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    The Children's Book Review

    Five Family Favorites with Patricia Dunn, Author of Rebels by Accident

    Guest PostsBy Guest Posts5 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Best Kids Stories Book Lists Cultural Wisdom Teens: Young Adults
    Rebels by Accident
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    Patricia Dunn | The Children’s Book Review | December 15, 2014

    What a Wonderful World (Jean Karl Books) By George David Weiss, Bob ThieleWhat a Wonderful World

    by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele; Illustrated by Ashley Bryan

    You can tell we are big Louis Armstrong fans. For my family, the books came first. What a Wonderful World was given to me when I was pregnant with my son. In utero, I read and sang this book to him. After he was born it was the only song that he wanted me to sing, or I should say it was the only song he’d let me sing. I don’t have the most melodic voice, but I loved singing this book to him so much that before he was a year old he started singing back to me. Every night before bed my son and I would sing the book four, five, seven times until he or I fell asleep. He’s 15 now and occasionally when no one else is around, he will pull What a Wonderful World from our bookshelf, and he’ll say, “Let’s sing!” Now we both sing to our dog.

    We also love When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat and Play, Louis, Play!: The True Story of a Boy and His Horn, by Muriel Harris Weinstein.

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers | 1995 | ISBN-13: 978-0689800870

    Day of Ahmed's Secret By Florence Parry Heide, Judith Heide GillilandDay of Ahmed’s Secret 

    By Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland; Illustrated by Ted Lewin

    My son’s name middle name is Ahmed. His dad is also Ahmed, and was born in Cairo, so we had to buy this book when we found it in our local bookstore. It’s a beautiful story that is told from the point of view of this young boy who sells butane after school and who keeps a wonderful secret until he gets home at the end of the story. I’d love to tell you the secret but that would be a spoiler.

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HarperCollins | 1995 | ISBN-13: 978-0688140236

    Ten Things I Hate About Me By Randa Abdel-FattahTen Things I Hate About Me 

    By Randa Abdel-Fattah

    Randa Abdel-Fattah’s books inspire me. Her characters are those living on the outside and trying to find where they belong, and how to love who they are and from where they are from. A lot like the themes I write about. Abdel-Fattah can make me laugh and then cry in the same paragraph. She’s brilliant.

    Ages 12+ | Publisher: Orchard Books | 2009 | ISBN-13: 978-0545050555

    Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-fattahDoes My Head Look Big In This?

    By Randa Abdel-Fattah

    Does My Head Look Big In This? is a beautiful story about a thirteen year old Palestinian girl who lives in the West Bank and risks everything to get to Jerusalem to save her grandmother’s life. This story is about love and courage. It’s heartbreaking and humorous.

    Ages 12+ | Publisher: Scholastic | 2008 | ISBN-13: 978-0439922333

    The Librarian of Basra- A True Story from Iraq By Jeanette WinterThe Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq

    By Jeanette Winter

    This is a beautiful picture book based on a lovely true story. The librarian, Alia Muhammad Baker, at great personal risk, takes extraordinary measures to save the priceless collection of thirty thousand books housed within this cherished library in Basra, Iraq that was basically destroyed by the war. It’s an amazing story of courage and love and respect for knowledge that reminds us how, in our country, we take for granted the ready access we have to books. The gift of reading is so precious and fragile in many places around the world, yet we hardly even appreciate it. Not just around the world: in the US we have some community libraries that have resources to get any and all the books they want, though in too many areas the schools don’t have enough books.

    Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers | 2005 | ISBN-13: 978-0152054458

     About Patricia Dunn
    Patricia Dunn
    Patricia Dunn

    PATRICIA DUNN’S writing has appeared in Salon.com, The Christian Science Monitor, The Village Voice, The Nation, L.A. Weekly, and others. With an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College, where she also works as the Director of the Writing Institute, this Bronx-raised rebel and former resident of Cairo settled in Connecticut, with her husband, teenage son, and toddler dog. Visit Patricia at patriciadunnauthor.com and @Shewrites.

    Rebels by Accident Rebels by Accident

    By Patricia Dunn

    Mariam Just Wants to Fit In.

    That’s not easy when she’s the only Egyptian at her high school and her parents are super traditional. So when she sneaks into a party that gets busted, Mariam knows she’s in trouble…big trouble.

    Convinced she needs more discipline and to reconnect with her roots, Mariam’s parents send her to Cairo to stay with her grandmother, her sittu.

    But Marian’s strict sittu and the country of her heritage are nothing like she imagined, challenging everything Mariam once believed.

    As Mariam searches for the courage to be true to herself, a teen named Asmaa calls on the people of Egypt to protest their president. The country is on the brink of revolution—and now, in her own way, so is Mariam.

    Ages 12-17 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire | 2014 | ISBN-13: 978-1492601388

    Patricia Dunn, author of Rebels by Accident, selected her family’s five favorite books with the help of her husband Allan Tepper. Discover more articles on The Children’s Book Review tagged with Family Favorites and Diverse Books.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Best New Kids Stories | August 2015
    2. Best New Kids Books | August 2016
    3. Best New Kids Stories | May 2014
    4. Best Selling Kids Series | June 2014

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Ashley Bryan Atheneum Books for Young Readers Bob Thiele Diversity Family Favorites Florence Parry Heide George David Weiss HarperCollins HMH Books for Young Readers Jeanette Winter Judith Heide Gilliland Louis Armstorng Muriel Harris Weinstein Orchard Books Patricia Dunn Randa Abdel-Fattah Scholastic Sourcebooks Fire Books Ted Lewin
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    The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. We publish reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. We also produce author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers. This article was written and provided by a guest author.

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