One of the most heartbreaking aspects of war is the terror and devastation heaped upon innocent children. In this issue we explore the effects of war on young people and introduce you to some stories of children who have endured war and whose resilient spirits carry them forward. We hope that these stories will in some way contribute to a more peaceful world.
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by Memee Yang
 One night in February 1978, my mother woke me and my siblings and told us we had to leave because the communists had arrived. I remember my father held my two sibling’s hands, and my mom carried my sister on her back and held my hand. She whispered to me that we must go to the jungle to hide and no one was allowed to cry or the soldiers would hear us. Soon we met my grandparents and their family. During our escape, I heard gunfire and bombs behind us. Not long after, we met some other families that I never knew. All of us traveled together by foot in the dark, because we were afraid that the communists would know where we were heading to.
After an hour of walking, the head of the group came to all parents and told them that they must keep their children from crying. If the group was captured, the parents were liable for others' persecution. Also they told them to use opium for their children to keep them calm. Even though my brother and sister were not crying, my mother still gave them opium just to make sure we were safe. During the time we were hiding in the jungle, my mother woke them to eat. They only ate a little and then they fell back to sleep. After many days in the jungle we ran out of food. Therefore we and many families with children decided to surrender.
During the Vietnam War a Laotian ethnic group called Hmong aided America in the fight against communism. After the war, the communists sought to relocate and indoctrinate them. Many families fled through the jungle to find refuge in Thailand. Eventually Memee's family made it to Thailand but all of her siblings died along the way.
Today, Memee is a Social Worker in the United States. Her husband, Jonah is a pastor. (both pictured above)
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Illustration by Ted Lewin from
by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland
Sami and his family huddle in the basement of his uncle's house while bombs and gunfire ignite in the streets of Beruit, Lebanon.
A picture book about children, war, and glimmers of hope!
Ted Lewin is an illustrator and also author of many books. He often collaborates with his wife,
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by Carol
Excited students collaborating together on a classroom wiki
Use a wiki to engage your students in collaborative, multidisciplinary learning. In the process they will meet Common Core Standards (Key Ideas and Details, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas) as they read, write, use the internet, and research using primary and secondary sources.
Here are activities that can be uploaded to a wiki:
- Interview someone who lived through war as a child. Write it as a first person memoir, biography, or news report.
- Videotape the interview.
- One student can act the part of a child or teen who has lived through a war. Another student can be the newscaster; together they create a radio broadcast of the interview. Publish as a podcast.
- Book review of biography, autobiography, historical fiction, or non-fiction. (See recommended Books in sidebar.)
- Create a PowerPoint using images of children in different wars, or from one war.
- Write a poem or song from the point of view of a child in a war.
Common Core Standards: Reading Informational Text, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, Production and Distribution of Work
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by Anna Graham
At first glance, this book seems like a typical holocaust story. But the author expands that story to an entirely different level. Narrated brilliantly by the omniscient Death, he tells the story of Liesel, who is nicknamed “The Book Thief” because her love of words drives her to steal books. Her foster parents take in a Jewish man, Max, and hide him. Through her books Liesel and Max form a close friendship. The Book Thief left me mourning for new journeys with the characters, and I thought about them long after I finished the book. I highly recommend this book for upper-middle grade students and up.
by John Bul Dau & Martha Arual Akech
This touching autobiography begins with Martha and John's peaceful childhood in Southern Sudan. Their happiness is ruined when the Northern Arabic government enforces Islamic sharia law on the non-Muslim southern Sudanese. Civil war ensues. John and Martha are separated from their families when their villages are brutally attacked by government soldiers. Both overcome many atrocities until they finally arrive safely in a refugee camp. Martha and John are true heroes. I was very moved by their determination to survive and to help others. Everyone should read this fantastic book.
Johnny Tremain’s story begins when he is a silversmith's talented yet arrogant apprentice. An accident causes Johnny to be unable to achieve his goal of becoming a silversmith. Wandering hopelessly, looking for a new job and purpose, Johnny makes a new friend Rab, who pulls him into the inner workings of the American Revolution. This award-winning book filled with important historical events and people make it a good educational read for upper elementary students.
Anna Elizabeth Graham is a 15-year-old homeschooler. She loves reading and writing, playing the piano, and catching up on her favorite television shows - Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock. She recently reviewed books for the September/October issue of Talking Story.
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Want to explore a
Writer-in-Residence Workshop or Author Visit?
We'd love to hear from you!
We each offer our own author visits or we'll conduct writer residencies together. Contact us and we will design a program that meets your students' needs.
Joyce Hostetter
Carol Baldwin
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For best results,
look at
"View as Webpage"
(on pale yellow bar at the top.)
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Send us an email and we'll enter your name to win one of the following four giveaways.
Enter before January 20
(Or better yet, enter right now!)
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by Judith Heide Gilliland
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1 COPY EACH TO 2 WINNERS
by Vida Sreta Zuljevic
(paperback)
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HIGH SCHOOL & ADULT
MIDDLE GRADE
PICTURE BOOKS
NONFICTION
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Congratulations to our winners!
Gail Hurburt won When Christmas Feels Like Home
Aimee Range won Animal Tracks
Reah Tom won Grandparent Poems
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Every so often there is a movie adaptation that stays true to the book. This gripping World War II film qualifies. Caveat: bring lots of Kleenex. |
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We Welcome Young Reviewers!
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Do you have a teen who loves to read? We'd love to hear from you with name and contact information. We ask reviewers to read three books and write brief introductions.
A great opportunity for young people to get experience in writing for publication.
Please email us if you know someone who would be interested! Thanks. |
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A big thank you to:
*Memee Yang for sharing her story.
*Ted Lewin for sharing an illustration.
*Anna Graham for introducing books.
*Joanne Hunsberger for proofreading.
*Adams Literary, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Vida Sreta Zuljevic for books.
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Create a "Talking Story" folder where you file old issues. Then you'll have them handy when you've got time to read, and you'll always be able to view past issues.
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Books From Multiple Viewpoints
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