LibGuides: Reading Guides: Reading for Empathy

Picture books

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy; Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah (Afterword by); Thomas González (Illustrator)
ISBN: 1561454907
Publication Date: 2009
An illustrated tale of a gift of fourteen cows given by the Maasai people of Kenya to the U.S. as a gesture of comfort and friendship in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig; Patrice Barton (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781582464503
Publication Date: 2013
Brian has always felt invisible at school, but when a new student, Justin, arrives, everything changes.
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
ISBN: 9780688009151
Publication Date: 1982
A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire.
The Spiffiest Giant in Town by Axel Scheffler (Illustrator); Julia Donaldson
ISBN: 0142402753
Publication Date: 2005
George the giant, known for wearing his old patched clothes, finally buys new ones, but then gives them away to some needy animals.
The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper; Gabi Swiatowska (Illustrator)
ISBN: 081090960X
Publication Date: 2007
Grandpa explains that the golden rule is a simple statement on how to live that can be practiced by people of all ages and faiths, then helps his grandson figure out how to apply the rule to his own life.
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester; Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)
ISBN: 0395923921
Publication Date: 1999
All his classmates make fun of Rodney because he cannot pronounce his name, but it is Rodney's speech impediment that drives away the class bully.
Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper
ISBN: 0547014406
Publication Date: 2008
Misnamed by her teacher, seven-year-old Just Grace prides herself on being empathetic, but when she tries to help a neighbor feel better, her good intentions backfire.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe (Illustrator); Clarita Kohen (Translator)
ISBN: 9780688040451
Publication Date: 1987
Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king, who is choosing a wife.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead; Erin E. Stead (Illustrator)
Call Number: E STE
ISBN: 1596434023
Publication Date: 2010
Zookeeper Amos McGee, who is adored by all the animals, gets some unexpected guests while home sick one day.
That's Not Funny! by Jeanne Willis; Adrian Reynolds (Illustrator)
ISBN: 0761364455
Publication Date: 2010
When Hyena puts a banana skin in Giraffe's path, causing a chain reaction of accidents that Hyena finds hilarious, he soon learns what it is like to be the butt of a joke.
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts; Noah Z. Jones (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780763642846
Publication Date: 2009
Jeremy, who longs to have the black high tops that everyone at school seems to have but his grandmother cannot afford, is excited when he sees them for sale in a thrift shop and decides to buy them even though they are the wrong size.
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox; Leslie Staub (Illustrator)
ISBN: 0152007873
Publication Date: 1997
Despite the differences between people around the world, there are similarities that join us together, such as pain, joy, and love.

Middle Grade Fiction

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
ISBN: 038573882X
Publication Date: 2010
Seven fifth-graders at Snow Hill School in Connecticut relate how their lives are changed for the better by "rookie teacher" Mr. Terupt. Grade 3-6
Blubber by Judy Blume
ISBN: 0440407079
Publication Date: 1986
Jill goes along with the rest of the fifth-grade class in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it is like when she, too, becomes a target. Grade 3-6
El Deafo by Cece Bell; David Lasky (Illustrator)
ISBN: 1419712179
Publication Date: 2014
A graphic novel memoir of author/illustrator Cece Bell who grew up hearing impaired. Grade 3-6
Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff
ISBN: 9780399164064
Publication Date: 2015
"As Trent Zimmerman struggles to move past a traumatic event that took place several months earlier, he befriends class outcast Fallon Little, who helps him understand that he can move on." Grade 3-6
Rules by Cynthia Lord
ISBN: 0439443830
Publication Date: 2008
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic. Grade 3-6
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
ISBN: 0803738552
Publication Date: 2013
Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident. Grades 5-8
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
ISBN: 0544107713
Publication Date: 2014
Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. Grades 5-8
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
ISBN: 0374336644
Publication Date: 1998
To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription meds wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired. Grades 5-8
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
ISBN: 0142417750
Publication Date: 2011
Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father. Grades 5-8
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
ISBN: 141697170X
Publication Date: 2010
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. Grades 5-8
Same Sun Here by Silas House; Neela Vaswani; Hilary Schenker (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780763664510
Publication Date: 2013
A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner's son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism. Grades 5-8
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
ISBN: 0375869026
Publication Date: 2012
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunts and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Teen and Adult Books

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Call Number: F_Classic REM
ISBN: 9780449213940
Publication Date: 1987
Depicts the experiences of a group of young German soldiers fighting and suffering during the last days of World War I.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
ISBN: 9780385751537
Publication Date: 2007
Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
ISBN: 9780553380019
Publication Date: 1997
Autobiography covering the childhood of a woman who has been a professional dancer, actress, poet, journalist, and television producer.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
ISBN: 9781400052189
Publication Date: 2011
Night by Elie Wiesel
ISBN: 0553272535
Publication Date: 1957
A true account of the author's experiences as a Jewish boy with his family in a Nazi concentration camp.
No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe
ISBN: 9780385474559
Publication Date: 1994
Obi Okonkwo feels separated from his African roots because of his education, and he is forced to choose between his culture's traditional values and the demands of his social class.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
ISBN: 1451696191
Publication Date: 2012
Charlie, a freshman in high school, explores the dilemmas of growing up through a collection of letters he sends to an unknown receiver.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
ISBN: 0060194995
Publication Date: 1959
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel in which Scout Finch, the young daughter of a local attorney in the Deep South during the 1930s, tells of her father's defense of an African-American man charged with the rape of a white girl.