Courage in my Life
Sixth Grade ProgramNovel Descriptions
The following six award-winning novels form the basis of The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, Inc. These novels open the world of books to sixth graders and instill in students a life-long love of reading. Each book takes students to a different part of the world and introduces them to characters who are called upon to find courage in themselves to face life’s many challenges.
 | Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson (Harper Trophy, 1977) Winner of the John Newbury Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children. The life of a ten-year-old boy in rural Virginia expands when he becomes friends with a newcomer who subsequently meets an untimely death trying to reach their hideaway, Terabithia, during a storm. |
 | Maniac Magee By Jerry Spinelli (Scholastic, Inc., 1990) Newbery Medal Winner After his parents die, Jeffrey Lionel Magee's life becomes legendary as he accomplished athletic and other feats which awe his contemporaries. The story deals with racism, homelessness, and intergenerational issues. |
 | Number the Stars By Lois Lowery (Dell Yearling, 1989) Newbery Medal Winner In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year old Annemarie learns how to be courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. |
 | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry By Mildred D. Taylor (Dial Books 1976) Newbery Medal Winner, ALA Notable Book, New York Times Book Review Best of Children's Books, Nominated for the National Book Award. The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them the strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression. |
 | So Far From the Bamboo Grove By Yoko Kawashima Watkins (Puffin Books, 1987) Newbery Medal Winner, ALA Notable Book A fictionalized autobiography in which eight-year-old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan with her mother and sister at the end of WWII. |
 | Taking Sides By Gary Soto (Harcourt Brace, 1991) ALA Notable Book Fourteen-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic inner city to a white suburban neighborhood. |