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If you like Reign Rain...
Real Fic/Div/5-8

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life...until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read. (less)

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Taking liberty : the story of Oney Judge, George Washington's runaway slave by Rinaldi, Ann

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Taking liberty : the story of Oney Judge, George Washington's runaway slave by Rinaldi, Ann

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Hist Fic/12+

In this swiftly paced historical novel, Rinaldi (Girl in Blue) chronicles the life of Oney Judge, favorite "servant (they were never called slaves)" to Lady Martha Washington. By Oney's own admission in the prologue, as Lady Washington's "pet," she enjoyed "a life of comparative ease and even luxury." Oney surreptitiously learns to read (and though this violates the law, Lady Washington keeps her secret), wears fine clothes and accompanies the General's family to New York and Philadelphia. Rinaldi seamlessly weaves history and strong characters, from the mansion house to the servants' quarters, to offer a balanced portrait of their complex and contradictory interactions. Publishers Weekly (December 2, 2002)

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Mo'ne Davis : remember my name : my story from first pitch to game changer by Davis, Mo'ne

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Mo'ne Davis : remember my name : my story from first pitch to game changer by Davis, Mo'ne

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At the age of thirteen, Mo'ne Davis became the first female pitcher to win a game in the Little League World Series and the first Little Leaguer to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A month later she earned a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

This inspiring memoir from a girl who learned to play baseball with the boys and rose to national stardom before beginning eighth grade will encourage young readers to reach for their dreams no matter the odds. Mo'ne's story is one of determination, hard work, and an incredible fastball.

Mo'ne Davis is a multisport athlete who also plays basketball and soccer, and is an honor roll student at her school in Philadelphia.

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Hist Fic/Gr 6-10

In Chicago in 1968, Sam, 14, obeys his father, an eloquent civil-rights leader who is close with Dr. King and is passionately committed to nonviolent protest. But after King is assassinated and Sam witnesses police brutality toward a friend, Sam follows his rebellious older brother, Stephen (Stick), and joins the Black Panthers, whose revolutionary platform is the opposite of the nonviolent philosophy that Sam has been taught at home. Then Sam’s father is stabbed. Will the brothers retaliate with violence? Booklist starred (2009 (Vol. 105, No. 11))

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March. Book one (Book 1) by Lewis, John; illustrated by Powell, Nate

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March. Book one (Book 1) by Lewis, John; illustrated by Powell, Nate

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Graph/Mem/11+

Eisner winner Powell's dramatic black-and-white graphic art ratchets up the intensity in this autobiographical opener by a major figure in the civil rights movement. In this first of a projected trilogy, Lewis, one of the original Freedom Riders and currently in his 13th term as a U.S. Representative, recalls his early years--from raising (and preaching to) chickens on an Alabama farm to meeting Martin Luther King Jr. and joining lunch-counter sit-ins in Nashville in 1960. The account flashes back and forth between a conversation with two young visitors in Lewis' congressional office just prior to Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration and events five or more decades ago. Kirkus Reviews starred (July 15, 2013)

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Hist Fic/Gr 5-8. "This is your box of femininity,"reads 10-year-old Leah when a rose-patterned case arrives on her birthday. Along with silk and jewelry, there are train tickets for Leah, younger sister Ruth, and their mother to travel from Sulphur, Louisiana, to Los Angeles, to visit long-estranged Aunt Olivia. It's 1953, and Leah is amazed by California. There are no Jim Crow laws, and Aunt Olivia and her husband live in a home as luxurious as the rose box. Still, Leah misses what's familiar. Later, when the girls visit their aunt and uncle on their own, a tragic event takes their home and their parents, and the girls move permanently to Los Angeles. Booklist (June 1, 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 19))

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How Lamar's bad prank won a Bubba-sized trophyby Allen, Crystal

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How Lamar's bad prank won a Bubba-sized trophyby Allen, Crystal

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Real Fic/Hum/Gr 5-8
Among the many complications in 13-year-old Lamar Washington's life are his reputation as a prankster, which is inhibiting his quest to get a girlfriend; a basketball star older brother, Xavier, who treats him with contempt; his suspicion that his best friend is being taken advantage of by his girlfriend; and the asthma that makes bowling the most strenuous sport in which he is allowed to engage. While the death of his mother is an ongoing heartache, Lamar receives support from his strict but loving father and his close-knit African-American community. School Library Journal (February 1, 2011)

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Real Fic/Hum/Gr 4-6
Life is a very complicated affair if you happen to be 11-year-old Jarrett of Newark, New Jersey. His mother takes in almost any foster child, including kids with special needs. The last straw is the arrival of two siblings, the developmentally challenged toddler, Treasure, and her tall, athletic 12-year-old brother, Kevon, who will be sharing Jarrett's room. The friction between Jarrett and Kevon gains momentum when Kevon makes the basketball team and shows off for the girls, including Caprice, the girl Jarrett has a crush on. The protagonist is bound to get even at all costs. He spies on Kevon and his social worker, digging for any way to humiliate his foster brother without thought to the consequences. School Library Journal (September 1, 2014)

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Real Fic/Gr 8-12
An African American boy runs from the corner market, hunched over and wearing a hoodie. A man shouts, “Come back here!” A car stops in the street, someone yells, “He has a gun!” And suddenly, 16-year-old Tariq Johnson is on the ground, dead from two shots fired at his back. The shooter, a white man, is free after claiming self-defense, but police don’t find a weapon on Tariq. Everyone has an opinion about what happened, but the only person who knows for sure no longer has a voice. Seventeen distinct narrators tell this tense, multilayered story, which could easily be headline news. Booklist (October 1, 2014 (Vol. 111, No. 3))

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Sci Fi/Hist Fic
The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.

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Life in motion : an unlikely ballerina by Copeland, Misty

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Life in motion : an unlikely ballerina by Copeland, Misty

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If you’d asked Copeland, soloist for the American Ballet Theatre, when she was a young African American teenager about her vision of the future, she would probably have said that the only thing less likely than her writing a memoir was her becoming a world-class ballerina. Her natural flexibility and grace had her on pointe within two months, something other ballerinas work years to achieve. She was offered lead roles before finishing high school. She speaks with candor about having to lose her luscious curves and cover herself with white makeup to look more acceptable on stage, but she never places blame on those who asked her to do so. Booklist starred (February 1, 2014 (Vol. 110, No. 11))

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Misty Copeland : ballerina (Jr Bios) by Isbell, Hannah

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Misty Copeland : ballerina (Jr Bios) by Isbell, Hannah

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Bio/Gr 3-5
The narrative is lively and the volume on Misty Copeland is especially inspiring, though generalizations do occur: there was "some racism in ballet's history." School Library Journal (April 1, 2017)

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Nightjohn by Paulsen, Gary (Sequel Sarny)

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Nightjohn by Paulsen, Gary (Sequel Sarny)

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Hist Fic/Gr 6+
He tells the story in the voice of 12-year-old Sarny, born a slave, the property of Clel Waller, whom Sarny and the other slaves are forced to call "master." Sarny's mother had been sold when the child was four "because she was a good breeder, and Waller he needed the money." In quiet, simple words, Sarny tells of daily atrocity: public whippings, unbroken labor, animal-like living conditions, and, for a woman, constant rape. Sarny tries to keep secret the fact that she's started menstruating, because it means she will be sent to the breeding shed. Booklist (Vol. 89, No. 8 (December 15, 1992))

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Hist Fic/Gr 4-7
After their life-changing summer in Oakland with their poet-activist mother, related in One Crazy Summer sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern find it difficult to readjust to life in Brooklyn. In addition to their grandmother's strict expectations, the girls must navigate the return of their uncle from Vietnam, their father's new romantic relationship, and their own uncontrollable love for the Jackson Five. Delphine finds some solace in corresponding with her mother, who reminds her not to take on too much or try to grow up too fast; instead she should remember to be 11. But each adult in Delphine's life has a different idea of what that means. School Library Journal (June 1, 2013)

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Public school superhero by Patterson, James; illustrated by Thomas, Cory

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Public school superhero by Patterson, James; illustrated by Thomas, Cory

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Real Fic/Hum/9-12

Kenny's dreams of superpowered heroics provide a respite from his tough school. Kenny Wright loves his grandma, chess and superheroes. Less loved is his school, an overcrowded, underfunded cinderblock straight out of the fourth season of The Wire. A string of peculiar circumstances puts Kenny in the position of teaching his enemy, Ray-Ray, how to play chess, but this crummy state of affairs may be just what Kenny needs right now. Kirkus Reviews (February 1, 2015)

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River runs deep by Bradbury, Jennifer; illustrated by Britton, R. H

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River runs deep by Bradbury, Jennifer; illustrated by Britton, R. H

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Hist Fic/Gr 4-6
Twelve-year-old Elias is sent from his Virginia home to Dr. Crogan's experimental hospital located within the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky, in the hopes that he can be cured of consumption (tuberculosis). In this pre-Civil War setting, patients are served by slaves, who also lead cave tours. When Elias surreptitiously follows a slave named Stephen into a tunnel, he discovers a network of secret tunnels that house a hidden community of runaway slaves. When a patient and former boat crew member, Pennyrile, gets suspicious and begins investigating, the runaway slaves must quickly hide their existence. Descriptions of Dr. Croghan's primitive medical treatments, such as intentional bleeding, forced vomiting, and homemade instruments, illustrate the painful and fruitless state of health care for tuberculosis patients at that time. School Library Journal (May 1, 2015)

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Somewhere in the darkness by Myers, Walter Dean

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Somewhere in the darkness by Myers, Walter Dean

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Gr 7-10
A poignant story of motherless, 14-year-old Jimmy Little, whose convict father takes him on a search for truth, identity, and family. Whisked away from the stability of a home life with his devoted grandmother, Mama Jean, Jimmy confronts the harsh realities of his father's life on the run. Jailed for his involvement in an armed robbery and falsely accused of killing a man, Crab escapes from prison to convince his son of his innocence. What Jimmy discovers is a man desperate to establish a relationship with his son but unable to break free of a lifestyle of stealing and moving on that leaves little room for security. On their highway odyssey, Crab becomes increasingly sick with a kidney ailment. Following a climactic encounter with the man who accused him, Crab is again arrested and hospitalized. For Jimmy, the flicker of hope that he and his father might work things out becomes a realization that love is built on trust, concern, and honesty. School Library Journal (April 1992)

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What color is my world?: the lost history of African-American inventors by Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; illustrated by Boos, Ben

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What color is my world?: the lost history of African-American inventors by Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; illustrated by Boos, Ben

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HistoryGr 4-7-A fictional story lies at the heart of this unusually formatted collective biography. Twins Herbie and Ella and their parents have just moved into a run-down older home; while they work to fix it up, Mr. R. E. Mital, an eccentric handyman hired by their parents, recounts the contributions of African American scientists and inventors. As the figures are introduced, foldouts on the sides of the pages contain Ella's notes (full of humor, as well as facts) about each one. More detailed profiles of other inventors fill the spreads, and some are introduced in graphic-novel-style pages. Instead of famous inventors such as George Washington Carver and Benjamin Banneker, readers are introduced to lesser-known individuals, including Alfred L. Cralle (inventor of the ice-cream scoop), Dr. Henry T. Sampson (gamma electric cell), and nuclear engineer Lonnie Johnson (Super Soaker). Information about the subjects' home, lives, and avocations is a welcome addition. The lack of an index and table of contents limits the book's usefulness for research; however, the large trim size, numerous illustrations, and unusual format (not to mention the celebrity author) will certainly attract browsers. And a surprise discovery about Mr. Mital's identity at the end will leave readers with something to ponder.-Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.School Library Journal (February 1, 2012)

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You can fly : the Tuskegee Airmen by Weatherford, Carole Boston; illustrated by Weatherford, Jeffery Boston

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You can fly : the Tuskegee Airmen by Weatherford, Carole Boston; illustrated by Weatherford, Jeffery Boston

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Verse/Bio/Gr 5-7
This free-verse collection tells of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black pilots in the U.S. military. Beginning with their dreams of flying, the story continues through the men’s flight training for WWII in Jim Crow–era Alabama; their outstanding record in missions over Italy, Germany, and the Mediterranean; and their return to a country where “racism was never in short supply.” Booklist (April 1, 2016 (Vol. 112, No. 15))

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Hidden figures : the American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race by Shetterly, Margot Lee

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Hidden figures : the American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race by Shetterly, Margot Lee

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Bio/

1945, about 50 college-educated African American female mathematicians were among the approximately 1,000 women quietly hired by Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory as entry-level "computers"- their job title before the actual machine was invented. The author focuses on four black women who worked alongside engineers-that more prestigious title went to white men-to run tests, produce calculations, and tweak theories, pushing America into the modern aviation age. Their work ethic, smarts, and loyalty also gave them something else: earning power. School Library Journal (April 1, 2017)

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Hist Fic/Gr 5-9
It is 1895, and African-Americans Nathan Williams, his father, and grandfather are living on the beautiful and remote Outer Banks. The boy's mother has died, and the grieving youngster finds some solace in the welcoming atmosphere of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station. Members of the all-black lifesaving team, known as surfmen, encourage his curiosity and teach him the techniques of retrieving and resuscitating victims of ocean disasters. After Nathan and his father help with a hair-raising but successful rescue of crew members from a storm-wrecked ship, Nathan is determined to become a surfman himself someday, despite almost overwhelming obstacles. School Library Journal (February 2001)

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Freedom stone (#0312GH8)by Kluger, Jeffrey

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Freedom stone (#0312GH8)by Kluger, Jeffrey

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Grades 5-7. Lillie, her little brother, Plato, and her mother are slaves on a South Carolina plantation. Their father took a chance and joined the Confederate army, with the promise that he and his family would be freed after the conflict. Papa’s been killed, but Mama and the children were expecting their freedom until word came that a bag of gold was found on Papa’s body. Presuming it was stolen, freedom has been denied. When it becomes obvious that Plato may soon be sold away, Lillie is determined to prove that her father was not a thief and that the freedom promise should be honored. Kluger presents a story with what should be an impossible task, adds a dollop of fantasy, and brings it full circle in a smart, compelling way. Though it’s the quest that keeps the pages turning, what anchors the tale is the in-depth historical research, which makes readers feel what it’s like to live as a slave while the Civil War rages on. Juxtaposed against the realism is the fantasy element of the story, and Kluger wisely uses the Ibo heritage of some of the slaves as a way in, making it more believable than it otherwise might be. A finely crafted tale.

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The blossoming universe of Violet Diamond (#0820FS6)by Woods, Brenda

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The blossoming universe of Violet Diamond (#0820FS6)by Woods, Brenda

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Gr 4-6-Violet Diamond's father died in a car accident two months before her birth, and the 11-year-old has always felt that a piece of her was missing. As the daughter of an African American father and Caucasian mother, she is frustrated with narrow racial assumptions directed at her by those living in her predominantly white neighborhood in Seattle. After eavesdropping on an eye-opening family conversation, Violet digs around and finds out that Roxanne Diamond, the estranged paternal grandmother she's never met, is having an art exhibition in Seattle, and the resourceful tween vows to meet her. Complex family history renders their first meeting awkward and tense, but Roxanne genuinely wants to be involved in her granddaughter's life. Violet travels with her grandmother to Los Angeles to meet her father's relatives and better understand her African American heritage. Violet's charming quirks, which include nighttime wishing rituals and keeping a mental catalogue of sophisticated vocabulary words, prove endearing. In this quiet story, Woods's admirably touches upon profound issues related to identity and race and tenderly conveys intergenerational bonds.-Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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The legend of Bass Reeves : being the true and fictional account of the most valiant marshal in the Westby Paulsen, Gary

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The legend of Bass Reeves : being the true and fictional account of the most valiant marshal in the Westby Paulsen, Gary

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In a foreword to this compelling fictionalized biography (appropriately subtitled, "Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West"), Paulsen debunks the myths surrounding some of the Wild West's most celebrated figures. ("All in all, poor stock to consider when looking for role models from our frontier," he writes). As a dramatic alternative, he introduces Bass Reeves as "a man who truly qualified as legendary and heroic," a claim that Paulsen's tale easily supports. The young slave of a drunken rancher, Bass runs away after an altercation with his master (whom he calls "the mister") the man was cheating in a poker game against Reeves in which the captive's freedom were the stakes. Paulsen's lilting prose weaves in colorful details (e.g., a "Jesus stick," two sharpened sticks fashioned into a cross, used to kill rabbits or hens) and historic events, such as the Alamo and the establishment of the Indian Territory. The chapters covering Bass's time among the Creek Indians moves almost too swiftly, but set the stage for the man's later work. (After the Emancipation Proclamation, Bass becomes a successful cattle rancher and, at 51, is appointed a deputy federal marshal, charged with "clean[ing] up" the Indian Territory.) Frequently confronting racial prejudice, Bass nonetheless never draws his gun first, killing only 14 outlaws. Effectively conveying Reeve's thoughts and emotions, the author shapes an articulate, well-deserved tribute to this unsung hero. Ages 10-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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When eighth-grader Sparrow wakes up in the hospital, she can’t convince the doctors or her mother that she wasn’t attempting suicide on the roof of her school. Once she starts seeing her therapist, she reveals that when she experiences anxiety, she becomes a real sparrow and flies with other birds. Moon’s debut novel deftly normalizes therapy and prioritizing one’s mental health. In lyrical, minimalist prose that resounds with authenticity, Moon tracks Sparrow’s relatable experience with trauma and anxiety. The recurring therapy sessions never come across as manufactured or heavy-handed, nor do they present a singular, correct way to cope with anxiety. After opening up to her therapist, Sparrow takes a brave step and enrolls in a month-long music camp.

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Miles Morales: Spiderman by Jason Reynolds

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Miles Morales: Spiderman by Jason Reynolds

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Booklist (July 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 21))

Grades 6-9. In his first adventures in a nongraphic format, Peter Parker’s multiethnic successor struggles with foes and feelings alike. Outbreaks of rage, a bumbling attraction for classmate Alicia, and family issues combine with a constant but nebulous sense of imminent danger to leave him an emotional wreck. Though this features web-slinging and a climactic battle with a supernatural villain, the action takes a backseat to more generally applicable explorations of self and racial identities, developing relationships, and life choices—plus some great banter. Coretta Scott King honoree Reynolds builds on a comic book plot and neatly ties in Miles’ Marvel Universe background, but he focuses more on his 16-year-old protagonist’s struggle with self-doubt in a vividly rendered urban setting stocked with engaging supporting characters. By the end, the villains—a brainwashed cabal dedicated to driving African American “filth” back down into slavery—are vanquished, but more important (here, at least), Miles is closer to believing in his destiny as crime fighter rather than criminal, and his future in school and with Alicia is looking brighter. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Reynolds’ significant selling power combines with the incarnation of an ever-popular superhero for what’s sure to be a boundary-busting hit.

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School Library Journal (August 1, 2017)

Gr 7 Up-Blade Morrison is on shaky ground. The death of his mother years ago still haunts him, and he's continually disappointed by his father Rutherford, a rock legend who has long grappled with drug and alcohol addiction. Rutherford's humiliating behavior at Blade's high school graduation, Blade's older sister Storm's revelation of a devastating family secret, and his girlfriend Chapel's betrayal send the teenager reeling. Looking for answers, he heads to Ghana, where he begins to heal. This novel in verse reverberates with the energy of spoken word poetry. Alexander and Hess have a knack for making ordinary language seem lyrical, and the narrative is conveyed through dialogue, text messages, and news reports as well as through Blade's terse, first-person, present-tense musings. References to rock and roll songs and artists as varied as Lenny Kravitz, Guns N' Roses, and Stevie Nicks give the book an infectious rhythm. Though the writing is at times slightly unpolished, it perfectly captures the teenage voice. Blade is all highs and lows, veering sharply from the intoxicating embrace of first love and lust to feelings of heartbreak and alienation. Some conflicts are wrapped up too neatly and others are forgotten entirely, but the authentic character development and tone will strike a chord with young adults. VERDICT Hand to music lovers, reluctant readers, fans of spoken word poetry, those who appreciate Alexander's work, or anyone seeking a tale of self-discovery.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Ashes (Seeds of America #3)by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Ashes (Seeds of America #3)by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Booklist starred (July 2016 (Vol. 112, No. 21))

Grades 7-10. Co-protagonists Isabel and Curzon (Chains, 2008, and Forge, 2010) return in this long-awaited third and final volume in Anderson’s award-winning Seeds of America trilogy. The year is now 1781, and the two teenage fugitives are 12 miles from Charleston, South Carolina, in search of Isabel’s younger sister, Ruth, stolen away from her many years before. To Isabel’s great joy, find her they do, but, inexplicably, Ruth refuses to return Isabel’s affection, remaining cold and distant, even when the three, along with farm-boy Aberdeen, set off to walk to Rhode Island and freedom. Will they reach their destination? Perhaps, but in the meantime, they arrive in Williamsburg, Virginia, where, to Isabel’s great distress, Curzon reenlists in the Continental Army. The action then moves to the siege of Yorktown, even as Isabel and Curzon’s often stormy relationship continues to evolve. But to what end? The plot-rich text makes for compelling reading, and the well-developed characters continue to invite reader empathy. Anderson demonstrates a particular talent for verisimilitude, bringing history to compelling life while she continues to develop her theme of the quest for liberty and the cruel irony that, during a war for freedom, there should remain slavery. Yes, readers, it was worth the wait. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Chains and Forge are considered highlights of an author career packed with highlights, and this final installment comes with a book tour, floor displays, and more.

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Forge (Seeds of America #2)by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Forge (Seeds of America #2)by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Booklist (September 15, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 2))

Grades 5-8. Anderson follows her searing, multi-award-winning novel Chains (2008) with this well-researched sequel, also set during the Revolutionary War and narrated by a young African American. This time, though, her central character is male, and the heartbreaking drama shifts from Chains’ domestic town houses to graphically described bloody battlefields. After a narrowly successful escape from Manhattan, former slaves Isabel and Curzon separate, and Curzon is once again on the run. He finds necessary food and shelter as a private with the Continental army, and through Curzon’s eyes, Anderson re-creates pivotal historical scenes, including the desperate conditions at Valley Forge. Curzon isn’t as fully realized here as Isabel was in Chains, resulting in a less-cohesive and -compelling whole. Once again, though, Anderson’s detailed story creates a cinematic sense of history while raising crucial questions about racism, the ethics of war, and the hypocrisies that underlie our country’s founding definitions of freedom. Chapter heads excerpted from historical documents and a long appendix that offers research suggestions and separates fact and fiction add further curricular appeal.

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Chains (Seeds of America #1)by Laurie Halse Anderson 

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Chains (Seeds of America #1)by Laurie Halse Anderson 

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Booklist starred (November 1, 2008 (Vol. 105, No. 5))

Grades 7-10. In the spring of 1776, Isabel, a teenage slave, and her sister, Ruth, are sold to ruthless, wealthy loyalists in Manhattan. While running errands, Isabel is approached by rebels, who promise her freedom (and help finding Ruth, who has been sent away) if she agrees to spy. Using the invisibility her slave status brings, Isabel lurks and listens as Master Lockton and his fellow Tories plot to crush the rebel uprisings, but the incendiary proof that she carries to the rebel camp doesn’t bring the desired rewards. Like the central character in M. T. Anderson’s Octavian Nothing duet, Isabel finds that both patriots and loyalists support slavery. The specifics of Isabel’s daily drudgery may slow some readers, but the catalogue of chores communicates the brutal rhythms of unrelenting toil, helping readers to imagine vividly the realities of Isabel’s life. The story’s perspective creates effective contrasts. Overwhelmed with domestic concerns, Isabel and indeed all the women in the household learn about the war from their marginalized position: they listen at doors to rooms where they are excluded, and they collect gossip from the streets. Anderson explores elemental themes of power (“She can do anything. I can do nothing,” Isabel realizes about her sadistic owner), freedom, and the sources of human strength in this searing, fascinating story. The extensive back matter includes a documented section that addresses many questions about history that readers will want to discuss.

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Booklist (March 15, 2014 (Vol. 110, No. 14))

Grades 6-12. The Bell twins are stars on the basketball court and comrades in life. While there are some differences—Josh shaves his head and Jordan loves his locks—both twins adhere to the Bell basketball rules: In this game of life, your family is the court, and the ball is your heart. With a former professional basketball player dad and an assistant principal mom, there is an intensely strong home front supporting sports and education in equal measures. When life intervenes in the form of a hot new girl, the balance shifts and growing apart proves painful. An accomplished author and poet, Alexander eloquently mashes up concrete poetry, hip-hop, a love of jazz, and a thriving family bond. The effect is poetry in motion. It is a rare verse novel that is fundamentally poetic rather than using this writing trend as a device. There is also a quirky vocabulary element that adds a fun intellectual note to the narrative. This may be just the right book for those hard-to-match youth who live for sports or music or both.

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March: Book One (March #1)by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell (Artist)

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March: Book One (March #1)by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell (Artist)

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School Library Journal (October 1, 2013)

Gr 8 Up-Lewis, a sitting congressman from Georgia, reflects on his early life and his role in the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis's eyewitness account, particularly recalling the lunch counter sit-ins in 1959 and 1960, provides significant insight into this momentous period of history. Powell's realistic black-and-white ink wash art intensifies this riveting personal narrative. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Booklist starred (August 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 22))

Grades 5-8. When Patina “Patty” Jones, the fastest girl on the Defenders track team, comes in second place in a race—a fact she finds unacceptable—her rage is so intense that she mentally checks out. In an effort to make her into a team player, Coach assigns her to the 4x800 relay race and makes the relay team do hokey things like waltz in practice to “learn each others’ rhythms.” Pfft. Meanwhile, Patty feels completely out of place at her rich-girl academy. And then there’s the really hard stuff. Like how her father died, how her mother “got the sugar” (diabetes) and it took her legs, and now Patty and her little sister live with their aunt Emily and uncle Tony. Reynolds’ again displays his knack for capturing authentic voice in both Patty’s inner monologues and the spoken dialogue. The plot races as fast as the track runners in it, and—without ever feeling like a book about “issues”—it deftly tackles topics like isolation, diverse family makeup, living with illness, losing a parent, transcending socioeconomic and racial barriers, and—perhaps best of all—what it’s like for a tween to love their little sister more than all the cupcakes in the world. The second entry in the four-book Track series, this serves as a complete, complex, and sparkling stand-alone novel.

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Booklist starred (July 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 21))

Grades 7-12. Spanning a mere one minute and seven seconds, Reynolds’ new free-verse novel is an intense snapshot of the chain reaction caused by pulling a trigger. First, 15-year-old Will Holloman sets the scene by relating his brother Shawn’s murder two days prior—gunned down while buying soap for their mother. Next, he lays out The Rules: don’t cry, don’t snitch, always get revenge. Now that the reader is up to speed, Will tucks Shawn’s gun into his waistband and steps into an elevator, steeled to execute rule number three and shoot his brother’s killer. Yet, the simple seven-floor descent becomes a revelatory trip. At each floor, the doors open to admit someone killed by the same cycle of violence that Will’s about to enter. He’s properly freaked out, but as the seconds tick by and floors count down, each new occupant drops some knowledge and pushes Will to examine his plans for that gun. Reynolds’ concise verses echo like shots against the white space of the page, their impact resounding. He peels back the individual stories that led to this moment in the elevator and exposes a culture inured to violence because poverty, gang life, or injustice has left them with no other option. In this all-too-real portrait of survival, Reynolds goes toe-to-toe with where, or even if, love and choice are allowed to exist. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A noisy buzz always surrounds this critically acclaimed author’s work, and the planned tour and promo campaign will boost this book’s to a siren call.

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School Library Journal (September 1, 2015)

Gr 8 Up-Rashad Butler is a quiet, artistic teen who hates ROTC but dutifully attends because father insists "there's no better opportunity for a black boy in this country than to join the army." He heads to Jerry's corner store on a Friday night to buy chips, and ends up the victim of unwarranted arrest and police brutality: an event his white schoolmate Quinn Collins witnesses in terrified disbelief. Quinn is even more shocked because the cop is Paul Galluzzo, older brother of his best friend and Quinn's mentor since his father died in Afghanistan. As events unfold, both boys are forced to confront the knowledge that racism in America has not disappeared and that change will not come unless they step forward. Reynolds and Kiely's collaborative effort deftly explores the aftermath of police brutality, addressing the fear, confusion, and anger that affects entire communities. Diverse perspectives are presented in a manner that feels organic to the narrative, further emphasizing the tension created when privilege and racism cannot be ignored. Timely and powerful, this novel promises to have an impact long after the pages stop turning. VERDICT Great for fostering discussions about current events among teenage audiences. A must-have for all collections.-Ashleigh Williams, School Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

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When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

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Real Fic/ 7-10
SLJ (February 1, 2014)
Ali lives with his mother, Doris, and kid sister, Jazz, in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn and spends all of his free time with best friends Noodles and Needles, brothers who live in a run-down brownstone next door. Needles was born with Tourette's syndrome, and after a particularly bad episode of tics, Doris gave him some knitting needles to focus his attention. The three teens hang out on the stoop and streets, living life and getting in just a touch of mischief. When their friend Tasha gets them into a party-and not just any party, an exclusive, adults-only party-trouble escalates. How will the trio deal with the fallout of that eventful night? -Emily Moore, Camden County Library System, NJ (c) Copyright 2014.

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Hist Fic/6-10
Booklist starred (2009 (Vol. 105, No. 11))

In Chicago in 1968, Sam, 14, obeys his father, an eloquent civil-rights leader who is close with Dr. King and is passionately committed to nonviolent protest. But after King is assassinated and Sam witnesses police brutality toward a friend, Sam follows his rebellious older brother, Stephen (Stick), and joins the Black Panthers, whose revolutionary platform is the opposite of the nonviolent philosophy that Sam has been taught at home. Then Sam’s father is stabbed. Will the brothers retaliate with violence? True to the young teen’s viewpoint, this taut, eloquent first novel will make readers feel what it was like to be young, black, and militant 40 years ago, including the seething fury and desperation over the daily discrimination that drove the oppressed to fight back. Sam’s middle-class family is loving and loyal, even when their quarrels are intense; and Magoon draws the characters without sentimentality. Along with the family drama, the politics will grab readers, especially the Panthers’ politicaleducation classes and their call for land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, and peace.

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Real Fic/ 5-8
Booklist starred (2016 (Online))

Our narrator is 11-year-old Genie, a worrier from Brooklyn who’s headed, along with his older brother, Ernie, to his grandparents’ home in backwoods Virginia. There’s culture shock aplenty (no Internet, no TV), plus the more visceral earthquake of learning Grandpop is blind. And the aftershocks keep coming: Grandpop carries a gun. Genie’s notebook of questions—a wonderful literary technique—opens wide this thoroughly realistic narrator’s world of concerns and brings readers closer to him.

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Ghost by Jason Reynolds (Patina #2, Sunny #3)

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Ghost by Jason Reynolds (Patina #2, Sunny #3)

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Realistic Fic/5-8
Booklist starred (2016 (Vol. 113, No. 1))
Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw has been running for three years, ever since the night his father shot a gun at him and his mother. When he gets recruited by a local track coach for a championship team, they strike a deal: if Ghost can stop getting into fights at school, he can run for the Defenders, but one altercation and he’s gone. Despite Ghost’s best intentions, everyone always has something to say about his raggedy shoes, homemade haircut, ratty clothes, or his neighborhood, and he doesn’t last 24 hours without a brawl. Will Coach and his mom give him another chance to be part of something bigger than himself, or is he simply destined to explode?

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One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

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One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

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Historical Fic/4-7

Booklist starred (2010 (Vol. 106, No. 11))

Eleven-year-old Delphine has only a few fragmented memories of her mother, Cecile, a poet who wrote verses on walls and cereal boxes, played smoky jazz records, and abandoned the family in Brooklyn after giving birth to her third daughter. In the summer of 1968, Delphine’s father decides that seeing Cecile is “something whose time had come,” and Delphine boards a plane with her sisters to Cecile’s home in Oakland. Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love.