SPOILER ALERT!
A Single Shard - Linda Sue Park

I would suggest this book for upper elementary grades as it deals with death and has violence. This book is about a young homeless orphan named Tree-Ear and how he longs to be a potter. He secretly watches his mentor Min sculpt. Tree- Ear is faced with many decision that weigh heavily on his conscious. He has many people counting on him and must face a long journey to prove himself and his mentor worthy of a royal commission. 

I would use this as a way to explore Korean culture. Students would locate North and South Korea on a map and research fun facts about Korea. Students would write about their findings and make a short power point presentation about their research. 

Lextile Level : 920L