Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya

This is a story, written for mid-elementary readers, about the impact World War II had on zoo animals and their keepers. It is beautifully illustrated and unique because the story is tells is not what first comes to mind when most people think of World War II. The deaths of the innocent animals by starvation and the powerful impact this had on the zookeepers shows the devastation war causes from a new perspective.
Some may consider this book controversial because of the clear anti-war message, but I would disagree with sheltering children from this story. Even if some do not agree with the zookeeper's conclusion that all war should be stopped, the events that lead to the zookeeper feeling this way are good and clear and reading this book will help children understand why some people feel so strongly about war.

Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron

This is a book written for mid-elementary readers. It is a story written as if a dialogue was going on between the teller (the old uncle of the main character of the story) and the group of people he is telling it to (his and the main character's family). The story he tells is about the girls 'nappy' hair, about how it is the nappiest hair in the world. The main purpose of the story is probably to make black girls and boys feel proud of their hair, the way they talk, their heritage, etc. Although this is a positive mission, parts of the story are considered controversial by some people. For example, there is a page that shows the little girl, who is the main character, giving a speech at school. The text of the story says "She's the only one in her school knows how to talk right. A rose among thorns. Them old hardheads think they can talk English. But this chiletalks the king's English." Although this page is probably intended to bring attention to how some black children are made to feel inferior because of the way they speak English, some would say that the author is practicing reverse racism by calling the presumably white classmates and teachers "thorns" and "hardheads".
Although this book has parts that may make some readers uncomfortable or angry, I would not ban it in my classroom and may even have students read it in order to then have a group discussion about why the book is considered controversial. A controversial book, unless uneccessarily crude, violent, vulgar, etc. provides a good opportunity for class discussions about what makes people uncomfortable or angry and helps students better understand other's perspectives on different issues.

Hiroshima, No Pika by Toshi Maruki

This is a book written for middle-upper elementary readers about the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Some consider this book too controversial for children because of the horrific discriptions and images in the story. Although the story certainly is uncomfortable and disturbing, it is the truth about a real event that happened through the eyes of a young girl. It is not excessively grim, it is simply a story of what this girl saw.
A great thing about this book is that it is incredibly powerful without being overly sentimental. The simple retelling of events and the hauntingly beautiful illustrations are so effective that the reader can not only infer the intense feelings of the characters but actually feel some of them themselves. The story being told through the eyes of a child is especially powerful because of the innocent non-judgemental power of her perspective.
It is very important that students read and discuss this book and other books like it. Although the story is disturbing and may strongly affect readers it is important that students understand that things like this can and do happen. Being able to feel the horrible power of the the consequences of using weapons like the atomic bomb is necessary for people to understand why they must stop this from happening in the future.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book, written for upper-elementary readers and middle school students, is one of the best I've read in awhile. It is the story of a young boy, Jonas, growing up in a seemingly utopian community. Gradually throughout the story things about the community are revealed that make the reader feel uncomfortable and question whether this community is ideal after all. Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory, a very honorable and rare profession. For his training Jonas begins to visit with the old Receiver of Memory daily and receive memories from him so that he can bear the burden of painful and powerful memories for his community so they don't have to suffer. Jonas' life is enriched by the memories that are forbidden to the rest of his community and he discovers that his seemingly utopian life is actually relatively empty and full of dark secrets.
This is probably the first dystopian novel that most children will read. It is a great introduction and not having experienced this genre before will make the twists-like when Jonas learns what it means to be 'released' especially powerful. Readers will learn to appreciate their own experiences and realize how important they are when they see how lacking Jonas' life is without them. This story helps readers understand the importance of negative emotions as well as positive and see how all feelings enrich their lives. This book gives insight into what makes life meaningful and why in an accessible way- I would definitely recommend reading and discussing it either for reading groups or as a language arts assignment.

The Princess and the Pizza by Mary Jane and Herm Auch

This is a fractured fairytale for middle-upper elementary readers. It is the story of a princess who is living as a peasant because her father, the king, decided he wanted to try his hand at wood-cutting. The princess dislikes her new lifestyle and jumps at the opportunity when she finds out that the local prince is looking for a wife. She is surprised to discover that she has a lot of competition for this job as well as an unsympathetic queen conducting the contests between the suitors.
Students will like this story because it is a twist on a classic fairy tale story. Instead of rejoicing when she wins the competition the princess decides to open a pizza place. She is more excited about her own accomplishment of inventing pizza for the cooking competition than she is about getting to marry the prince. The references to other fairy tales throughout the story-like when the competitors must sleep on a stack of mattresses with a pea at the bottom to see whether they are real princesses- will entertain and amuse readers.

Yours Truly, Goldilocks by Leslie Tryon

This is a fractured fairytale for middle elementary readers. The story is told through pictures and letters written by Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding hood, Peter Rabbit, and the two villains, the wolves. This is a fun story because it will introduce readers to a new way to tell stories (through letters and illustrations). Fractured fairy tales are usually well-liked by children because they are familiar yet different and usually funny, and this book is no exception.
Another merit of the book is that the illustrations are detailed and do a great job developing the characters and telling the story. The main event in the story, when the party-goers are attacked by the wolves on their way home from the Three Pigs party, is told through two pictures and further explained in later letters. This is a clever way of using pictures to tell a story as well as getting readers to really look at what is happening in the pictures in order to understand what is going on.

Madeline in London by Ludwig Bemelmans

This is one of the classic Madeline stories. In this book, which is intended for early-middle elementary readers, Madeline, her friends, and Ms. Clavel travel to London to visit their friend Pepito, who is sick because he misses them so much. The rest of the book is made up of their adventures travelling around London and seeing the sights and the people.

What I liked most about this book are the illustrations. They are very colorful and I like the heavy black lines that outline the figures. I also like that the story is told in rhyme. A flaw with this book is that the story kind of jumps all over the place and can be hard to follow at times- there are events in the story that are never resolved and on the next page something entirely different is started. This may confuse readers who are used to a more linear, straighforward progression in storytelling. Despite being inconsistent at times I would recommend having this book in the classroom for students to read in their free time.