Nonfiction

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Summary: The Wall is a 56-page memoir of the author's childhood behind the Iron Curtain. Through a mix of annotated illustrations, journals, and maps, Sis shares a wondrous vision of the world only possible through the eyes of a child, but he also explores the struggle of adolescence that comes with questions, doubts, and a new, more skeptical sense of reality. While the book addresses a period and place in history that might seem unfamiliar to young readers, the personal journey Sis undertakes is one any child would recognize.

Awards: 2007 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year

2008 Caldecott Honor Book

2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year

2008 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction

Nominee for the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids

Target Audience: Ages 8-12

Strengths: Colorful and engaging artwork; introduction and afterword that add context; various storytelling methods such as journal entries, short captions, and visual text

Weaknesses: Might require more guidance and historical background particularly for younger ages

Meaningful/Creative Uses: This book could generate a discussion around authority, propaganda, fake news, information literacy, freedom, and democracy. The publisher also provides a teacher's guide to the book with discussion questions and a list of relevant Common Core standards: https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/teachers-guides/9780374347017TG.pdf

Read-alikes

Tibet: Through the Red Box by Peter Sis. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998.

Another Caldecott Honor Book by the same author, Tibet is a memoir discussing the author's father's experience filming a documentary in Tibet, as remembered and imagined through his old diary. For ages 8-12.

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2011.

A 2012 Newberry Honor book, Breaking Stalin's Nose tells the fictional story of ten-year-old Sasha Zaichik, whose worldview begins to unravel just as he prepares to join the Soviet Young Pioneers. For ages 9-12.

The Cold War by by Steven Otfinoski. New York: Scholastic, 2018.

This nonfiction book provides a comprehensive history of the Cold War, its origins, conclusion, global impact, and legacy. For ages 10-14.