For Educators

COVID-19 UPDATE: NEW!!! Watch my lockdown video for kids.  I am happy to report that my publisher Macmillan has changed its permissions policy during this unprecedented crisis to allow for electronic read alouds. Please see Macmillan’s website for the details. And thank you, everyone, for sharing this story of kids in lockdown during a crisis with your kids in lockdown during a crisis. –Katherine Marsh

Nowhere Boy is a great classroom or even whole school read for grades 5th-10th. It’s a story that provides both windows and mirrors, gives educators tools to discuss themes from immigration to world history (including the Syrian War and World War II), and to discuss kindness, social justice and the power of kids to change the world through their actions.

There is an amazing chapter-by-chapter educators’ guide available here. It’s written by Kirsten Cappy and Louise El Yaafouri, who have extensive experience in the fields of teaching and refugee children’s literature. Nowhere Boy is an especially perfect fit for the 8th grade common core unit on refugees.

For Nowhere Boy, be sure also to take a look at Albert Jonnart and Ralph Mayer and The Refugee Crisis 101. These pages include actual photos of and documents about Albert and Ralph, as well as information and stories about the current refugee crisis. The Nowhere Boy book trailer is also a great visual way to introduce your students to the real places and people behind the book.

Interested in a school visit in the 2020-2021 school year? Go to events.

Looking for resources to help teach my other books? All of them have free teachers’ guides that you can download here.