Third Quarter

Non-Fiction/Courage Unit

This quarter we will be reading and focusing on different types of non-fiction writing,
learning to gather research and write a research paper. The focus of our unit is
Courage. We will be reading a book aloud as a class and students will also be reading
an independent book that all focus on the topic of courage. The multiple choices for
their independent book are listed on the attached pages.
We are asking that each student get a copy of this book (you do NOT have to
purchase this book) unless you want too. You may check them out from the library.
Students will need a copy of their book no later than Friday, January 25, 2016. Students
are not expected to begin reading this book until after January 25th; they simply need
a copy of it by that date.
I will have a few copies of some of these books for students to borrow for this unit,
however it is ideal that they are able to obtain a copy on their own.
*For students that need an extra challenge, think about reading two of the choices
above and making a comparison of the two novels or please see me for additional
titles.
Some suggestions of places to look for these books
1.
2.
3.
4.

Any public library (free), you may also borrow or purchase the books on your Kindle, Nook or iPhone.
Sells library (free)
Amazon.com (very cheap prices)
Half Price Books (also very reasonable prices)

Books with a ** next to the title means there may be adult language, so parents please
be advised and aware of the titles that your child is choosing!

Soul Surfer: By Bethany Hamilton A True Story of Faith, Family, and

Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton and Rick
Bundschuh with Sheryl Berk
Lexile 960 GL 6
She lost her arm in a shark attack and nearly died, but she never lost
her faith. In her #1 New York Times bestseller, Bethany Hamilton tells the
moving story of her triumphant return to competitive surfing, which
continues to inspire all that hear it.
They say Bethany Hamilton has salt water in her veins. How else could
one explain the passion that drives her to surf? Or that nothingnot
even the loss of her armcould come between her
and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany
responded to the sharks stealth attack with the calm of a teenage girl with God on her side,
resolutely pushing aside her pain and panic while being rescued and brought back to shore.
When can I surf again? was the first thing Bethany asked after her emergency surgery,
leaving no doubt that her spirit and determination were part of a greater storya tale of
personal empowerment and spiritual grit that shows the body is no more essential to surfing,
perhaps even less so, than the soul.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Lexile 1080 GL 6.5
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne
Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classica powerful
reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human
spirit.

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and

her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the
next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo,
they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old
office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger,
boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of
discovery and death.
In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By
turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on
human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young
woman whose promise was tragically cut short.

Leons Story by Leon Walter Tillage

Lexile 970 GL 6.8
***Must have teacher permission for this choice***
"Leon's Story is a powerful, wonderful thing!" -- Nikki Giovanni
I remember that as a young boy I used to look in the mirror and I
would curse my color, my blackness. But in those days they didn't call
you "black." They didnt say "minority." They called us "colored.
Leon Tillage grew up the son of a sharecropper in a small town in
North Carolina. Told in vignettes, this is his story about walking four
miles to the school for black children, and watching a school bus full of white children go past.
It's about his being forced to sit in the balcony at the movie theater, hiding all night when the
Klansmen came riding, and worse. Much worse.
But it is also the story of a strong family and the love that bound them together. And, finally, it's
about working to change an oppressive existence by joining the civil rights movement. Edited
from recorded interviews conducted by Susan L. Roth, Leon's story will stay with readers long
after they have finished his powerful account.
Leon's Story is the winner of the 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Lexile 1000+ GL 6

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into

the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and
a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face
appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier,
who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began
one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a
cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and
fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running,
discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of
the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman,
embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft,
thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of
endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve,
and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended
on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative
voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man's journey into
extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Lexile 1090 GL 7.8
When she was 19 months old, Helen Keller (1880-1968) suffered a severe
illness that left her blind and deaf. Not long after, she also became
mute. Her tenacious struggle to overcome these handicaps with the
help of her inspired teacher, Anne Sullivan is one of the great stories of
human courage and dedication. In this classic autobiography, first
published in 1903, Miss Keller recounts the first 22 years of her life,
including the magical moment at the water pump when, recognizing
the connection between the word "water" and the cold liquid flowing
over her hand, she realized that objects had names. Subsequent
experiences were equally noteworthy: her joy at eventually learning to
speak, her friendships with Oliver Wendell Holmes, Edward Everett Hale and other notables, her
education at Radcliffe (from which she graduated cum laude), and-underlying all-her
extraordinary relationship with Miss Sullivan, who showed a remarkable genius for
communicating with her eager and quick-to-learn pupil. These and many other aspects of
Helen Keller's life are presented here in clear, straightforward prose full of wonderful
descriptions and imagery that would do credit to a sighted writer. Completely devoid of selfpity, yet full of love and compassion for others, this deeply moving memoir offers an
unforgettable portrait of one of the outstanding women of the twentieth century.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver

Lexile 910L GL 6-8
This young readers edition of the worldwide bestseller Three Cups of Tea
has been specially adapted and updated by Greg Mortenson to bring
his remarkable story of humanitarianism up-to-date. It includes brandnew photos, maps, and illustrations, as well as a special afterword by
Greg's twelve-year-old daughter, Amira, who has traveled with her
father as an advocate for the Pennies for Peace program for children.

**A Captains Duty by Richard Phillips

A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days
at Sea is a book by Captain Richard Phillips, the captain of the
container ship MV Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked in 2009.
It was written with Stephan Talty. (Based on the Movie Captain
Phillips).

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Lexile 830L GL 7-9
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone
older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young
and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your
way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his
college professor from nearly twenty years ago. Maybe, like Mitch,
you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights
faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger
questions that still haunt you? Mitch Albom had that second chance.
He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life.
Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - MItch
visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled
relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live. TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a
magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with
the world.
Little Rock Girl 1957 by Shelley Tougas
Lexile 1010L GL 5-7
***Must have teacher permission for this choice***
Nine African American students made history when they defied
a governor and integrated an Arkansas high school in 1957. It
was the photo of one of the nine trying to enter the school a
young girl being taunted, harassed and threatened by an
angry mob that grabbed the worlds attention and kept its
disapproving gaze on Little Rock, Arkansas. In defiance of a
federal court order, Governor Orval Faubus called in the
National Guard to prevent the students from entering all white
Central High School. The plan had been for the students to
meet and go to school as a group on September 4, 1957. But
one student, Elizabeth Eckford, didnt hear of the plan and tried to enter the school alone. A
chilling photo by newspaper photographer Will Counts captured the sneering expression of a
girl in the mob and made history. Years later Counts snapped another photo, this one of the
same two girls, now grownup, reconciling in front of Central High School.

**Steve Jobs Book by Walter Isaacson

Lexile 1020L GL 4-7
From best-selling author Walter Isaacson comes the landmark
biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
In Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography, Isaacson provides an
extraordinary account of Jobs' professional and personal life. Drawn
from three years of exclusive and unprecedented interviews Isaacson
has conducted with Jobs as well as extensive interviews with Jobs'
family members and key colleagues from Apple and its competitors,
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography is the definitive portrait of the
greatest innovator of his generation

Chasing Lincolns Killer by James Swanson

Lexile 980L GL 7-9
Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and
interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters,
CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and
capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the
streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into
the forests of Virginia. "This story is true. All the characters are real and
were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are
authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial
transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books and other documents. What
happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of
Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made
up."
So begins this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes
Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his
accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE
FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of
a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend,
and how his death impacted those closest to him.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Lexile 990L GL 4-8
Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of
her childhood in mesmerizing verse.
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home
in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an
African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim
Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching
and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse
into a childs soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodsons eloquent poetry also
reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled
with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first
sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Dear Bully by Megan Kelly Hall

Lexile 850 GL 5-7
Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl
getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to
celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine
turned being the "funny guy" into the best defense against the bullies in his
class. Today's top authors for teens come together to share their stories
about bullyingas silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as
victims, and as perpetratorsin a collection at turns moving and selfeffacing, but always deeply personal.

Titanic: Voices of Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson

Lexile 1040 GL 6-7
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster is a 2013 Sibert Honor book and a 2013
Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist.
Critically acclaimed nonfiction author Deborah Hopkinson pieces together
the story of the TITANIC and that fateful April night, drawing on the voices
of survivors and archival photographs.
Scheduled to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of
the TITANIC, a topic that continues to haunt and thrill readers to this day, this book by critically
acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson weaves together the voices and stories of real TITANIC
survivors and witnesses to the disaster -- from the stewardess Violet Jessop to Captain Arthur
Rostron of the CARPATHIA, who came to the rescue of the sinking ship. Packed with heartstopping action, devastating drama, fascinating historical details, loads of archival
photographs on almost every page, and quotes from primary sources, this gripping story,
which follows the TITANIC and its passengers from the ship's celebrated launch at Belfast to her
cataclysmic icy end, is sure to thrill and move readers

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Lexile 1000 GL 7-9
I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost
died it was just after midday.
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl
spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her
right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid
the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while
riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.
Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a
remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she
has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize
laureate.
I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls'
education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his
daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their
daughter in a society that prizes sons.
I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the
world.

Carlys Voice by Arthur & Carly Fleishmann

In this international bestseller, father and advocate for Autism
awareness Arthur Fleischmann blends his daughter Carlys own words
with his story of getting to know his remarkable daughterafter years
of believing that she was unable to understand or communicate with
him.
At the age of two, Carly Fleischmann was diagnosed with severe
autism and an oral motor condition that prevented her from
speaking. Doctors predicted that she would never intellectually
develop beyond the abilities of a small child. Carly remained largely
unreachable through the years. Then, at the age of ten, she had a
breakthrough.
While working with her devoted therapists, Carly reached over to their laptop and typed HELP
TEETH HURT, much to everyones astonishment. Although Carly still struggles with all the
symptoms of autism, she now has regular, witty, and profound conversations on the computer
with her family and her many thousands of supporters online.
One of the first books to explore firsthand the challenges of living with autism, Carlys
Voicebrings readers inside a once-secret world in the company of an inspiring young woman
who has found her voice and her mission

Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Lexile 1260L GL 6-10
Daniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of
Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic
gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the
attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard
workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern
and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf
Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a
teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to
regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled
by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is
their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what
can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together-a perfect melding of commitment,
determination, and optimism. Drawing on the boys' own diaries and journals, their photos and
memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story
about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times-the improbable,
intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the
Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant.

The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle

Lexile 1800L GL 6-8
It is 1896. Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not
free. People have been rounded up in reconcentration camps with
too little food and too much illness. Rosa is a nurse, but she dares not
go to the camps. So she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those
who know how to find her.
Black, white, Cuban, SpanishRosa does her best for everyone. Yet
who can heal a country so torn apart by war? Acclaimed poet
Margarita Engle has created another breathtaking portrait of Cuba.
The Surrender Tree is a 2009 Newbery Honor Book, the winner of the
2009 Pura Belpre Medal for Narrative and the 2009 Bank Street - Claudia Lewis Award, and a
2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

**Michael Oher: From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond

by Michael Oher with Don Yaeger
The football star made famous in the hit film (and book) The Blind
Side reflects on how far he has come from the circumstances of his
youth. Michael Oher shares his personal account of his story, in this
inspirational New York Times bestseller.
Looking back on how he went from being a homeless child in Memphis
to playing in the NFL, Michael talks about the goals he had to break out
of the cycle of poverty, addiction, and hopelessness that trapped his
family. Eventually he grasped onto football as his ticket out and worked
hard to make his dream into a reality. With his adoptive family, the
Touhys, and other influential people in mind, he describes the absolute necessity of seeking
out positive role models and good friends who share the same values to achieve one's
dreams. Sharing untold stories of heartache, determination, courage, and love, I Beat the
Odds is an incredibly rousing tale of one young man's quest to achieve the American dream.
**If none of these are of interest any biography or autobiography of courageous people are wonderful
too! Some suggestions may include: Various Athletes, Rosa Parks, MLK, Abraham Lincoln, George
Washington, Malala Yousafzai, Ghandi, and Nelson Mandela.