Laurel Singleton, Center for Education in Law and Democracy

Government and the Rule of Law

Chapter and Young Adult books: Fiction

Bad Girls, by Cynthia Voight (New York: Scholastic, 1996). This book presents a hilarious look at school rules in the classroom of a fifth-grade teacher known to be the strictest in the school. Mrs. Chemsky has 17 rules in such categories as forbidding rules, behavior rules, and lunch rules. A good starting point for discussing the purposes of school rules.

Germy in Charge, by Rebecca C. Jones (New York: Dutton, 1993). Sixth-grader Jeremy Bluett runs for student representative on the school board—and wins! Germy discovers the limits on power when he finds himself unable to deliver on his campaign promises. Through a variety of mishaps, he learns a great deal about the responsibilities of holding public office.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993). This Newbery-winner grippingly portrays how rules (or laws) are used to create the kind of society that people want.

Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn (New York: Anchor Books, 2001). This novel in letters is both funny and touching, chronicling a young girl’s efforts to save her community from totalitarianism. As letters fall off a local memorial, the town council bans the use of those letters. Because the author of the book also eschews those letters as they are banned, the book can be a stimulant for discussion of bad laws and clever writing.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, by Bette Bao Lord (New York: Harper and Row, 1984). Shirley Wong is a recent immigrant from China who loves baseball, a love that provides a bond with her new classmates. Their teacher uses baseball as an analogy for American democracy, providing a wonderful civics lesson. The book also includes a hilarious rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance, which Shirley’s emerging English skills have not yet made sense of—a version that would be an excellent stimulant for discussing the real meaning of the Pledge.

Junebug, by Alice Mead (New York: HarperCollins, 1995). Junebug lives in low-income housing in New Haven, Connecticut, and he and his sister must obey a large number of rules their mother has established to keep them safe in the neighborhood. Why safety rules vary from place to place could be a topic of discussion in conjunction with this book.

Nothing but the Truth, by Avi (New York: Orchard Books, 1991). Ninth-grader Philip Malloy is suspended for breaking the rule requiring standing at silent, respectful attention while the national anthem is played. The reasons for the rule, the political factors that influenced how the conflict was handled, and the punishment could all be lively topics of discussion for older students.

Off and Running, by Gary Soto (New York: Delacorte Press, 1996). Miata Ramirez and Ana Avila run for school president and vice president against the class clowns; through the process, the girls learn about the election process as well as what it takes to be a leader.

Poppy, by Avi (New York: Orchard Books, 1995). A family of deer mice lives under the rule of a great horned owl who has declared himself king of the forest. The mice eventually see that the owl has no legitimate authority and is operating his “government” for his own good, not the good of the people.

The Rag and Bone Shop, by Robert Cormier (New York: Delacorte, 2001). This novel is unusual, in that its center is a police interrogation of a 12-year-old boy suspected in the murder of a younger girl.

Stink Bomb Mom, by Martha Freeman (New York: Delacorte Press, 1996). A hilarious book about a family that has very few rules and eventually runs afoul of the law.