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savanna. Des Moines: National Geographic Society

The author recounts his actual childhood as part of a nomadic tribe in Africa, and his initiation into western civilization, including his immigration to attend college in America. Regardless of class or curriculum, any ELL student will appreciate Joseph Lekuton's story of immigration and adaptation to a new culture, and no doubt find parallels with their own. Suitable for all high school grade levels, speech emergent to near fluency, individual, small or whole groups.

Lester, J. (2006) Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue. New York: Hyperion Books.

As the title suggests, this book consists of mainly dialogues between Emma, a slave in the antebellum American South, and her fellow slaves, free blacks, and her master, Mr. Butler. This book puts a human face on the American History curriculum's topic of slavery in America, forcing its reader to feel sympathetic for the slave as well as the master, both of whom are subject to forces beyond their control. Suitable for all high school grade levels of speech emergent ELLs, working in pairs to reconstruct the dialogues.

Li, M. (2008). Snow Falling in Spring. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Moying Li's childhood in China was interrupted in 1966 by the Cultural Revolution. She finds herself in a Chinese labor camp, her only solace in the books she has smuggled in. The theme of the importance of reading and imagination would fit in a literature class, and Social Studies would benefit from a first-hand account of the Cultural Revolution. best for 11-12th grade, nearly fluent ELLs, individuals to small groups.

Opdike, I. G. (1999). In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer. New York: Random House.

This book is the true-life account of the author, who, as a young girl, helped hide Jews during Hitler's occupation of her native Poland. This book is suitable for high school students of any grade level, and useful in a social studies curriculum discussing WWII and the Holocaust. Most appropriate for speech emergent and nearly fluent ELLs, small or whole groups.

Plum-Ucci, C. (2008). The Night My Sister Went Missing. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This mystery novel follows Kurt Carmody as he tries to unravel the circumstances behind his sister's death. Who did it? Why? Was it an accident or murder? This novel is useful in Literature classes to illustrate point of view, as well as give students practice in prediction and foreshadowing, as the author mixes false clues in with real ones. Grades 10-12, nearly fluent ELLs, individual to small groups.

Truman, T. (2006). No Right Turn. New York: Harper Collins.

This novel follows a young man named Jordan, struggling to come to grips with his father's suicide. This book is best suited for a upperclass high school audience (grades 11-12) due to its dramatic content. The themes of loss, tragedy, and restarting one's life may appeal to multicultural student who may have experienced similar hardships. Due to the high levels of dialogue and teenage slang, this book is best suited for nearly fluent ELL students, individual or small groups.

Wulffson, D. L. (2001). Soldier X. New York: Penguin

This novel is a fictional account of a 16-year-old German boy drafted to fight for the Nazis against the Russians during WWII. Due to the graphic descriptions of combat, this book is best for 12th grade students. Besides the obvious Social Studies/World History connection, this novel is also useful for native English Speakers as well as ELLS, who must learn to see the world from a different point of view as they see that Erik, the novel's protagonist, not as an "evil" Nazi but as a human being. Suitable for speech emergent and fluent ELLs, although the characters do often code-switch in their dialogues between English and German. Individual or paired work.

Yan, M. (2004). The Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl. New York: Harper Collins.

The true story of a Chinese Muslim girl who wants to go to school and learn despite extreme poverty. When her wish is granted, she feels he need to excel and be at the top of her class to prove herself. This book introduces both ELLs and native students to a little-studied region of the world, making it useful in a Social Studies curriculum. 10-11th grades, nearly fluent ELLs, small groups.