No Fixed Address by @susinnielsen @TundraBooks

No Fixed Address
Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books

This realistic fiction would be a great read aloud for grades 6+ to assist with and to help develop conversation around social justice and mental health issues.  It is set in Vancouver and Felix is a high school student that must hide his homelessness and deal with his mother's mental health concerns. I think this novel reminds us all that everyone struggles in life and that it is okay to ask for help. I feel that this is another great example of how a fictional novel can develop empathy for others.  This book will be a "window" and a "mirror" for your students.  The characters are well-developed and relatable; a strength of Susin Nielsen's writing.  I couldn't help to make a text-to-text connection to Ann Braden's book The Benefits of Being an Octopus.  I feel that both authors address the struggles with poverty in a realistic and empathetic manner.  These two books would work very well together to support the inquiry around social justices issue such as poverty in our wealthy countries of Canada and the United States.

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by @annbradenbooks @skyponypress

The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Ann Braden
Sky Pony Press

Ann Braden's realistic portrayal of her protagonists' struggle to get through the day really helped me to remember that all of us find life challenging and that we need to remember to look for those in our classes that could use our belief and support in their abilities.  I immediately related to Zoey and wished I could help her as she seemed to have many more responsibilities placed on her then a grade 7 student should have to deal with.  Reading this novel has encouraged me to be more aware of the lives my students are leading and thinking about how to support them when they come to class.
This would make a great read aloud for grade 5+ as it would help to bring some interesting classroom discussions around social justice and poverty.  I couldn't help to think that Zoey's determination and perseverance reminded me a lot of Felix from Susin Nielsen's novel, No Fixed Address.  Although the protagonists of these two novels live in different countries, the complications of poverty are portrayed in a honest and empathetic way.  Both books would work well together in a class to help students see themselves and to perhaps see the lives of some of their classmates to further develop empathy among all of us.

The Undergrounders
David Skuy
Scholastic

This hockey novel will appeal to all students because you learn a little more about how and why someone might become a street kid.  I liked that even the homeless have societal norms and the terms reggies, undergrounders and streeters have become part of my vocabulary.  This book could really help promote a class discussion about homelessness and poverty issues.  I would link this to the charitable organization http://www.ladybugfoundation.ca/ as an authentic way for kids make a difference.  Students in grades 5-7 at my school have all given this book a positive review.