📖 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye. This poignant collection of poems from Arab-American writer Naomi Shihab Nye makes a wonderful addition to a study of life in the Middle East today. A National Book Award Finalist; highly recommended. – All

🔗 Content Connection: Africa & the Middle East. Study the Medieval Arab World and learn about Islam.

📖 The Breadwinner series by Deborah Ellis. These bestselling novels tell the story of Parvana, an 11-year old girl growing up in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and, later, under US occupation. These books are well-written and very popular, but they do contain upsetting themes; best for older students.  The titles in the series are The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, Mud City (which focuses on the plight of Parvana’s friend Shauzia), and My Name is Parvana.­ – Middle • High

📖 Silent Music: A Story of Baghdad. Ali, an Iraqi boy living in Baghdad, practices his calligraphy as a way to cope with the stress of war. With colorful pictures and just a few words per page, this simple story will be gentle enough for young children. – Elementary

📖 The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter. This is the story of Alia Muhammad Baker, chief librarian of the Central Library in Basra, who rescued most of her library’s collection before the library was burned during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. With sparse text and vibrant pictures, this is a good book for younger children. – Elementary

📖 Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein by Jennifer Roy and Ali Fadhil. What was it like to be an 11-year Iraqi boy during the US invasion of Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War? Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein, based on the true experiences of Ali Fadhil, will feel very accessible to young readers. This is a moving and informative account of a conflict that is often overlooked today.­ ­– Middle

📖 Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi’s immensely popular, highly acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the period of the Islamic Revolution would make a terrific accompaniment to a study of the Modern Middle East.  Also see the follow-up book, Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, which follows Marjane through adolescence and beyond. – Middle • High

📖 Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai. Malala, the Pakistani recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, has written a lovely picture book that is perfect for young readers. “As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra hour in the morning. But as she grew older, Malala saw that there were more important things to wish for. She saw a world that needed fixing. And even if she never found a magic pencil, Malala realized that she could still work hard every day to make her wishes come true.” – Preschool • Elementary

📖 I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick. This Young Readers adaptation of Malala Yousafzai’s bestselling memoir is a must-read for students who would like to learn more about life under Taliban rule in the mountainous regions of Pakistan. This is also a tribute to the power of peaceful protest and personal courage; best for upper middle and high school students. For younger students, look for Jeanette Winter’s simple picture book biography of the Pakistani child activists Malala Yousafzai and Iqbal Masih: Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan / Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan: Two Stories of Bravery. – Middle • High

📖 Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat. This is a memoir of growing up in Ramallah during the Arab-Israeli Six Day War and the Israeli occupation that followed.  A historical note offers a balanced assessment of both sides of the conflict. Also check out Barakat’s follow-up memoir, Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine. – Middle • High

📖 Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs and Nizar Ali Badr. Here’s a really unusual picture book about the Syrian refugee crisis. Stepping Stones tells the story of young Rama, who flees her village with her family to escape the civil war. The illustrations consist of stone artwork created by the Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Escape from Aleppo by N. H. Senzai. This literature link for the Syrian Civil War focuses on the plight of 12-year-old Nadia: “It is December 17, 2010: Nadia’s twelfth birthday and the beginning of the Arab Spring. Soon anti-government protests erupt across the Middle East and, one by one, countries are thrown into turmoil. As civil war flares in Syria and bombs fall across Nadia’s home city of Aleppo, her family decides to flee to safety.” – Middle

📖 Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini. On the eve of a dangerous escape from Syria, a man writes a letter to his son, who lies asleep beside him. This brief, beautifully illustrated book is a poetic and heartbreaking tribute to the refugees of the Middle East; written by acclaimed novelist Khaled Hosseini. – Middle • High