The Circuit (Graphic Novel Edition) by Francisco Jiménez, adapted by Andrew J. Rostan and Illustrated by Celia Jacobs

This story begins in the late 1940s with a Mexican family dreaming of going to California to find work and a better life. Francisco's family finally does cross the border and his childhood is spent moving from camp to camp, picking cotton and grapes and strawberries in the hot sun. At first young Francisco takes care of his baby brother in the backseat of a car while the family picks cotton, but soon he is old enough to work in the fields. But what he dreams of is staying in one place so he can learn to read and learn English. It is heartbreaking to see him pulled out of school each year, but he does learn to read and write and we know he will grow up to be an acclaimed writer. This graphic novel adaptation of Francisco Jiménez's original memoir is perfect for middle and high schoolers. There is drama and adventure, but it is mainly a story of family and hardship and a boy who dreams of a better future. The ending is unresolved, but students could read Jiménez's other memoirs to find out more of his story. The Circuit is highly recommended, both for pleasure reading and for nonfiction or memoir units. 
 

From Here by Luma Mufleh

 

Luma Mufleh grew up in Aman, Jordan as the child of Syrian refugees. She was part of a large, close family with strong ties to each other, but she always knew she was different. As a student in an American high school in Jordan in the 1990s, she realized that she was gay and that there was no place for her in Jordan. In fact, she could be killed if her sexuality were to be discovered. She thought that going to college in the United States could be a way out for her, but did not want her identity to separate her from her beloved family. This memoir is illuminating on many levels--life in Jordan, Muslim family dynamics, the American immigrant experience, and having the courage to become your true self. These themes will resonate with high school students but also with adults. Luma has had a long journey becoming a US Citizen and creating schools and soccer teams for refugee children, and her story is powerful and empowering. Recommended for high school and adult readers. 

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha

 

Robin relocates from South Korea to Huntsville, Alabama in this autobiographical graphic memoir of her teen years. In South Korea it was Robin and her mom against the world (single parent families were not well accepted there at the time), but when a trip to Alabama turns into a permanent move including a surprise marriage for her mom, Robin is hurt and angry, and school is not going well. Any middle schooler will relate to losing friends, feeling alone, and the bullying and the feeling of being an outsider that Robin experiences. Fortunately, her love of art and anime help her find a place in America, but not without years of struggle. I read several immigration memoirs this year and this was one of the best. Recommended for 7th-10th graders (and adults, too).   

Sunshine by Jarrett Krosoczka

 

Jarrett Krosoczka's book Hey Kiddo has touched many hearts (it's very popular with my 8th grade students in particular), and his follow-up also brings heart and humor and heartbreak to the world of graphic novels for middle schoolers. When Jarrett was in high school he was selected to work at Camp Sunshine, where seriously ill children were able to have some moments of fun and freedom. He was nervous and a little bit awkward, but he rose to the challenge and forged meaningful relationships with some kids and their families. The experience changed Jarrett's life more than the lives of the campers, and that is his focus in this heartfelt graphic novel. Several book clubs at my school have read it this year, and kids have been moved to tears. I even had one 6th grade boy who usually only reads manga thank me for "making him" read this book--and he said it is now his favorite book. Recommended for middle and high school collections. 

Other Boys by Damian Alexander

 

This heartbreaking yet hopeful graphic novel tells the true story of a boy who is bullied for his sexual orientation. Damian is now in seventh grade and is refusing to speak--not to teachers or students or anyone at school. We find out that in addition to a lifetime of taunts and slurs, Damian's mother was killed by his father when he was a baby, and he has lived with that trauma as well as the trauma inflicted on him by other students. The artwork is colorful and bright and the story flashes between the present (seventh grade) and past years and we see how Damian has always been his unique self. Most kids can relate to bullying and how hurtful it can be, and hopefully this honest memoir will build empathy and understanding among young readers. 

March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Pattillo Beals

I couldn't stop reading this middle school-level memoir of a Little Rick Nine survivor's early years. I confess I know the basics of the Little Rock Nine experience, but haven't read any of the participants' autobiographies. I thought that this book would tell that story, but I was wrong. Rather than delve into her better-known year as a member of the Little Rock Nine, Mrs. Beals recounts her life up to the point of being chosen to integrate Central High School in Little Rock. Melba was a precocious child--aware from a very young age that she lived in a divided society where she not only had fewer luxuries than white peers, she had to live in deep and persistent fear at all times. At first I thought that there was no way such a young person could have perceived her situation so accurately, but I was won over in the end. Melba stood apart from many other children in her Little Rock neighborhood and she rightly felt the terror that white people wanted her to feel. I have read numerous books about Civil Rights era conditions, but I was shocked and appalled by several things that happened to Melba--most notably a KKK lynching that took place during a church service. The trauma she and all the Little Rock people of color experienced, should never happen to anyone, anywhere, ever again. In spite of how it may sound, this book is well-tuned to middle school and maybe even middle grade readers. It's a story that should be read widely--by adults and children.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery

There is a lot of interest in the Selma voting rights march and this memoir makes Selma and the preceding marches come alive from the perspective of a young person. Lynda Blackmon was actively participating in civil rights protests in Selma before the famous march to Montgomery. In this memoir she talks about how those marches were organized and how her black teachers helped students leave school to participate. Lynda was jailed numerous times and often was fearful, but she continued to participate and was supported by her family and friends. She was beaten on Bloody Sunday, and then became the youngest person to march all the way from Selma to Montgomery. It was on that march that she turned 15 years old. This story is told in the first person and is easy to read. It is written in chapters but it reads like a personal essay. Students as young as fifth graders will have no problem understanding Lynda's story and will learn a great deal about the events surrounding the Selma march, including the deaths of Jimmie Lee Jackson and Viola Liuzzo. This would be an excellent addition to a middle school Civil Rights unit.

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Yes, this is a popular TV show, but it originated as this book, which is the true story of one woman's year in a women's prison. Piper Kerman was a Smith College graduate who spent her first year after college traveling around the world with drug mules. Piper didn't mastermind anything or actually transport drugs, but she did knowingly transport drug money. She soon left that life and settled into a more normal existence, but ten years later her former "friends" turned her in and her past caught up with her. She was sentenced to 13 months in a women's detention center, and at age 35 she served her time. The book provides a really fascinating look at a place that most of us will never see, and it also gives a sympathetic view of the women who are incarcerated. Many lack an education and access to good attorneys, and the prison system does nothing to educate, rehabilitate, or otherwise help them be productive citizens. This is definitely worth reading. Recommended for high school on up.