The plot of Stellaluna consists of a baby bat being knocked away from her mother by an attacking owl where she lands in a nest occupied by birds. She has to try and act like a bird as not to confuse her adoptive siblings. One day she gets separated by her bird family and she is discovered by another bat. This leads to her being reunited with her mother! This is a great book to read to students to celebrate differences and similarities in us all. An extension activity could be for students to create a Venn diagram and describe the ways in which Stellaluna and the birds were alike and the ways in which they were different. 

Lexile level: 550L

Bridge to Terabithia is about a boy and a girl, Jesse and Leslie who become best friends and together create wild kingdom. Jesse and Leslie have very different interests, but the two stick together like glue through everything, even when faced by a bully. This novel portrays relatable characteristics of friendship, and a father-son relationship through Jesse and his father.

I would read this novel in a fifth grade class room (Reading Level 4.6) and have my students describe each of the main characters and how they are different, and tell how the characters "cross the bridge", finding similarities between the characters and how they work together.