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Conflict Resolution Chapter and Young Adult Books: Fiction Bat 6, by Virginia Euwer Wolff (New York: Scholastic, 1998). This book has multiple narrators—the sixth-grade girls taking part in an annual softball game between two communities. It is 1949, and among the girls are a Japanese American who has returned from an internment camp and a girl whose father was killed at Pearl Harbor, a pairing that will eventually end in violence. Crash, by Jerry Spinelli (New York: Knopf, 1996). Crash Coogan is a seventh-grader who uses his physical strength to intimidate classmates, including his sister Abby and neighbor Penn. However, as he observes their commitment to important values, Crash begins to change. Eagle Song, by Joseph Bruchac (New York: Dial, 1997). A young Mohawk boy experiences conflict when he moves off the reservation and into New York City. Holes, by Louis Sachar (New York: Scholastic, 1998). This Newbery-winner paints an unpleasant picture of a juvenile facility, but the boys’ story, in addition to being entertaining and moving, presents multiple examples of conflict that students could analyze. Junebug and the Reverend, by Alice Mead (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998). In this sequel to Junebug, the title character has moved to a new home, an assisted living facility for elderly people where his mother is the resident caretaker. He is also attending a new school, where he is experiencing conflict with a class bully. Racing the Past, by Sis Deans (New York: Henry Holt, 2001). Ricky’s abusive father has died, but Ricky is in trouble for fighting at school. To avoid the school bully, Ricky begins walking, then jogging, and finally running to and from school. Running becomes not only a way for him to excel but to channel his emotions. Some rough language and oblique references to sexuality. Standing up to Mr. O., by Claudia Mills (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998). When Maggie decides not to take part in dissections, she faces conflict with her science teacher, as well as her friends. Trapped, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Middleton, WI: Pleasant, 2001). Brenna’s family operates a rescue operation for injured wildlife, her brother is an animal rights activist, and she and her friends volunteer at a veterinary clinic, so they are all upset when Brenna finds a dog caught in a trap. When they meet the young owner of the trap, conflicts arise among several characters. The Well, by Mildred D. Taylor (New York: Dial, 1995). This short novel recounts tensions between an African American family with ample water and a bigoted white family who is suffering as a result of a drought. Set in the early 1900s South, the novel provides a case study in conflict. Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman (New York: Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2004). It is 1964, and Alice’s family has moved from Chicago to Mississippi, where public schools are being integrated. As the city of Jackson experiences integration and Klan violence, Alice faces conflicts in her efforts to be accepted by her peers while being the good person she wants to be. |
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