Titles and Descriptions - U-V

Under a Shooting Star
The Underground Reporters
Underground to Canada
U-Turn
Values
Vocabulary Module
Voices Through the Ages
Voices Under One Sky: Contemporary Native Literature

Under a Shooting Star (Print-Fiction). Trottier, Maxine. Stoddart Kids (FHW), 2002. 212 p. ISBN 0-7737-6228-0 ($9.95 pbk.).

(CAN) Readers will be plunged into the world of 1812 in Canada, as Edward, Kate, and Anne deal with danger and intrigue in their adventure. Edward Wolf McNeill, a 15-year-old Canadian of British and Oneida heritage, is escorting two American sisters home from England when their journey is interrupted by the War of 1812. This historical novel is more than an adventure story. The novel considers pacifism at a time when war was considered to be an honourable activity. The strength of the novel lies in the search for individual and internal acceptance of young people from different cultures and family relationships.

This book was an honour title for the 2001 Bilson Historical Fiction Award.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Personal and Philosophical Context; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Content and Perspectives

The Underground Reporters (Print-Non-Fiction). Kacer, Kathy. (The Holocaust Remembrance Series for Young Readers). Second Story Press (UTP), 2004. 156 p. ISBN 1-896764-85-1 ($15.95 pbk.).

(CAN) The Underground Reporters by Kathy Kacer tells the true story of John Freund and Ruda Stadler, two Jewish boys who encouraged their community to endure through the atrocities of the Holocaust. The boys created an underground newspaper that instilled hope within the Jewish ghettos. The boys wrote 22 editions of Kleppy (which means gossip in Czechoslovakian) before being sent to Auschwitz. This book shows the many struggles that the Jewish people faced during World War II, but the numerous photographs and visuals from the original newspapers make this book interesting to read. The story is very special to Canadians because one of the survivors, John Freund, immigrated to Canada in the 1950s.
Suggested Use: Grade 7; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Initiative: Multicultural Content and Perspectives

Underground to Canada (Print-Fiction). Smucker, Barbara. Puffin Books (CDS), 1978. 157 p. ISBN 0-14-031122-X ($5.99 pbk.).

(CAN) Julilly has been cruelly separated from her mother and sold to a harsh slave owner in the deep south. Drawing on her mother’s instructions and the help of the underground railway, Julilly escapes with Lisa, another young slave who has become crippled from repeated beatings. An emotionally honest tale written with deceptive simplicity, this novel depicts the treatment that led to slave escapes, the aid extended by abolitionists, especially the Quakers, and the adjustments to a life of freedom in Canada.

This book was a runner up winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award for Children in 1978.

While this 1978 book was very popular, there are newer resources that reflect the plight of Black Canadians during a similar time. Teachers should note that some language is considered prejudicial and should be placed in the historical context.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context

U-Turn (Video). Tabata Productions Ltd. (MGR), 2000. 22 min. Order no. V1351. Expires August 31st, 2008.

(CAN) Regular bombardments by the media urge viewers to both consume and conserve, creating a mixed and confusing message. In order to foster better conservers, it is important to address “why we consume” and not simply “how.” U-Turn, with teen host Severn Cullis Suzuki, clearly illustrates for a youthful audience the environmental problems created by consumption. It offers practical solutions for reducing solid wastes, eliminating hazardous household products, conserving energy and water, and improving air quality while examining the underlying role that the media plays in influencing our values and how we live.
Suggested Use: Grade 8; Environmental and Technological Context
Other Use: Health Education: Grades 6 to 9; Science 10

Values (Print-Anthology). Please refer to the “Currently Out of Print but Still Useful Learning Resources” section.

Vocabulary Module (Kit). (IRA Literacy Study Groups Series). International Reading Association (OLA), 2002. Order no. 9171A 553 ($47.45).

This kit contains resources for exploring the meaning of words within a contextual approach and how words are used to communicate. The module includes the research-based resources, Teaching Vocabulary to Improve Reading Instruction and Teaching Word Recognition, Spelling, and Vocabulary.

The module also contains a facilitator’s guide to help teachers outline steps for creating and sustaining study groups, a journal for recording ideas and reading reflections, and a discussion guide that offers related journal articles and study group activities.
Suggested Use: Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; Teacher Reference
Other Use: English Language Arts: Grades K to 5

Voices Through the Ages (Print-Anthology). Alvermann, Donna, et al. (Heath Middle Level Literature Series). D. C. Heath & Co. (NEL), 1995. 126 p. ISBN 0-669-32115-X ($12.45 pbk.).

Narratives and folktales told from the past emphasize human problems and troubles of today. The tales told and passed on to people address experiences that are common to all cultures. This is an older but still useful resource.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Imaginative and Literary Context

Voices Under One Sky: Contemporary Native Literature (Print-Anthology). Roman, Trish Fox, ed. (Reflections Series). Thomson Nelson (NEL), 1994. 224 p. ISBN 0-17-603979-1 ($38.95 pbk.). Teacher's Guide - ISBN 0-17-603989-9 ($44.95 pbk.).

(CAN) This collection of First Nations literature contains poetry, short stories, memoirs, and legends. Included are a table of contents which lists each author's nation, a map of cultural and linguistic groups, brief biographies of authors, and an index of alternate themes. The teacher’s guide provides introductions to each theme, summaries and activities for each selection, and lists of further reading.
Suggested Use: Grade 9; Social, Cultural, and Historical Context
Other Use: English Language Arts 10; English Language Arts 20; English Language Arts 30