A drama movie about sports, stereotypes, belonging and loyalty: When two US-American high schools are forced to merge, their two football coaches – one black and one white – now need to work together. Because if these two cannot overcome their mutual prejudice, how are their players supposed to develop some team spirit of their […]
In this film about racism, otherness and football culture following a true story, Michael Oher is a black orphan growing up in poverty. After making friends with another boy named Sean Jr., Sean Jr.’s parents decide to adopt Michael. While he does not excel academically, Michael’s protective instincts seem to be exceptionally developed, leading him […]
This movie drama tackles prejudice and violence in the modern day USA: Protagonist Walt is an old man, a veteran of the US-Korean War, recently widowed. One day Thao, a young Hmong American, is pressured into stealing Walt’s car but when the attempt fails, the grumpy old man and the boy cannot help but grow […]
A verse novel about the search for one’s own story, this one introduces the reader to 12-year-old Kasienka. Looking for her father, she and her mother migrated from Poland to England. Life, however, poses many challenges for Kasienka: bullying in school, living in a run down flat and having to share a bed with her […]
In this novel about family relations, loss and growing up written entirely in verse, 12-year-old Josh and his twin brother Jordan ‘JB’ live for basketball. That is why they are the star players of their school’s team, the Wildcats. Still, there is a hardship on and off the court for Josh to overcome: being trained […]
A young readers’ novel about family, friendship and gender roles. When Matthew’s cousin Sam comes over from the USA, he is not a likeable character: impolite, smelly and with long hair. So in order to join the local school boys’ gang, he has to accept and complete the challenge they set for him – come […]
A young adult novel about losing self-control, self-and body image, depression and the presence of winter. This is the story of two best friends Lia and Cassie, albeit with a sad twist: When one develops bulimia, the other one develops anorexia and thus they start a contest, trying to find out which of the two […]
In this picture book, an IT-savvy donkey and a book-loving monkey discover the advantages of a ‘classic’ book, offering wonders which no digital medium seems to provide. This work is suited for interdisciplinary teaching with regard to Computer Sciences.
A gripping dystopian story about security, freedom, and the willingness to buy one with the other. Marcus is a 17-year-old tech-savvy student in San Francisco. When he is not breaking his school’s security measures, he spends his free time playing augmented reality games with his friends. It is not his fault that the police find […]
A shocking story of sexual assult and trauma: Melinda is an outcast at her high school. She busted a party a while ago by calling the cops but now she refuses to publicly give a reason. Shunned by her peers, she almost stops speaking entirely – if nobody listens, what is the point in speaking? […]
An epistolary novel about bullying, violence and school shootings. When Brendan and Gary decide they had enough of humiliation at their high school, especially by the hands of the popular football players, they make plans to take revenge on their peers. Their plan goes awry, however, when they start taking hostages.
This dystopian adventure novel about bravery, friendship and courage follows the twelve-year-old Prince Alfred. The story is set in future Britain, to be precise in the year 2120 – environmental pollution lead to most devastating effects of climate change: melting ice cabs, violent earthquakes and volcano eruptions that darken the sky over London: “The kingdom […]
A young adult novel revolving around prejudice, racism and discrimination in the USA. Justyce is top of his class in school and thought he had left his neighborhood behind but what he cannot shake off is the bitter reality of racist assaults on him by white police. When one day he draws the attention of […]
A tragic novel about love, the American dream, acceleration and unrelenting optimism. When narrator Nick moves to a prestigious community on Long Island (New York), he is soon introduced to his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby. Little is known about Mr Gatsby except that he is fabulously rich and regularly holds huge parties in his luxurious […]
This epistolary novel tells a timeless coming-of-age story from the perspective of 15-year-old introvert Charlie, who is struggling with highschool life. Whether it is finding his taste in music or finding his first love, it all holds a special challenge for him. Bright days of joy, happiness and empowerment as well as gloomy days of […]
A children’s novel on friendship, love, loneliness, sorrow and melancholy. 10 year-old India Opal Bulloni has just moved to a trailer park in a small town in Florida. Her father preaches at the local church and India trys to settle in and get to know her neighbors. When she sees a scruffy little dog at […]
A relentless exploration of racial prejudice and finding your voice as a young adult. 16-year-old Starr is a black student attending an elite school with a white majority, always carefully presenting herself in order to fit in. When her friend is accidentally shot by a police officer in front of her eyes, Starr is not […]
A story about the well-known cat with the striped hat and his companions Thing One and Thing Two. On a rainy day, the cat visits Sally and her brother. He wants to show them tricks and play but the siblings’ pet fish strongly objects. This book is wonderful for getting to know adjectives and simple […]