Monday, September 1, 2014

IB MYP Reads

Here are some of my favorites for IB MYP book titles about characters whose lives represent the intersection of labor, politics, rights and youth. Excerpts or whole novel can be used as text for inquiring into perspective as a concept or the global context of Fairness and Development. As most high-quality lit, they can represent and can be accessed through many other concepts and contexts, and are applicable across content areas. 

For younger readers, I like the historical fiction novel, Journey to Joberg, set in South Africa during Apartheid. I like Peet's The Keeper, a fantastic novel a about a journalist interviewing the goalie named El Gato. The Heavan Shop is about a girl's life as she lives and works, while affected by HIV, in Malawi - by Deborah Ellis. The Queen of Water by Laura Resau, is about class, workers' rights, and poverty, - about a young girl who is sent to work as a domestic servant in Ecuador. The House of the Scorpion is an award-winning novel, with a ton of positive reviews. It's set at U.S./Mexico border and is a sci-fi adventure story about worker drones harvesting poppy fields for the opium trade. Being from San Diego and having worked with a non-profit in TJ, I love border literature. This novel is definitely a unique perspective on the future of the border and the drug trade. For older or mature readers, my all time favorite novel is Devil's Highway by Urrea. Awesome border lit based on a true story about a group of immigrants who died when their Coyotes left them in the middle if the desert between Yuma and San Diego. 

What are your favorite reads for IB MYP students?