Books for 3rd to 5th Grade on Adoption, Race, and Family

After Tupac and D Foster
by Jacqueline Woodson
After Tupac is a deeply felt novel about the power of friendship. Two 11-year-old African American girls are suddenly joined by D, a girl in foster care who talks about the need to find your Big Purpose. When D is unexpectedly reunited with her mother, she is lost to them without warning. The book tells the story of their two year relationship and how changed they are by their connection to one another.

Pact says: A very well-written novel that does a unusually good job of depicting the depth and power of friendship between tweens moving toward the teen years. The foster/adoption aspect of D’s story is a bonus..

An-Ya and Her Diary
by Diane Christian
An-Ya and Her Diary is a novel about an 11-year-old Chinese girl struggling to adjust to her new life in America with her adoptive family. Through the pages of her diary, the reader feels her confusion, her anger, and her slowly dawning understanding of what it means to be part of a family. This is a girl, and a family, who are going to make it. Written by an adoptive mother, there is compassion and understanding for the experience of an adopted girl that is both welcome and surprising.

Pact says: This is a well-written novel with a strong main character that depicts the complex emotional experience of someone adopted in middle childhood.

An-Ya and her Diary Workbook (Reader and Parent Guide)
by Diane René Christian
An-Ya and Her Diary is a novel about an 11-year-old Chinese girl struggling to adjust to her new life in America with her adoptive family. Through the pages of her diary, the reader feels her confusion, her anger, and her slowly dawning understanding of what it means to be part of a family. This is a girl, and a family, who are going to make it. Written by an adoptive mother, there is compassion and understanding for the experience of an adopted girl that is both welcome and surprising.

Pact says: The Reader and Parent Guide is a wonderful addition to the book and includes suggestions from adult adoptees and professionals.

Becoming Naomi Leon
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Naomi is biracial, Mexican and white, the only one in the family who looks like a person of color. Her mother left Naomi and her little brother with her grandmother when she was quite young. When Naomi's mother reappears after seven years, the family conflict that ensues pushes Naomi's grandmother to bring the kids to Oaxaca to search for Naomi's Mexican father. Naomi gets a chance to learn about and become a part of her Mexican extended family. While in Mexico, Naomi finds her cultural heritage and her own voice.

Pact says: This book explores many issues that are relevant to adopted children - particularly those adopted transracially. The book's themes of bridging several families, connecting different cultures, and forging a personal identity gives transracially adopted kids much to think about.

Hank Zipzer Collection
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Includes 4 titles: Niagara Falls, or does It?; I Got A "D" in Salmi; Day of the Iguana; The Zippity Zinger. These are laugh outloud books, as Hank and his friends (who just happen to be Chinese and African American, from middle class professional families) romp together through various antics and funny situations mostly created by Hank's struggles in school. Hank has learning differences which are really coming to the fore now that he is in fourth grade. Any child facing these issues will feel better about themselves and their struggles because of Hank and his fantastic ideas and adventures.

Pact says: This is a great series and a wonderful read, especially for kids facing learning challenges.

Hank Zipzer Series: A Brand-New Me!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
It’s graduation time for Hank and all his friends— time to move on to middle school. The only problem is that there are tests that Hank has to pass in order to get into the same middle school as his friends.

Pact Says: This series is filled with laugh-out-lout reads that highlights the challenges of kids facing learning disabilities and ADHD, reminding us with humor and clever storytelling that for all the struggles there can be positives to having a “different kind of brain” as well. Really useful for kids who struggle with learning challenges and the diverse friend group portrayed in the books is a great bonus!

Hank Zipzer Series: A Tale of Two Tails
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
When Hank decides to train his dog Cheerio to become the schools’ mascot, he thought it was a great idea. The only problem is Cheerio would rather slide in the mud in the park than practice his walk and jumps.

Hank Zipzer Series: Barfing In The Back Seat
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's Dad decides to enter a crossword-puzzle tournament, and wants to make a family road trip of it. The only caveat is that Hank has a homework packet to finish before they get there...which he somehow manages to lose at one of the stops along the way.

This series is filled with laugh-out-lout reads that highlights the challenges of kids facing learning disabilities and ADHD, reminding us with humor and clever storytelling that for all the struggles there can be positives to having a “different kind of brain” as well. Really useful for kids who struggle with learning challenges and the diverse friend group portrayed in the books is a great bonus!

Hank Zipzer Series: Day of the Iguana
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
It's science project time in Ms. Adolf's class. This is good news and bad news for Hank-he loves science, but he hates the report part. So Hank turns to TV to take his mind off things. That is when he discovers his sister's iguana laid eggs in the cable box!

Hank Zipzer Series: Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I’m on my way, Mom!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's mom is having a baby and Hank is not thrilled about having to share his room. To cheer him up, his Dad takes him on a ‘pre-baby” ski trip but when his Mom calls to say the baby is coming early, Hank and his Dad have to find a way home from the trip, even though a freak snowstorm has hit.

Hank Zipzer Series: Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's Parent-teacher conferences are coming up, and his teacher might tell his parents some awful things; like that He will have to repeat the fourth grade! What is Hank going to do?

Hank Zipzer Series: Holy Enchilda!
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's class is putting on a Multi-Cultural Day lunch; He is so excited – no reading, no writing-just cooking! Hank decides to make enchiladas but after his teacher takes a bite, her face looked like it was on fire!

Hank Zipzer Series: I Got a "D" in Salami
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
The most dreaded day of Hank Zipzer’s school year is report card day. When He finally gets it, it shows a D in spelling, a D in reading, and a D in math. Hank needs help, and he needs it fast!

Hank Zipzer Series: My Dog’s a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank decides to create the scariest haunted house ever and invite the school bully over to show him what scary really is. The only problem is Hank's dog Cheerio, is so scared of the haunted house that when Hank tries to find him, he's nowhere in sight!

Hank Zipzer Series: My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
When Papa suggests that Hank takes up Ping-Pong, he decides to give it a try but keeps it top secret because he thinks the other kids will tease him about it not being a "real" sport. But as it turns out, Hank is so good that he manages to get all the way to the Ping-Pong championship!

Hank Zipzer Series: Niagara Falls, or Does It?
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank Zipzer, he’s smart, he’s creative, and he’s funny. He wants to do well in school – he really does. Hank tries not to be lazy, like his parents claim. So why is he always getting into trouble?

Hank Zipzer Series: Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up?
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Summer’s finally here and Hank's best friends are going to this really cool summer camp. And what is Hank doing? He is going to summer school!

Hank Zipzer Series: The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank's school is putting on the play "Anna and the King of Siam" and Hank is trying out for the part of the King. There’s only one small problem; his Dad tells him that in order to be in the play, Hank has to get a B-plus on his math test!

Hank Zipzer Series: The Life of Me (Enter at your own risk)
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Life was looking pretty good for Hank when Mr. Rock became his substitute teacher. But when he tells Hank he should go to his special after-school reading program, Hank is not so happy. That is until a really good thing happens: He meets this really cool (and cute) girl in the program.

Hank Zipzer Series: The Night I Flunked My Field Trip
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
For a field trip, Hank's class is spending the night on a replica of a tall-masted sailing ship. It all sounded great until it turns out to be the worst field trip of the year!

Hank Zipzer Series: The Zippity Zinger
by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
When Hank Zipzer is chosen as his team’s softball pitcher, the pressure is on. Can Hank lead his team to victory-even though he thinks he is the worst athlete in the history of the world?

It's Perfectly Normal
by Robbie Harris & Michael Emberley
Changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health

Pact says: This is an informative, well crafted guide that addresses kids’ concerns about their changing bodies and how they function. Best of all, it includes multicultural models and promotes an acceptance of difference beyond the norm, including wheelchair-bound people, aged people, Gay and Lesbian people, skinny people, fat people, people of all races — in short, a great diversity, and all treated with respect. Both physiological and psychological aspects of the issues are covered. Though topics of sexuality and sexual development are difficult for some, this book provides a positive foundation for discussion. This honest, trustworthy and highly entertaining book about sexuality and growing up is notable for its nonjudgmental section on homosexuality and for including same-sex couples throughout its illustrations. Truly excellent, on all counts.

Jacket, The
by Andrew Clements, Illustrated by McDavid Henderson
Story of a young white boy who begins to realize that he has assumptions and no intimate dealings with African Americans. At one point he says to his mom, “I realize I am prejudiced, why didn’t you tell me that I was?” As the story progresses he begins to realize that his mother and father and friends are, too, as they live in an all white neighborhood and don’t interact with Black people except superficially. He makes a visit to the young boy who was given his brother’s old jacket and comes to the realization that Black people aren’t really any different than he is, it was his stereotypes that were different.

Pact says: An exploratory novel told from the point of view of the white boy, this is a direct and simple story about race-based assumptions.

Liberation of Gabriel King, The
by K. L. Going
Frita Wilson and Gabriel King, Frita also happens to be the only Black child in their 4th grade class and Gabriel happens to be afraid of almost everything that takes courage. In the summer between their 4th and 5th grade year, Frita and Gabriel embark on a plan to overcome their fears that turns out to include some powerful lessons about oppression and standing up to racism.

Pact says: Frita and her family are a wonderful model of a strong African American family, Gabriel and his family learn what it means to be white allies against racism in a backdrop of the 1976 South including members of the Ku Klux Klan. A great book to introduce the need to speak out and band together against racism.

People Could Fly, The: American Black Folktales
by Virginia Hamilton
Virginia Hamilton, Newbery Medal winner and recipient of the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, teams up with two-time Caldecott Medal winners, Leo and Diane Dillon, in this classic collection of American black folktales, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. By turns droll, grisly, and spine-tingling, the 24 stories celebrate the indomitable human spirit, surviving under the most crushing circumstances of slavery. Four groups of stories: Animal Tales; Tales of the Real, Extravagant and Fanciful; Tales of the Supernatural; and Slave Tales of Freedom.

Pact says: An excellent of stories rooted in the African American experience.

Ruby Lu: Empress of Everything
by Lenore Look, Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
Sequel to Ruby Lu, Brave and True. When Flying Duck comes from China to live with her family, Ruby Lu's happy world is turned upside down as suddenly everyone is speaking in a foreign language at home, their evening dinners are greatly altered, and she is suddenly mandated by her family to become Flying Duck's guide at school. More adventures and realizations about what it means to immigrate and how to communicate ensue when you don't speak the same language ensue.

Pact says: Great books for American kids of Chinese descent, and for anyone else who wants to read about a little girl whose family has figured out how to live two heritages -- the one of their parents and grandparents, and the one here in the US.

Soul Looks Back In Wonder
by Tom Feelings
Included in the anthology are verses by Margaret Walker, Maya Angelou, Lucille Clifton, and Eugene B. Redmond, and a previously unpublished poem by Langston Hughes. This is a unique and moving collaboration that celebrates the sustaining spirit of African creativity. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration.

Pact says: A beautiful book, filled with compelling words and pictures that inspire. This is a great book to have on your shelf for this age range as they look for information for class projects and inspirational historical figures of color they can admire and study.

W.I.S.E. UP Powerbook
by Marilyn Schoettle
This child friendly book gives children easy to remember tools to cope with uncomfortable comments from others. They learn to think about their options, and make wise choices based on the word W-I-S-E:(W)alk away, say (I)t’s private, (S)hare something, or (E)ducate. This book offers practical advice and has parent suggestions for helping children handle questions from outsiders.

Pact says: A must-read written in a kid friendly cartoon like style, filled with practical advice, this book is an ideal conversation starter for parents and children to develop strategies about handling adoption questions. This book is without a doubt the best book available to help kids work through ways to respond to friends and strangers questions.

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson
Describes the glory years of Negro league baseball in the early 1900s, profiling its star athletes and highlighting the challenges faced by the players and the sacrifices made to live out their dreams and play the game they loved. The narrative is divided into nine innings, beginning with Rube Foster and his formation of the first Negro League in 1920 and closing with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier into white major league baseball. In between are fascinating snippets of the events and men who formed the Negro Leagues. Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who began playing with the Negro Leagues, provides the foreword.

Pact says: The incredible artwork along with the stories makes this book a valuable collectors’ item for every family library.

What Color is My World?
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfield, Illustrated by Ben Boss
The simple story that brings the book together is of a brother and sister helping a handyman fix up their new house. But while they work, this “handyman” starts to tell them about all of the things around them, from their cell phones and computers to the foods they are eating that were improved by the inventions or innovations of African American scientists and inventors. Pact says: The information is just a glimpse at each person, but the message of the book is that African Americans have made significant contributions to every aspect of our lives and it is presented in a way that is enjoyable rather than dry or didactic.

Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs: #1 The Burried Bones Mystery
By Sharon M. Draper
When Ziggy gets the word that the trip to Camp Caesar is on, he can't wait to tell his friends, the Black Dinosaurs. But the four pals couldn't know what excitement awaited them. In this third adventure, the boys learn a lot about American, Native American, and African-American history.

Pact says: Great books about a group of four boys who just happen to be African American, good friends and prone to adventures and mystery. Great reads that will especially inspire young boys. These books are fun but also teach history and pride rooted in the African American community.

Books for 3rd to 5th Grade About Adoption, Race, and Family