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Best Children's Explore Asia Books

Inside Out and Back Again
This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." Written in accessible, short free-verse poems, Hà’s immediate narrative describes her mistakes—both humorous and heartbreaking—with grammar, customs, and dress (she wears a flannel nightgown to school, for example); and readers will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom. Eventually, Hà does get back at the sneering kids who bully her at school, and she finds help adjusting to her new life from a kind teacher who lost a son in Vietnam.
Reviews
"It seemed like a great story for my granddaughter who likes to read."
"My great-grand daughter enjoyed this book because it coincide with their studying about immigrants in school."
"Got the narrative with the story and it was great."
"Beautiful, haunting story."
"bought the kindle and hard cover."
"Such a nice story, recommend it to anyone."
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Sold
Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. Grade 9 Up – As this heartbreaking story opens, 13-year-old Lakshmi lives an ordinary life in Nepal, going to school and thinking of the boy she is to marry. Part of McCormicks research for this novel involved interviewing women in Nepal and India, and her depth of detail makes the characters believable and their misery palpable. Lakshmi, 13, knows nothing about the world beyond her village shack in the Himalayas of Nepal, and when her family loses the little it has in a monsoon, she grabs a chance to work as a maid in the city so she can send money back home. In beautiful clear prose and free verse that remains true to the child's viewpoint, first-person, present-tense vignettes fill in Lakshmi's story.
Reviews
"Writing about how Nepalese girls are sold into slavery and taken to India to be forced into a life of prostitution is no easy matter -- especially in a YA book. It is he who ultimately gambles what little they have away and heartlessly sells his stepdaughter into slavery (she assumes she is going off to be a maid and bravely vows to send what she earns home so her Ama can install a tin roof on their hut)."
"At first Lakshmi shows some resistance but when she is told that she must work off her debt and that it goes to her family her resistance weakens and she does what she is told...there are many smaller characters from this point on in the book that warmed my heart like one of the other girl's sons, and the tea boy...they offered Lakshmi hope where there was little."
"I was saddened enough to learn of the squalid conditions of Lakshmi's life in her home country of Nepal, but once her stepfather insisted she be "sold" to be a maid (sic) to help the family out financially is when the drama really begins. Because she is starting to feel uneasy, she wants to remember the way back home--just in case--but it "is like trying to clutch a handful of fog." Yet, she has a feeling of duty to her mother, Ama, so she also tries to forget her uneasiness, which is "like trying to hold back the monsoon." Her step father bargained her away for 600 rupies ($11.00)--with the promise of more--and she was sold again until her value reached 10,000 rubies ($185), but her female, slave-holding employer places 20,000 rubies ($370) on the books as her debt--to cover all expenses: food, heat, medical shots and such. This book was researched in 2005-plus when "12,000 Nepali [only] girls were sold by their families, unwittingly--that's the only saving grace--into a life of sexual slavery in the brothels of India" (p. 165)."
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Tikki Tikki Tembo
Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-. chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo! If you haven't already read Tikki Tikki Tembo, you've probably heard at least someone recite the deliriously long name of its protagonist: Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, by now a famous refrain in most nursery schools.
Reviews
"Read to my children and grandchildren.They love to learn the name that gets repeted over and over."
"Read this to my sons when they were little and now my grandchildren LOVE it; usually most requested book and they love saying Tikki Tikki Tembo's name."
"My children loved this when they were little and now their children are loving it."
"One of the greatest bedtime books of all time."
"One of my favorite childhood books!"
"(We always read a book before bed."
"This book is a classic!"
"Such an enjoyable book."
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Best Children's Asia & Asia America Stories

Inside Out and Back Again
This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." Written in accessible, short free-verse poems, Hà’s immediate narrative describes her mistakes—both humorous and heartbreaking—with grammar, customs, and dress (she wears a flannel nightgown to school, for example); and readers will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom. Eventually, Hà does get back at the sneering kids who bully her at school, and she finds help adjusting to her new life from a kind teacher who lost a son in Vietnam.
Reviews
"It seemed like a great story for my granddaughter who likes to read."
"My great-grand daughter enjoyed this book because it coincide with their studying about immigrants in school."
"Got the narrative with the story and it was great."
"Beautiful, haunting story."
"bought the kindle and hard cover."
"Such a nice story, recommend it to anyone."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Sexual Abuse Fiction eBooks

Speak
The first ten lies they tell you in high school. "Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute... Laurie Halse Anderson's first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two).
Reviews
"I didn't think I'd be so gripped by this book but the author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with such honesty and emotion that I couldn't help recognize half the characters from my own high school days."
"This book has content warnings for bullying, rape and assault. While this works to show the ignorance people have around the subject of sexual assault — as annoying as it was, it was unfortunately realistic — it really made the book drag, and that’s really hard when the book is already less than 200 pages long to begin with. There wasn’t much of an actual plot; it was describing Melinda’s year at school without providing much of a through storyline outside of the rape, and that didn’t really work to hold all of the book together because it was more of a covert storyline."
"Melinda rings true as a normal but depressed teen-ager, and I loved that the book depicted Melinda as a multi-facted person - someone dealing with having been raped, but who isn't defined by it. But the thing I loved the very most about this book was that it was so honest. A lot of YA fiction seems like there's a tragedy involved but only as the backdrop to a story which is ultimately a cheap fantasy - everyone rallies around the selfless, popular, and beautiful heroine."
"The author was spot on, I feel, with Melinda's voice."
"Just wanted to slap her parents, who seemed dysfunctional, and have them notice their child needs help."
"If you are a parent and your school is not having students read this book I would recommend you read this book first to see if you think your tween/teen is ready to handle the content."
"This was extremely thought provoking and I really think everyone should read it."
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Best Children's Explore Africa Books

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way. *Starred Review* After 11-year-old Salva’s school in Sudan is attacked by brutal rebel soldiers in 1985, he describes several terrifying years on the run in visceral detail: “The rain, the mad current, the bullets, the crocodiles, the welter of arms and legs, the screams, the blood.” Finally, he makes it to refugee camps in Ethiopia and then Kenya, where he is one of 3,000 young men chosen to go to America. In chapters that alternate with Salva’s story, Nya, a young Sudanese girl in 2008, talks about daily life, in which she walks eight hours to fetch water for her family. Then, a miracle happens: Salva returns home to help his people and builds a well, making fresh water available for the community and freeing Nya to go to school. The switching viewpoints may initially disorient some, but young readers will be stunned by the triumphant climax of the former refugee who makes a difference with the necessities that we all take for granted. Teachers may want to point out the allusion to Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom (1995) echoed in this moving book’s title.
Reviews
"I bought the feature that reads it to him which he loved and made it more interesting since they had music and the reader used different voices for each character."
"Bought this for my grandson , great price and he needed it for school project."
"This book was everything I expected and much more."
"Read it with your children or grandchildren."
"I'm reading this aloud to my 5th grade class -- they love it, particularly the more exciting story of the boy who is evading lions, crocodiles, starvation, and soldiers to get to America."
"I read this aloud to my kids and they loved it!"
"Needed for school."
"My niece read this for school on my Kindle."
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Best Children's Explore Canada Books

When We Were Alone
As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where everything was taken away. "…Robertson handles a delicate task here admirably well: explaining residential schools, that shameful legacy, and making them understandable to small children. Flett’s gorgeous, skillful illustrations have a flattened, faux naïve feel to them, like construction paper collage, a style that works perfectly with the story. She nicely contrasts the school’s dull browns and grays with the riotous colors surrounding Nókom and gets much expression from her simple silhouettes. Flett's spring palette of warm blues and browns punctuated with splashes of red contrasts the loving moments between grandmother and granddaughter with stark winter whites and grays depicting boarding school life. The repetitive structure creates a predictable narrative; together the illustrations and Robertson's child-centred text make the boarding school experience accessible to a young audience without glossing over its harshness. A beautifully rendered story of resisitance and love, this is made all the more luminous by Flett's art - not just by flashes of fuschsia or scarlet among ochre grasses, but by her precisely observed images of the compact bodies of the uniformed children, bowed beneath the weight of the scissors, or lovingly tending each other's hair. "Done simply, but with devastating clearness this is the story of a woman telling her granddaughter of her time in one of the boarding schools to which Canadian First Nation children were taken.
Reviews
"The illustrations certainly complement the story."
"If you are looking for a book that can show aspects of the dark history of residential schools in a way that really young kids can read, understand and relate to, this is it."
"It's always tricky to write about traumatic experiences -- you don't want to pretend that they have no effect on children and therefore weren't that bad, but at the same time you want to honor the resilience that people do have."
"This book teaches about a dark chapter in Canada's history in a way that is appropriate for children."
"Absolutely a must buy in any picture book collection for any age."
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Best Children's Explore Mexico Books

Soccer on Sunday (Magic Tree House (R) Merlin Mission Book 24)
Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #52, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #24: Soccer on Sunday. Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure. Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures. MARY POPE OSBORNE is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series as well as co-author of the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series, along with her husband, Will, and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.
Reviews
"My 7 year old daughter loves the Magic Tree House books."
"I love to send surprises to my grandchildren in the mail....particularly a book!"
"We love Magic Treehouse books in my family!"
"My kid loved it!"
"My 6 year old first grader son is in love with these books."
"My son Loves these books!"
"My son loves these books."
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Best Children's Explore Europe Books

Anna and the French Kiss
Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits? “ Anna and the French Kiss charms [readers] with its Parisian setting and très bien boy.”. — MTV.com. --Lauren Myracle, New York Times bestselling author of Peace, Love and Baby Ducks and Let It Snow. Gr 9 Up–Anna Oliphant has big plans for her senior year in Atlanta: hang out with her best friend, Bridgette, and flirt with her coworker at the Royal Midtown 14 multiplex. Teens will feel like they are strolling through the City of Lights in this starry-eyed story of finding love when you least expect it.–Kimberly Castle, Medina County District Library, OH. Featuring vivid descriptions of Parisian culture and places, and a cast of diverse, multifaceted characters, including adults, this lively title incorporates plenty of issues that will resonate with teens, from mean girls to the quest for confidence and the complexities of relationships in all their forms. Despite its length and predictable crossed-signal plot twists, Perkins’ debut, narrated in Anna’s likable, introspective voice, is an absorbing and enjoyable read that highlights how home can refer to someone, not just somewhere.
Reviews
"I have never hidden my love of Stephanie Perkin’s books and when I was in the middle of a reading slump I knew exactly what would help me: Lola and the Boy Next Door. Since I just visited San Francisco there were so many parts of this story that stuck out for me this round of reading it: The Japanese Tea Garden, Mission Delores Park, the city itself. She lives with her dads, she’s enjoying her boyfriend, Max, her job and her coworker named Anna. One thing I constantly love about Perkin’s books is the sneaks of other characters, from Anna to St. Clair they all came back and helped to answer those unanswered questions. It’s also painful when the characters make poor life choices because I want to shake them, but that’s something powerful about YA books that I love."
"What can I say about Lola and the Boy Next Door? I mean how was Stephanie Perkins going to make me feel the same things about Lola and Cricket that I did about Anne and Etienne? Lola and the Boy Next Door is the story of Lola Nolan. Until one day, the day Lola dreaded most in the world, the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return net door and her life turns upside down. Lola and the Boy Next Door is the story about two people with a history. Lola may be out there with all of her costumes and her crazy style, but she really is a girl that you can relate to because we have all been Lola at some point in our lives and we have all had out Cricket in one way or another. Whether it is Lola and Cricket, Lola’s parents Andy and Nathan, her Lindsey, Calliope, whoever, you are in vested in their well being."
"This book has pretty much everything I expected - a love triangle, a wonderful setting, a beautiful boy, drama, and a quirky lead character. As a sewer, I loved that Lola was able to create her own outfits, and even save the day with her sewing machine! He's not only what is classified as a good-looking guy, but I loved that he was able to own up to his past mistakes in order to move forward in his life."
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Best Children's Explore Middle East Books

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world -- and did. Her strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today. "Although her efforts to attend school, and the subsequent attack she endured, make for a powerful story, Yousafzai writes just as vividly about her daily life as a child in Pakistan.... Yousafzai's fresh, straightforward voice creates an easily read narrative that will introduce a slew of younger readers to both her story and her mission. [Yousafzai's] strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today....― SLJ.
Reviews
"My 11-year old son read this and was so touched and inspired by Malala's story."
"Malala tells her story...of her love for the beautifull Swat Valley of her childhood, and her father who dedicated his life to providing education to all the children of the area. integrated schools became a target along with Malala and her father who continued in a very public way to resist this assault on education."
"I started reading I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb) because I was intrigued by, and interested in Malala: this world-famous and almost impossibly inspirational crusader for education, this fiercely well-spoken and outspoken girl, this youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner ever, this survivor of a terrorist attack."
"The story of Malala was somewhat interesting."
"If you want to learn more nitty-gritty details of the take over of SWAT by the Taliban and its effects on the lives of people living there, this is the book for you."
"Her voice is very clear, and my students felt like they "got to know her" well."
"In the vein of "The Diary of Anne Frank", Malala presents an honest account of life besieged by constant terrorism and military force."
"I found "I AM Malala" to be very well written and full of detailed information about her previous life, her school, friends and family times before she was shot by the Taliban."
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Best Children's Explore United States Books

Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans
America’s #1 radio talk-show host and multi-million-copy #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a book for young readers with a history teacher who travels back in time to have adventures with exceptional Americans. Talk about a rock star—this guy wanted to protect young America so badly, he rode through those bumpy, cobblestone-y streets shouting “the British are coming!” On a horse. But what if you could get the real picture—by actually going back in time and seeing with your own eyes how our great country came to be? Our exceptional nation is waiting to be discovered all over again by exceptional young patriots— like you ! After offering a wide-ranging definition of American exceptionalism that begins with the statement that the U.S. is a “land built on true freedom and individual liberty, and it defends both around the world,” Limbaugh goes on to explain that the Founders believed all people were born to be “free as individuals.” Really? The book’s premise is that a substitute history teacher, Rush Revere, who dresses like his hero, Paul, along with his talking horse, Liberty, can go back in time. The text is wordy, and many of the pages are spent on the banter between Rush and Liberty, occasionally amusing but mostly just filling space, as do the tedious explanations of the way time travel works. They hadn’t been spoiled by wall-to-wall carpets, central heating and microwave ovens.” The fact that many modern-day people do experience incredible hardships, albeit different from the Pilgrims, seems not to have occurred to Limbaugh. Apparently, the turnaround for the struggling colony came “when every family was assigned its own plot of land to work.” Rush Revere drives home the point that it was after the Pilgrims stopped sharing the profits that success was ensured. Even Squanto adds, “No more slaves to the Common House.” As for factual inaccuracies, Paul Revere never said, “The British are coming!” That was Mr. Longfellow.
Reviews
"Rush Limbaugh has created a very good history of the story of the Puritans (also known as the "Pilgrims") who came to the North American continent in order to have the kind of religious freedom they were denied at home in England. The author does an excellent job of not only showing all the pitfalls and tragedies encountered by the Puritans but also their Christian faith as the key to their perseverance and ultimate victory in survival and success in creating their colony."
"What a marvelous way to present the history and TRUE telling of early life in AMERICA."
"The history is explained without distorting or judging the intent and reasoning behind the major personalities and groups involved, and that is an important viewpoint to read if you want a complete picture of the historical events and environment this book is all about."
"Great gift for kids up to teens: they will love it and ask for more!"
"Basically the story is interesting, though the kids in it [from modern times] are a bit over. the top in being constantly sarcastic, as it the talking horse."
"Great story to get your kids interested in the history of our nation."
"Does not gloss over or belittle of Pilgrims' accomplishments."
"My just turned 9-year-old is laughing out loud as he reads this book."
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Best Children's Explore Polar Regions Books

Tacky the Penguin (Read-aloud)
Tacky’s an odd bird, or Penguin rather, who likes to do splashy cannonballs and greet his companions with a loud “What’s happening?” In fact, he’s something of an eccentric, which his fellow penguins find somewhat bothersome until his odd behavior saves the day! With his un-penguin-like antics, Tacky puzzles the hunters to such an extent that they're firmly convinced they cannot be in the ``land of the pretty penguins.''. Mun singer cheerfully captures the mood of the tale with her whimsical, full-color illustrations that are particularly strong in depicting the hunters' deter mined, then befuddled, expressions and Tacky's madcap antics.
Reviews
"Wonderful story telling us it's ok to be different...embrace it in fact 😉."
""Tacky the Penguin," was a book I read to my sister when we were children."
"This is a great book about being different!"
"Love Tacky books."
"Great book for teaching character traits."
"This was a really cute book that I bought to read as a "mystery reader" for my granddaughter's class."
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Best Children's Explore Latin America

The Island Stallion's Fury (Black Stallion Book 7)
Only Steve Duncan and his friend Pitch know of the valley hidden behind the high cliffs of the remote Caribbean Azul Island.
Reviews
"This is a fun read for anyone who wants to have a fabulous adventure."
"A little put there with science fiction but a great story."
"It also teaches a little exciting history even if history is not all that exciting."
"My daughter is now falling in love with Farley's gorgeous, wild, spirited horses!"
"The Island Stallion is my favorite book of the series."
"A trip back to the horse-crazy days of my youth!"
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Best Children's Explore the World Fiction

Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans
America’s #1 radio talk-show host and multi-million-copy #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a book for young readers with a history teacher who travels back in time to have adventures with exceptional Americans. Talk about a rock star—this guy wanted to protect young America so badly, he rode through those bumpy, cobblestone-y streets shouting “the British are coming!” On a horse. But what if you could get the real picture—by actually going back in time and seeing with your own eyes how our great country came to be? Our exceptional nation is waiting to be discovered all over again by exceptional young patriots— like you ! After offering a wide-ranging definition of American exceptionalism that begins with the statement that the U.S. is a “land built on true freedom and individual liberty, and it defends both around the world,” Limbaugh goes on to explain that the Founders believed all people were born to be “free as individuals.” Really? The book’s premise is that a substitute history teacher, Rush Revere, who dresses like his hero, Paul, along with his talking horse, Liberty, can go back in time. The text is wordy, and many of the pages are spent on the banter between Rush and Liberty, occasionally amusing but mostly just filling space, as do the tedious explanations of the way time travel works. They hadn’t been spoiled by wall-to-wall carpets, central heating and microwave ovens.” The fact that many modern-day people do experience incredible hardships, albeit different from the Pilgrims, seems not to have occurred to Limbaugh. Apparently, the turnaround for the struggling colony came “when every family was assigned its own plot of land to work.” Rush Revere drives home the point that it was after the Pilgrims stopped sharing the profits that success was ensured. Even Squanto adds, “No more slaves to the Common House.” As for factual inaccuracies, Paul Revere never said, “The British are coming!” That was Mr. Longfellow.
Reviews
"Great story to get your kids interested in the history of our nation."
"Does not gloss over or belittle of Pilgrims' accomplishments."
"Gift for my home-schooled granddaughter."
"My 8 yr old loves these books!"
"my grandson of 8 can't wait for the next one."
"Humor to teach US history."
"purchased copies for all the grandchildren."
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Best Children's Australia & Oceania

Moana Little Golden Book (Disney Moana)
In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island.
Reviews
"Gave at Christmas and the little child likes Moana."
"My son loves Moana and this book is a great summary with beautiful illustrations."
"My baby granddaughter will love this book!"
"Typical children's book."
"Perfect for reading to small children."
"My kids love it , they have watched the movie many time."
"Book was very cute."
"Love these books."
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