Booktalking Colorado - Full Booktalk Record

Booktalking Colorado Full Record:

	Title:	asian set
	Author:	various
	Grade Level:	6 - 8
	Booktalker:	Kathy Preller

Booktalk:
BREADWINNER - 11 Year old Parvana lives in Afghanistan, under the Taliban rule. Her mother was a writer, but now women are not allowed to work. In fact, they can't even leave the house unless they are escorted by a man, and completely covered, head to toe, including their faces. Parvana's mother and older sister never leave the house. Parvana's father used to be a history teacher, but that's against the law under the Taliban, so he goes to the marketplace, sits on a blanket, and reads letters for people who can't read or write. Then one day he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education. Parvana, her sister and her mother are left with no one who can earn money. They can't even shop for food, since they can't go anywhere without a man to escort them. DRAGONWING - This story takes place in 1904, when Moon Shadow, a young boy, is sent from China to live with his father in San Francisco. He's never met his father Windrider before, and only knows that he was the best kitemaker in the village. America was not particularly friendly to Chinese immigrants, so most of the Chinese lived together in Chinatown for safety. Then something bad happens, that forces Shadow and his father to leave Chinatown. It's a story of what life was like for Chinese immigrants, but it's also a story of enduring many things to make a dream come true. HOMELESS BIRD - (read) "Koly, you are thirteen and growing every day," Maa said to me. "It's time for you to have a husband." 13 and she is forced to leave home forever, to marry a man she has never met. She gets absolutely no say in the matter. Read how her courage helps her make a life for herself. TIES THAT BIND, TIES THAT BREAK - In 1911 all girls of good families in China had their feet bound. Ailin saw her two older sisters bound feet, and she did not want it done - it was painful. Her father supported her, and said Ailin did not have to do it, even though it was very much against her mother's wishes. It wasn't until after her father's death that Ailin finally realized the dire consequences of the decision she had made. SHABANU - is an 11 year old Muslim girl living in the Desert of Pakistan. Her father raises camels, and Shabanu helps him, since there are no sons in the family. She's a bit too independent, and isn't interested in "women's work" and her mother worries that this will lead to trouble. Her father has arranged for her to be married the following year, and Shabanu accept this as her duty to her family. Then a tragedy ruins the marriage of her older sister, and Shabanu must sacrifice everything she's dreamed of. I RODE A HORSE OF MILK WHITE JADE - Oyuna was only a toddler when a horse stepped on her foot. Nothing would heal it - not prayer, not meditation. She was crippled. And in thirteenth century Mongolia, she was bad luck. She was 7 when she first threw herself onto the back of a horse, and then there was no holding her back. At twelve she went to the big festival and got her own horse. When soldiers came to her village to take the horses, she disguised herself as a boy and joined up, so she could stay with her horse. When the soldiers discovered who she was, they gave her the most dangerous job of all - arrow rider, delivering messages for the Khan. A STEP FROM HEAVEN - Young Ju was only 4 years old when her family moved from Korea to America. She experiences some culture shock when she gets here. Her uncle gives her a Coke, and she thinks it's like swallowing thousands of tiny fish bones. She has to start school, but she speaks no English. Her parents both work two jobs. Her mother is determined to buy a house, and succeed in a place where her children can have choices. But Young Ju's father becomes increasingly angry, frustrated by working menial jobs, he begins to drink a lot. As Young Ju grows up, she begins to succeed - but under her success is a great sense of loss.