Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself is an account of a human being in high spirit.   After surviving a period of being a victim of the commercial sex industry, she broke free of her pimp and her past, went to college and a graduate program, and founded a nonprofit organization - GEMS, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services - to help other girls who endure the same circumstances.

Chapter 4 "Recruitment" details how young girls are recruited into the trade, and explains "why the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its reauthorizations in 2003, 2005, and 2008 have all supported a definition of child sex trafficking where children under the age of eighteen found in the commercial sex trade are considered to be victims of trafficking without requiring that they experienced 'forced, fraud, or coercion' to keep them there."

Rachel's book is indeed a significant contribution to the motto "Human Trafficking: Fight It.  Expose It.  End It."

Although not available in the SJPL system, Somebody's Daughter:  The Hidden Story of America's Prostituted Children and the Battle to Save Them can be requested via the LINK+ system with a SJPL library card.

This book tells stories of girl victims of the sex trafficking trade from many different angles; it gives us the points of view of the judge in "Courtroom 18", the police officers, the social workers, and the activists who all work together to try to rescue and help these young victims.  It mentions the sin cities Las Vegas, New York City, Phoenix,  and Dallas as urban cities where this trafficking epidemic is found to happen.

Guy Jacobson, founder of Priority Films and RedLight Children Campaign (RLC), and his Priority Films partner, the Israeli actress Adi Ezroni were bestowed by Condoleezza Rice with the "Global Heroes" Award in the U. S. Department of State Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report 2008 to recognize their efforts trying to rescue young children who are victims of the global sex trade, lots of whom are under the age of 6.  Read more about it on the U. S. Department of State page (under the paragraph of "United States").

Wonder Struck (AR 4.0, Level 5.4) by Brian Selznick is a beautiful book.  This title follows the story of Ben and Rose.  Ben's story unfolds in words and Rose's story unfolds in pictures.  Both characters are connected by a desire to find people that are missing from their lives.  After the death of Ben's mother, he yearns to find his father.  Ben's mother, Elaine, has told him nothing about his father.  However, after accidentally finding information that may lead to his father, Ben sets out for New York City, where his father last lived.  Will Ben find his long-missing father?

Rose is desperately unhappy living with her father.  She has been creating a scrapbook about the career of a  mysterious actress, Lillian Mayhew.  Feeling that Ms. Mayhew can help her, she sets off for New York City.  What will she find there and how will Ms. Mayhew help her?

Both stories are set apart by fifty years.  However, both characters are similar in that they are both deaf.  What is truly remarkable about both characters is the lack of sadness or anger about their disabilities.  Both courageously go to one of the largest cities in the world, sure of their purpose.  The reader is immediately drawn into both stories because of the remarkably life-like drawings and compelling stories.

Brian Selznick, the Caldecott Medal winner for The Invention of Hugo Cabret (AR 4.0, Level 5.1) once again makes a movie-like book.  Mr. Selznick has said that his interest in this story began when he learned about the new sound technology in 1927, which would affect the deaf community.  Prior to 1927, both hearing and deaf people could enjoy the movies together.  After 1927, deaf people were left out of the experience of enjoying film.

Gregor, the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins, the author of the ever popular adult title Hunger Games, is the first of a series about a heroic 11 year old who travels into the magical world of the underworld. It all starts on a hot summer afternoon in New York City when Gregor is stuck at home babysitting his baby sister, Boots, because his mother had to go to work. Boots, Gregor, and his grandma, faintly senile, are stuck in the small apartment. He told his mom that he doesn't mind, but, in truth, life has been hard since his father disappeared two and a half years ago. He really misses his dad and dares not think too far into the future. While he is contemplating his life, he suddenly notices that his sister had disappeared. She had discovered an open air vent in their apartment's laundry room. Before he can say, "No," she had fallen in and disappeared. He soon follows her. The adventure that ensues is the story of the book, not to be missed, especially by avid readers in the fourth through the fifth grades. This book will appeal to both boys and girls.  The world created by Suzanne Collins is both compelling and real, a definite recommend.

Books for the series is as follows:

#2 Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane,

#3 Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods,

#4 Gregor and the Marks of Secret, and

#5 Gregor and the Code of Claw.

The San Jose Public Library carries the titles in various formats including ebook and audio book.  Check it out!

Sixth Cousin, also known as Bandit, of the House of Wong, lived halfway around the world from New York City. Her father has been travelling for a very long time, while Bandit and her mother remained in China with her father’s family. One day a letter arrives. While this letter makes her mother very happy, it makes her grandmother cry and her grandfather angry. No one tells Bandit anything.  What is going on?

Finally, Bandit is told that she and her mother are going to America to join her father. Bandit selects her American name, Shirley Temple Wong, and so begins their journey. It is a difficult transition from China to America; at times Shirley feels happy and other times sad. But after she makes her first new school friend, and discovers baseball, her transition into everyday American life truly begins.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson is not a new book, but with many children in our local community who recently arrived from other countries, there is a perfect audience for this thoughtful and relevant book. New arrivals will identify with Shirley’s struggles, and successes, as she learns to adapt to her new life. Anyone who has felt different or lonely can identify and sympathize with Shirley when she finds herself the only Chinese speaking student in her school. The language used and emotions discussed by Bette Bao Lord are suitable for ages 8 and up. 

Anyone who eats in restaurants should find Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl entertaining, and a bit shocking. The author tells of her years as food critic for the New York Times and her efforts to hide her identity as she visits some of the city's most famous restaurants. With the help of friends and associates, she creates a variety of disguises, and assumes a particular identity with each one, in order to find out how some of these restaurants treat ordinary customers. It's incredible how badly she is treated in some of Manhattan's most well-known and priciest restaurants when she shows up in some of her disguises.

Available at San José Public Library as an audiobook, a downloadable ebook, and in print.