Jewish-Arab Relations ... books for kids and families
Alexander, Sue. Behold the Trees. 2001.
J Fiction ALE
Have you ever looked at the trees in your neighborhood and
wondered about the history that has happened around them? Read about
the history of Israel through the history of its trees. In beautiful
language this book describes how the trees were cut down by war and
neglect and how the land became a desert until a new people came and
replanted the trees.
Almagor, Gila. Under the Domim Tree. 1995.
J Fiction ALM
Aviya, Yola, and Mira who live in Udim, a youth village on
Israel’s coastal plain in 1953, must find a way to cope with the
tragic things that happened to them and all the girls around them
during World War II. Some of the girls know that they are orphans and
others are still unsure if their families are dead or alive. These
three girls become close friends as they help each other through
whatever their lives bring.
Banks, Lynne Reid. Broken Bridge. 1994.
Jr. High Fiction BAN
The sequel to One More River, this is the continuing story of
Leslie Shelby. It is now 25 years later and Leslie has two children, a
sixteen year-old son named Nimrod, and a fourteen-year-old daughter
named Nili. Nili is very excited that her Canadian cousin, Glen, is
coming to stay with them at the kibbutz. Tragedy strikes the family
and the country when Nili and Glen are attacked by two Arab men on
their way from the airport. How will the family and the country deal
with this tragedy?
Banks, Lynne Reid. One More River. 1992.
J Fiction BAN
Lesley, who is very content with her life in Canada, is shocked
when her father announces that they are moving to Israel. She is even
more shocked to hear that they are moving to a kibbutz near the
Jordanian border. Lesley has a hard time adjusting to living with the
other children and not her parents, losing her privacy, and the hard
physical work of the kibbutz. It is not until the Six-Day War that
Lesley begins to feel at home.
Bergman, Tamar. The Boy from Over There. 1988.
J Fiction BER
Rina and Avramik are both waiting for news of a missing parent
while they live on a kibbutz in Israel right after World War II. The
other children at the kibbutz think Rina and Avramik are in denial.
Because of this there is a lot of tension between the children of the
kibbutz and these two children. Are Rina and Avramik’s parents alive?
Carmi, Daniella. Samir and Yonaton. 2000.
J Fiction CAR
Samir, a Palestinian boy, and Yonaton an Israeli boy, find
themselves together in an Israeli hospital room. Samir is in for
surgery on his knee and finds all the different things about this
hospital and the Jewish children in it interesting. Life in the
hospital is very different from Samir’s regular life. Yonaton begins
to speak to Samir at night and they slowly become friends. Yonaton is
interested in the stars and planets and shares some of his knowledge
with Samir. They travel to Mars together one night and this helps
Samir come to a new understanding about his brother’s death.
Clinton, Cathryn. A Stone in My Hand. 2002.
Jr. High Fiction CLI
Eleven-year-old Malaak is worried. Her father left Gaza city to
look for work in Israel a month ago and has not returned. She is
struggling not to give into the idea that maybe he is in prison. She
is so sad that she talks very little and it is usually to her dove,
Abdo. She is also worried about her brother who has become friends
with some radicals. As the tension in the country mounts, can Malaak
find a way to rise above the violence that is all around her?
da Costa, Deborah. Snow in Jerusalem. 2001.
JX DAC
Avi lives in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem. Hamudi lives in the
Muslim quarter of the city. They have never been to each other’s
neighborhood. They do not know each other and are not aware that they
are both taking care of the same stray cat. Read what happens when
they meet each other and find out what they have in common. Can two
boys from two different worlds be friends? Can it snow in Jerusalem?
Elmer, Robert. Promise of Zion Series. 2001.
Jr. High Series PBK
Dov is in search of his family. They were separated during World
War II. His mother had told him she’d come back for him and they would
go to Jerusalem. Here he is in Jerusalem in 1947. He came here
thinking his family might have gone on ahead of him. Emily is a
spoiled, only child of a British major. She has never felt close to or
part of the struggle of the people who live in Palestine. Now she will
have to find a way to deal with what she is about to face.
Feder, Harriet. Mystery of the Kaifeng Scroll: A Vivi Hartman
Adventure. 1995.
Jr. High Fiction FED
Vivi has reluctantly agreed to visit her mother in Turkey. She
wishes that her mother would come see her. However her father points
out that a promise is a promise so off Vivi goes. When she arrives she
finds that her mother is not there to meet her. Now stranded in a
foreign country, Vivi must rely on her mother’s star pupil Shari.
Shari is an Arab girl and Vivi is unsure about befriending her. When
she overhears something about an ancient scroll, Vivi knows this might
get dangerous. Can Vivi trust Shari to help find out what happened to
her mother?
Kennedy, Richard. The Boxcar at the Center of the Universe.
1982.
J Fiction KEN
A boy on a subway train meets a man who claims to be Ali Azizi
Abdurrahman Hafiz and tells the boy some unbelievable tales about his
search for the center of the universe. As the boy listens he realizes
that this man’s stories can help him with his own journey of self
discovery.
Levine, Anna. Running on Eggs. 1999.
Jr. High Fiction LEV
Karen and Yasmine live on the same mountain top but in two
different worlds. Karen lives on an Israeli kibbutz and Yasmine lives
in a nearby Arab village. They find themselves on the same track team
and start training together. They know that their communities would
not like it if they were friends, but they find that they have a lot
in common and Karen becomes dependent on Yasmine for coaching. Can
these two girls remain friends even when people find out about their
friendship?
Matas, Carol. The Garden. 1997.
J Fiction MAT
Ruth is a survivor. She has made it through a Nazi concentration
camp and found her way out of Poland and into Palestine. Now she has
to start a new life on a kibbutz. The activity that gives her the most
peace is working her garden. Around her things are not so peaceful.
The United Nations is planning for a vote that would separate
Palestine; one land for the Arabs and one for the Jews. The political
situation is very tense. As the Israeli War of Independence grows
nearer, Ruth fights to keep the little peace she has.
Nye, Naomi Shihab. Habibi. 1997.
Jr. High Fiction NYE
When Liyana’s father tells her that the family is moving from St.
Louis to Jerusalem near the Arab village where her father was born she
is unsure about what that move will mean for her. She is nervous about
living near her grandmother whom she has never met. She must find a
comfortable place in this new world.
Orlev, Uri. Lydia Queen of Palestine. 1993.
J Fiction ORL
Lydia’s mother has sent her off to a children’s kibbutz in
Palestine to escape the Nazis in Romania. How will she cope with being
away from her mother, being in a new place, and with all the new
children around her?
