Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Kii Yazhi is a Navajo boy who is sent to boarding school. There, the whites change his name to something more manageable for them: Ned Begay. His whole Navajo identity is stripped away, as with all the other Navajos at the school, and they are forced to speak English. The consequences of not doing so range from soap in the mouth to being chained in a cold basement.

During high school Pearl Harbor is attacked, and Ned wants more than anything to join up and fight the Japanese.  He eventually becomes a Marine-- one with a very special job. They use the Navajo language, which is very difficult to pronounce if you haven't been learning it your whole life, as their code. That code is one of the big reasons the Central Powers won the war.

This novel outlines in a clear, interesting way many of the battles and events are told. It is written as a grandfather telling about this part of his life to his grandchildren, so the actual descriptions of the battles were not too intense. This code remained a secret for years, and those who were central to using it and helping with the war effort were required by the government to keep it all a secret for more than two decades.

This novel by Joseph Bruchac is historical fiction, and highly recommended for middle school-ers. Through this book I became interested in this era of history and read a few others set at this time. For an interview with the author, click here.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

At the age of 11, Jeffery Magee runs away. Since his parents had been killed in an accident eight years ago he had been living with his loveless aunt and uncle. So, he runs away. He runs and runs and runs until he stops in Two Mills, Pennsylvania.  Magee spends time on both sides of town, looking for a home, for a real family. During that time spent in East End and West End, apparently not noticing that one side is all white and the other is all black, Magee makes several friends and many enemies. Will he find a home? Will this kid, allergic to pizza, ever fit in?

Written by Jerry Spinelli, the realistic fiction book Maniac Magee is a quick read. I very quickly came to love each of the characters, and could hardly set the book down. It talks about friendship, family, racism, enemies and so much more.

I love this part of the book:

" As he passed them, he said, "Hi." Just that—"Hi"—and he was gone. They stopped, they blinked, they turned, they started after him, they wondered: Do I know that kid? Because people just didn't' say that to strangers, out of the blue. "

 I like it because it is a reminder that it's the little things that leave an impression, that people remember and cherish. It was the lack of those little things that drove Magee to run away from his aunt and uncle, and he determines to include 'little things' in his new life, even if others didn't expect them.

 One of the things Maniac Magee made me think about was how an outsider would see my family. What would they notice and appreciate that I've been taking for granted? What about you-- what would an outsider appreciate about your family that you've been taking for granted?