Title: Code Talker
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 230
Lexile level: 910L
Grade level: 6.5
Interest level: 9-12

Born for Mud Clan and Born to Towering House, son of Grey Mustache, Navajo boy Kii Yázhí had to live in a world run by white men who renamed him Ned Begay. In the 1930's Ned attends a boarding school for Navajo students where they are not allowed to speak their native language, their long hair is cut, and they are given military-like uniforms to wear. He is a very bright student and his teachers compliment him by saying that he is almost as good as a white student. 
   When Pearl Harbor is attacked in 1941, Ned counts the days until he is old enough to enlist into the Marines who are recruiting Indians who are both fluent in English and Navajo. Ned became one of the legendary code talkers that, according to real-world WW2 veterans, won the war for the Allies. 
    In this story, Ned tells his grandchildren of his adventure through racism, battles, losses, and victories, but most importantly the great value there is in keeping your native language and culture with you even when a larger, and in the United States, whiter society tells you it's worthless. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 This is a book that I feel could reach out to many Latino/Hispanic students who are often punished for using their native language in school. 
   This book can also apply to multiple content areas. 
Social Studies: A different perspective on WW2 but still including all of the major events involving Japan as well as a culture study of the Navajo people.
Math: The Navajo code talkers had developed an alphabet for spelling words that weren't often used and had a vocabulary of over 600 words that were being used frequently.  Students can use mathematical reasoning to try to break codes and recognize patterns. They can also look at how this could relate to html code. 
Language Arts: This book is a wonderful example of author's voice. While reading, you can almost feel how slowly the narrator speaks, as is typical of Native Americans.