Chasing Rainbows by Lucinda Haslinger

Trevor is different from everyone; he is blind and now he finds himself away from his beloved farm life and thrust into city life by his foster parents in order to learn more about his background. He has his own system of measurement, his steps being measured in pumpkins (big steps), cabbages and broccoli. Whilst he has friends at the school he has to attend for a month, he also senses animosity and is the target for bullying. Brian is a student to be avoided at all costs, continually taunting him and making life difficult. Ronnie is desperate to be his friend but backs off every time Brian is around, and then there's Talia, the angel who takes him under her wing. This book doesn't reveal its secret until close to the end and it certainly surprised me. The books deals with the differences between country and city, cultures and interpersonal relationships. All the action is filtered through Trevor who struggles to understand his new environment.

I am Trevor.

My world is black.

The nightmare is just beginning.

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

I think this is one of the more accessible classics for upper primary children and I really enjoyed is as child. The book was first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels the work is among the first in American Literature to be written in the vernacular. It is told in the first person by Huck Finn, a friend of Tom Sawyer. The book has colourful descriptions of people and places along the Mississippi River. It focuses on entrenched attitudes and particularly racism. Huck runs away with a slave and has many adventures. Click on the link below to watch a trailer to the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS9-HeIUa-M

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

One of my all time favourites. I used this one as a class novel twice and the classes loved it. It is more for the 12-14 year old range and has very good character development. Who could forget Maime Trotter the big bible-wielding lady whom Gilly the main character loathes for so long? Gilly finds herself in yet another foster home where her bitterness, anger and cynicism after years of repeated abandonment and rejection don't allow her to readily befriend or even accept William Earnest, another foster child in Trotter's care. To top it all off she has to run errands for and deal with the blind man next door, Mr Randolph, who is an African American. Gilly has to confront her own racism, help William Earnest deal with bullying and find out who she really is. All the while she plans her escape hoping to reunite herself with her mother Courtney Rutherford Hopkins. There are some profanities in the novel but these are a reflection of the hard life Gilly has lead. The following interview with Katherine Paterson about her books and why she writes is very interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xj8ITyKQaQ