7th Grade Outside Reading
Middle East
Fiction
Almagor, Gila. Under the Domim Tree
Chronicles the joys and troubles experienced by a group of teenagers, mostly Holocaust survivors, living at
an Israeli youth settlement in 1953.
Clements, Andrew. Extra Credit
As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across
cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to
speak and listen to each other.
Laird, Elizabeth. A Little Piece of Ground
During the Israeli occupation of Ramallah in the West Bank of Palestine, twelve-year-old Karim and his
friends create a secret place for themselves where they can momentarily forget the horrors of war.
Mason, Prue. Camel Rider
Two twelve-year-old expatriates living in the Middle East, one from Australia and the other from
Bangladesh, must rely on one another when they find themselves in the desert, both trying to reach the same
city with no water, little food, and no common language.
Matas, Carol. The Garden
After leading a group of Jewish refugees to Israel after World War II, sixteen-year-old Ruth joins the
Haganah, the Jewish Army, and helps her people fight to keep the land granted to them by the United
Nations.
Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise Over Fallujah
Robin Perry, from Harlem, is sent to Iraq in 2003 as a member of the Civilian Affairs Battalion, and his time
there profoundly changes him.
Nuweiheid, Jamal Sleem. Abu Jmeel’s Daughter and Other Stories: Arab Folk Tales
from Palestine and Lebanon
Staples, Suzanne. Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in the Cholistan Desert of present-day Pakistan, is
pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she must either accept
the decision, as is the custom, or risk the consequences of defying her father's wishes.
Staples, Suzanne. Under the Persimmon Tree
During the 2001 Afghan War, the lives of Najmah, a young refugee from Kunduz, Afghanistan, and Nusrat,
an American-Muslim teacher who is awaiting her huband's return from Mazar-i-Sharif, intersect at a school
in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Stine, Catherine. Refugees
Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Dawn, a sixteen-year-old runaway from San Francisco,
connects by phone and email with Johar, a fifteen-year-old Afghani who assists Dawn's mother at a Red
Cross refugee camp.
Stolz, Joelle. The Shadows of Ghadames
At the end of the nineteenth century in Libya, eleven-year-old Malika simultaneously enjoys and feels
constricted by the narrow world of women, but an injured stranger enters her home and disrupts the
traditional order of things.
Zenatti, Valerie. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
A teenager in Jerusalem, despondent over the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, puts her hopes for peace in a
bottle and has her brother toss it into the sea.
Nonfiction
Amdur, Richard. Menachem Begin
A biography of the Israeli prime minister who shared the 1978 Nobel peace prize with his former enemy
Anwar el-Sadat for their efforts to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Ansary, Tamim. West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afgan American Story.
An Afghan American writer, most recently known for an e-mail on reprisals against Afghanistan, shares his
experiences of Islam and the West, his feelings on Islamic militant fundamentalism, and his hopes for
reconciliation.
Anthony, Lawrence. Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad
Zoo
The author is a South African conservationist and he tells how he entered Iraq after the American invasion
and led the fight to save what was left of the Baghdad Zoo. Most of the animals were killed by war; the
remainder were starved and in filthy cages with no one to care for them.
Barakat, Ibtisam. Tasting the Sky: a Palestinian Childhood
Ibisam Barakat's memoir of his life in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War.
Carr, Melissa. Who Are the Muslims?
This book includes an overview of the countries in which Muslims live, basic information about the beliefs
shared by all Muslims, and the history of the spread of Islam throughout the world.
Carroll, Raymond. Anwar Sadat
Traces the life of the Egyptian leader from his humble beginnings, through his military career and years in
prison, to his years as president of Egypt and his outstanding efforts to make peace with Israel.
Davidson, Margaret. The Golda Meir Story
A biography of Golda Meir, whose childhood memories of Russia helped her work to establish the
independent state of Israel.
Ellis, Deborah. Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees
Provides interviews with twenty-three young Iraqi children who have moved away from their homeland and
tells of their fears, challenges, and struggles to rebuild their lives in foreign lands as refugees of war.
Ferber, Elizabeth. Yasir Arafat: A Life of War and Peace
Chronicles the eventful life of the PLO leader, a controversial political and military figure, from his fight for
Palestinian liberation to his place in world history.
Frank, Mitch. Understanding the Holy Land
Complete with maps and photographs, a guide provides a comprehensive review of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict through a review of the area's history, its people, significant past and present events, and definitions
of commonly used terms.
Gordon, Matthew. Islam: Origins, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Persons, Sacred
Places
Chronicles Islam's origins and historical impact, basic beliefs, structure, places of worship, and rites of
passage.
Harik, Ramsay. Women in the Middle East: Tradition and Change
Discusses the lives of women in the Middle East today including the traditions that shape these lives, the
present day religious, social and political realities, and changing expectations.
Harris, Nathaniel. Israel and the Arab Nations in Conflict
Focuses on the decades-old conflict between the Israelis and the Arabs while tracing the history of the
Middle East including the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
Inside Islam : The Faith, the People and the Conflicts of the World's Fastest Growing
Religion
Landau, Elaine. Osama bin Laden: A War Against the West
Presents biographical information about militant Islamic leader Osama bin Laden, including his role in
international terrorism and the beliefs that fuel his actions.
Latifa. My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story
A young woman born into a middle-class Afghan family describes the 1996 revolution in which the Taliban
seized power in Kabul, the resulting changes in her life as a victim of Taliban fanaticism, and her eventual
escape with her family.
Macaulay, David. Mosque
Offers an inside look into how a mosque was built in Turkey in the late 1600s, discussing building materials,
construction, and functionality in terms of society.
Miller, Debra. The Arab-Israeli Conflict
This book discusses the history of Israel and Palestine, the wars between Arabs and Israelis, and the conflict
that exists today between the two groups.
Mortenson, Greg. Three Cups of Tea
Story of one man's campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of
Asia and at last count, his Central Asia Institute had built fifty-five schools.
Mortenson, Greg. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, not Bombs, in
Afghanistan and Pakistan
From the author of the #1 national bestseller 'Three Cups of Tea', the continuing story of this determined
humanitarian and the schools he has established.
Nye, Naomi. 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East
Presents a collection of poems dealing with the Middle East, peace, and being an Arab-American in the
United States.
O’Brien, Tony. Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan
A collection of personal stories from children of diverse ages and backgrounds living in war-ravaged
Afghanistan provides insight into their fears, dreams, inspirations, and aspirations as they come to terms with
the great change and loss around them.
Oliver, Marilyn Tower. The Importance of Muhammad
The beginning: before the revelations -- A messenger for God -- The early Muslims meet with opposition -Hijra, the flight to Yathrib (Medina) -- Raids and battles -- The return to Mecca -- The final years.
Pike, Edgar. Mohammed: Prophet of the Religion of Islam
A biography of the founder of Islam who is revered by his followers as the first prophet of Allah. Includes
chapters of the Koran, what a Muslim believes, and how he practices his faith.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis and Persepolis 2
The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in
Tehran--a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life.
Stefoff, Rebecca. West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Surveys the history, topography, people, and culture of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with an emphasis
on economy, industry, and place in the political world.
Stewart, Gail. Human Rights in the Middle East
This book describes injustices in the Middle East that have violated human rights, including the lack of
voting rights for women, the amputation of hands and feet for crimes, violation of children's rights by
enforced child labor, and persecution of minorities.
Stewart, Gail. Life Under the Taliban
Discusses the history of Afghanistan, the rise and fall of the Taliban, and daily life under the regime.
Whitehead, Kim. Islam: The Basics
This book is an overview of what Muslims believe and value and describes the practice of their faith in their
everyday lives.
Yancey, Diane. The Middle East: An Overview
This book discusses the problems that have contributed to the conflict in the Middle East in the past century,
including religious differences, the occupation of outside forces, boundary disputes, repressive leaders, and
use of terrorism for political goals.
Short Story
Marston, Elsa. Santa Claus in Baghdad and other stories about teens in the Arab world
A collection of eight stories about what it is like to grow up in the Middle East today.
Includes notes which place the stories in context.
Santa Claus in Baghdad: a story from Iraq (2000) – Faces: a story from Syria – The hand
of Fatima: a story from Lebanon – The olive grove: a story from Palestine – In line: a story
from Egypt – Scenes in a Roman theater: a story from Tunisia – Honor: a story from
Jordan – The plan: a story from a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.
Graphic Novel
Modan, Ratu. Exit Wounds
A graphic novel about a young man who teams up with an Israeli soldier to investigate the
questionable death of his estranged father, who may have been killed by a suicide bomber,
and comes to a realization about who his dad really was.