Carolyn Marsden: 8 books

In 1960s Czechoslovakia, Patrik participates in and rebels against the communist regime, knowing that anyone could become an enemy in the blink of an eye. Fourteen-year-old Patrik rebels against the communist regime in small ways whenever he gets the chance: spray-painting slogans, listening...

"A story of family and the legacy of war full of subtle details about life in contemporary Vietnam. . . .Binh’s dreams will resonate with all young readers." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS (Ages 8-12) Every day nine-year-old Binh sells fruit and sodas to the girls whose families can afford to...

An ancient calendar comes to an end in 2012-- and many predict the world will end with it. Can one Mayan girl make a difference? Rosalba is a nine-year-old Mayan girl living in rural Mexico. Like her mother and grandmother, she weaves stories of her people onto blouses, ensuring that the age-old...

Eleven-year-old Gregory and his family had to leave the Navajo reservation at Bird Springs—the only home they've ever known—and move to a motel in Tucson, Arizona. Gregory misses his absent father, but he likes school, particularly art class with the kind teacher. He also makes a new friend, Matt,...

"A quiet, lyrical story that sensitively explores issues of friendship and being true to oneself." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL When Mina, a self-professed "girlie-girl," discovers that she excels at track, her friends are as surprised as she is, especially competitive Ruth....

After a storm engulfs his village, a Vietnamese boy has glimmers of a new calling in this spare middle-grade novel written with authenticity and grace. (Ages 8-12) Every day, Tinh heads out to sea with his father to catch fish for their family and the market. While he may miss his simple...

"A sensitive portrayal of a family in Thailand. . . . This gracefully told story will resonate with many young readers." — Booklist (starred review) Eleven-year-old Noi is learning to paint like her grandmother. She and her older sister, Ting, spend many rapt hours in the jungle...

Nouri and his cousin Talib can only vaguely remember a time before tanks rumbled over the streets of their Baghdad neighborhood—when books, not bombs, ruled Mutanabbi Street. War has been the backdrop of their young lives. And now Iraq isn't just at war with Americans. It's at war with itself. Sunnis...