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An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

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An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy

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This was a significant event in the history of the U.S., yet I don't remember hearing it mentioned in school. Not only did it directly impact thousands of people, it also closed down the Federal gov't, resulting in a revision of some laws. It also sparked heated medical debate among the physicians (who knew very little about the disease).

Chapter 5 focuses on the Free African Society which had been founded in 1787, as the first organization in American created by blacks for blacks.. Amazingly, a...more

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This was a significant event in the history of the U.S., yet I don't remember hearing it mentioned in school. Not only did it directly impact thousands of people, it also closed down the Federal gov't, resulting in a revision of some laws.

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba

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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba

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Yes, there are differences. The youth version is shorter, uses simpler language, and avoids "adult" subject matter such as what might go on in bars anYes, there are differences. The youth version is shorter, uses simpler language, and avoids "adult" subject matter such as what might go on in bars and brothels, and perhaps some of the detail in descriptions of the effects of famine, disease and poverty. You can see in your library catalog if the original version is available, and if it is, get that one instead. Bruce McDonald...more (less)

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Yes, there are differences. The youth version is shorter, uses simpler language, and avoids "adult" subject matter such as what might go on in bars anYes, there are differences. The youth version is shorter, uses simpler language, and avoids "adult" subject matter such as what might go on in bars and brothels, and perhaps some of the detail in descriptions of the effects of famine, disease and poverty.

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The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

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The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

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I teach middle school, and I think it is completely appropriate for a middle schooler who is interested in The Holocaust and events surrounding it. I I teach middle school, and I think it is completely appropriate for a middle schooler who is interested in The Holocaust and events surrounding it. I find that students who are not ready for these books will abandon them and return to them when ready. ...more (less)

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I teach middle school, and I think it is completely appropriate for a middle schooler who is interested in The Holocaust and events surrounding it. I I teach middle school, and I think it is completely appropriate for a middle schooler who is interested in The Holocaust and events surrounding it.

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Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman

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Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman

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Torpedoed book. Read 183 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A true account of the attack and sinking of the passenger ship SS City o...

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Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo

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Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo

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sharks and history and the jersey shore.

yeah, so. it's an excellent account of america on the east coast during the summer of 1916.

it totally bites ass as a story of sharks. the biology is all wrong, the "theory" he puts forth as he writes from the perspective of the shark, who was probably born off montauk in 1908 (WTF?!), just makes me cringe. it's also telling how he really only likes this one shark dude, burgess, and uses him the most. because man, talk about loads of conflicting evidence...more

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sharks and history and the jersey shore. yeah, so. it's an excellent account of america on the east coast during the summer of 1916. it totally bites ass as a story of sharks. the biology is all wrong, the "theory" he puts forth as he writes from the perspective of the shark, who was probably born off montauk in 1908 (WTF?!), just makes me cringe.

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Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917by Sally M. Walker

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Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917by Sally M. Walker

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I seem to be having a problem with books I am listening to on Overdrive. This is at least the second or third youth oriented book I have read. It is a well written one, but, still a children's book.

I am very glad that this was not the first book I have read about the disaster that occurred in December 1917 in Halifax Harbor. Curse Of The Narrows by Laura M. MacDonald is ever so much better. This book, however, tones down the disaster that occurred whereas Curse brings home just how much of a di...more

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I seem to be having a problem with books I am listening to on Overdrive. This is at least the second or third youth oriented book I have read. It is a well written one, but, still a children's book.

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Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg

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Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg

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Category (Biography-Informational)
Found on page 278 in the textbook

1. Description

As a true adventure, the story of Manjiro, a young boy from Japan, is a bitter but sweet account of how this young man was brave enough to leave his country behind in search of new life, but this was not his choice; anyone who was caught leaving his country was banded forever and if returned, would be jailed immediately. A ship searching for whale oil makes a stop on the same island as Manjiro and his brothers. Afte...more

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Category (Biography-Informational)Found on page 278 in the textbook 1. Description As a true adventure, the story of Manjiro, a young boy from Japan, is a bitter but sweet account of how this young man was brave enough to leave his country behind in search of new life, but this was not his choice; anyone who was caught leaving his country was banded forever and if returned, would be jailed immediately.

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Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Pastby James M. Deem

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Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Pastby James M. Deem

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Bodies from the Ice book. Read 66 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. A 2009 Sibert Honor Book In 1991, mountain climbers on the Nie...

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No Pretty Pictures: A Child of Warby Anita Lobel

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No Pretty Pictures: A Child of Warby Anita Lobel

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No Pretty Pictures book. Read 136 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The beloved Caldecott Honor artist now recounts a tale of vastl...

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Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson, Marc Aronson

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Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson, Marc Aronson

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Ain't Nothing but a Man book. Read 93 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Who was the real John Henry? The story of this legendary Af...

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Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman

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Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman

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**Short Review**

I guess there is pictures in the book but seeing as i listen to the audio i missed out on those :(

I will admit i knew almost nothing about Houdini before reading this, i knew about his magic tricks but that's it. So i learned a lot, i really thought he was American, but he's not, thou he lied on his passport to say he is, which is kinda ingenious. I didn't know he was married either, and he was a very good husband to her, and she was a great support system. i didn't know he kept...more

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Short Review** I guess there is pictures in the book but seeing as i listen to the audio i missed out on those :( I will admit i knew almost nothing about Houdini before reading this, i knew about his magic tricks but that's it.

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The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights By Steve Sheinkin

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The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights By Steve Sheinkin

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The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author's copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

The Port Chicago 50

JULIUS J. ALLEN

MACK ANDERSON

DOUGLAS G. ANTHONY

WILLIAM E. BANKS

ARNETT BAUGH

MORRIS BERRY

MARTIN A. BORDENAVE

ERNEST D. BROWN

ROBERT L. BURAGE

MENTOR G. BURNS

ZACK E. CREDLE

JACK P. CRITTENDEN

HAYDEN R. CURD

CHARLES L. DAVID, JR.

BENNON DEES

GEORGE W. DIAMOND

KENNETH C. DIXON

JULIUS DIXSON

JOHN H. DUNN

MELVIN W. ELLIS

WILLIAM FLEECE

JAMES FLOYD

ERNEST J. GAINES

JOHN L. GIPSON

CHARLES C. GRAY

OLLIE E. GREEN

HARRY E. GRIMES

HERBERT HAVIS

CHARLES N. HAZZARD

FRANK L. HENRY

RICHARD W. HILL

THEODORE KING

PERRY L. KNOX

WILLIAM H. LOCK

EDWARD L. LONGMIRE

MILLER MATTHEWS

AUGUSTUS P. MAYO

HOWARD MCGEE

LLOYD MCKINNEY

ALPHONSO MCPHERSON

FREDDIE MEEKS

CECIL MILLER

FLEETWOOD H. POSTELL

EDWARD SAUNDERS

CYRIL O. SHEPPARD

JOSEPH R. SMALL

WILLIE C. SUBER

EDWARD L. WALDROP

CHARLES S. WIDEMON

ALBERT WILLIAMS, JR.

CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE COPYRIGHT NOTICE THE PORT CHICAGO 50 EPIGRAPH FIRST HERO THE POLICY PORT CHICAGO WORK AND LIBERTY THE LAWYER HOT CARGO THE EXPLOSION THE INQUIRY COLUMN LEFT PRISON BARGE THE FIFTY TREASURE ISLAND PROSECUTION JOE SMALL THE VERDICT HARD LABOR SMALL GOES TO SEA EPILOGUE: CIVIL RIGHTS HEROES SOURCE NOTES LIST OF WORKS CITED ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PICTURE CREDITS INDEX UNDEFEATED Excerpt COPYRIGHT
At some time, every Negro in the armed services asks himself what he is getting for the supreme sacrifice he is called upon to make.

- Pittsburgh Courier, November 9, 1944

FIRST HERO

HE WAS GATHERING dirty laundry when the bombs started falling.

It was early on the morning of December 7, 1941, at the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Mess Attendant Dorie Miller had just gone on duty aboard the battleship USS West Virginia. A six-foot-three, 225-pound Texan, Miller was the ship's heavyweight boxing champ. But his everyday duties were somewhat less challenging. As one of the ship's African American mess attendants, he cooked and cleaned for the white sailors.

Miller was below deck, picking up clothes, when the first torpedo slammed into the side of the West Virginia. Sirens shrieked and a voice roared over the loudspeaker:

Japanese are attacking! All hands, General Quarters!

Miller ran to his assigned battle station, an ammunition magazine-and saw it had already been blown apart.

He raced up to the deck and looked up at a bright blue sky streaked with enemy planes and falling bombs. Japan's massive attack had taken the base by surprise, and thunderous explosions were rocking American ships all over the harbor. Two direct hits cracked through the deck of the West Virginia, sending flames and shrapnel flying.

Amid the smoke and chaos, an officer saw Miller and shouted for him to help move the wounded. Miller began lifting men, carrying them farther from the spreading fires.

Then he spotted a dead gunner beside an anti-aircraft machine gun. He'd never been instructed in the operation of this weapon. But he'd seen it used. That was enough.

Jumping behind the gun, Miller tilted the barrel up and took aim at a Japanese plane. It wasn't hard, he'd later say. I just pulled the trigger, and she worked fine.

As Miller blasted away, downing at least one enemy airplane, several more torpedoes blew gaping holes in the side of the West Virginia. The ship listed sharply to the left as it took on water.

The captain, who lay dying of a belly wound, ordered, Abandon ship!

Sailors started climbing over the edge of the ship, leaping into the water. Miller scrambled around the burning, tilting deck, helping wounded crewmembers escape the sinking ship before jumping to safety himself.

* * *

After the battle, an officer who had witnessed Miller's bravery recommended him for the Navy Cross, the highest decoration given by the Navy. For distinguished devotion to duty, declared Miller's official Navy Cross citation, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor.

In early 1942, soon after the United States had entered World War II, Admiral Chester Nimitz personally pinned the medal to Miller's chest. This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race, Nimitz declared. I'm sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.
Admiral Chester Nimitz pins the Navy Cross on Dorie Miller, May 27, 1942.
And then Dorie Miller, one of the first American heroes of World War II, went back to collecting laundry. He was still just a mess attendant.

It was the only position open to black men in the United States Navy.

THE POLICY

THE DAY AFTER JAPAN ATTACKED Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan. Japan's powerful ally, Germany, responded by declaring war on the United States. World War II was already raging across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Now the United States had officially entered the biggest war in human history.

We are now fighting to maintain our right to live among our world neighbors in freedom, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told Americans in a radio address from the White House. We are now in the midst of a war, not for conquest, not for vengeance, but for a world in which this nation, and all that this nation represents, will be safe for our children.

Trucks with roof-mounted speakers cruised slowly through American cities, blaring the call to arms: Patriotic, red-blooded Americans! Join the Navy and help Uncle Sam hit back!

For black Americans this was not so simple. When they volunteered to fight as sailors, they were reminded of the Navy's long-standing policy. They could serve on ships only as mess attendants.

* * *

It was a policy as old as the country itself.

When George Washington took command of the Continental Army in 1775, he told recruiters to stop signing up black soldiers. The fact is, black volunteers had already fought in the war's opening battles at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. But slave owners objected that arming African Americans could lead to slave rebellions, and Washington agreed not to accept more black soldiers. Two years of losing battles to the British, and soldiers to desertion and disease, changed the commander's perspective. Washington needed men, no matter the color. Eventually, about 5,000 African Americans helped win the American Revolution.
Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, accurately depicts a mixed-race regiment, with a black soldier rowing to Washington's right.
The pattern was repeated soon after the Civil War erupted in 1861. At first the United States Army would not accept black men, fearing that to do so would offend the slave states that were still in the Union. Then, as the war dragged on, and the Union's need for fighting men grew increasingly desperate, the policy changed. More than 200,000 black soldiers fought to save the Union and end slavery-but they did so in segregated units, led by white officers.

In the Spanish-American War, future president Teddy Roosevelt became a national hero for leading the charge up Cuba's San Juan Hill. Actually, hundreds of African American soldiers were charging up the hill too, in separate, segregated units. By the time they reached the top, white and black soldiers were all mixed together, and together they took the hill. But when newspapers reported on the victory, Roosevelt and his white volunteers got the credit.

More than 350,000 African Americans served in World War I, nearly all in segregated labor battalions. They drove trucks, dug trenches, buried bodies. The military based its policy of using African Americans as laborers on the prejudiced assumption-one already decisively disproven by history-that black men would not make good combat soldiers.
The Harlem Hellfighters celebrate their arrival home from World War I in 1919.
Poor Negroes! one American general wrote in his diary during the war. Everyone feeling and saying that they are worthless as soldiers.

Tellingly, several African American regiments wound up under the command of the French army, where they were given a fair shot to fight, and fought well. One black regiment from New York, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, spent 191 days in combat-longer than any white American unit. They won a pile of medals, and returned to New York City as heroes. But the policy of the American military did not change.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, just 5,000 African Americans served in the entire U.S. Navy, all as messmen. The Army offered slightly better opportunities in terms of training and access to promotion-but remained strictly segregated. The Marines and Army Air Corps (later renamed the Air Force) did not accept blacks at all until later in the war.

This policy, declared the War Department, referring to segregation, has proven satisfactory over a long period of years.

Satisfactory to the government, that is.

* * *

As the United States raced to prepare for global combat, civil rights groups challenged the Navy to abolish its racial restrictions. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox insisted there was nothing he could do.

True, there was an obvious contradiction in a nation fighting for freedom while denying it to its own citizens in the military. But, Secretary Knox explained, segregation and racism were deeply rooted facts of life in American society. These problems were not created by the military and were not the military's problems to solve. Aboard ships, men were crammed into close quarters, making it impossible to keep the races segregated. Neither could they be integrated, Knox argued, because white sailors wouldn't work well with black sailors, and certainly wouldn't take commands from them. To desegregate the Navy, therefore, would hurt the war effort.
Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox at his desk in 1943.
Knox concluded the only solution was to keep black men, other than those working as servants, off ships. The secretary insisted he was not a racist-simply a realist.

President Roosevelt accepted Knox's logic, agreeing that this was no time to desegregate the Navy. To go the whole way at one fell swoop, he told Knox, would seriously impair the general average efficiency of the Navy.

But Roosevelt was also a politician, always looking ahead to the next election. He counted on strong support from African American voters, and was getting pressure from black leaders to do something about the military's racial policies. So the president did what politicians often do-he looked for a compromise.

Secretary Knox unveiled the policy change in April 1942. The Navy would now begin accepting black volunteers for training as sailors, he announced. It sounded good, until you read the details. Black men could serve as sailors, but they'd be limited to low ranks; and they still could not serve aboard ships at sea, except as mess attendants.

African Americans were not impressed.

In its abrupt announcement of a change of policy, the Navy department actually insults the intelligence of the Negroes it should seek to enlist, charged an editorial in the Louisville Defender, an African American-owned newspaper.

It is difficult not to feel disgusted at the tricky, evasive, hypocritical manner in which the Secretary of the Navy has dealt with this problem, added a scathing editorial in another black paper, the Pittsburgh Courier. Roosevelt spoke in soaring phrases about America's battle to preserve freedom and democracy around the globe-but where were those ideals here at home? If Negro youth are not good enough to fight alongside their white fellow Americans on land and sea in defense of their country, then this talk of democracy is hollow and meaningless.

In spite of the protests, the Navy went ahead with its plan.

* * *

And, in spite of the restrictions, plenty of young African Americans were eager to serve. That was certainly true of many of the men who would find themselves at a remote California naval base called Port Chicago.

In a speech at his high school graduation, seventeen-year-old Jack Crittenden spoke of Dorie Miller's inspiring heroism at Pearl Harbor. All our men are facing the same enemy under the same flag, he told fellow students. And when more black men are given the opportunity to serve their country, they will prove themselves worthy of the trust placed in them. Give them a chance!

A Chicago teenager named Percy Robinson felt the same way. The feeling was that we wanted to go in, Robinson said of himself and his friends. We wanted to serve, and we wanted to get into combat, because all we were ever taught is that we were cowards, not capable of competing with the white man.

We felt patriotic toward our country, recalled Albert Williams, Jr., about his feelings when joining the Navy. Cause this is our country too.

Martin Bordenave was so eager to get into the Navy that he lied about his age and enlisted at sixteen.

Robert Routh was seventeen-old enough to enlist with a parent's signature. Growing up on a Tennessee farm, in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing, Routh

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The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

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An astonishing World War II military story of civil rights from New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor recipient Steve Sheinkin.

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Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books by Gary Paulsen

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Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books by Gary Paulsen

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GARY PAULSEN has written nearly two hundred books for young people, including the Newbery Honor Books Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room. He divides his time between a home in New Mexico and a boat on the Pacific Ocean.

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Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books

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Here are the real events that inspired Gary Paulsen to write Brian Robeson's story in Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's Return, and Brian's Hunt: a stint as a volunteer emergency worker; the death that became the pilot's death in Hatchet; plane crashes he's seen; and his own near misses.

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Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

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Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

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Bomb has 12,457 ratings and 2,604 reviews. Barbara said: This is the story of the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Once scientists le...

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*5 Stars*

Before reading another of his Children's history books, I had written off non-fiction history books labeled for Children or YA because...they JUST WEREN'T GOOD! They wrote down to their readers, as if people without at least a college education couldn't hope to comprehend anything "history". I learned history on my dad's knee and he never talked down to me. So I skipped YA and children's and when straight to reading adult books. Some were extremely difficult to get through and I never g...more

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5 Stars* Before reading another of his Children's history books, I had written off non-fiction history books labeled for Children or YA because...they JUST WEREN'T GOOD! They wrote down to their readers, as if people without at least a college education couldn't hope to comprehend anything "history".

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Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution By Ji-li Jiang

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Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution By Ji-li Jiang

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Hwang

PROLOGUE

I was born on Chinese New Year.

Carefully, my parents chose my name: Ji-li, meaning lucky and beautiful. They hoped that I would be the happiest girl in the world.

And I was.

I was happy because I was always loved and respected. I was proud because I was able to excel and always expected to succeed. I was trusting, too. I never doubted what I was told: Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still is Chairman Mao.

With my red scarf, the emblem of the Young Pioneers, tied around my neck, and my heart bursting with joy, I achieved and grew every day until that fateful year, 1966.

That year I was twelve years old, in sixth grade.

That year the Cultural Revolution started.

THE LIBERATION ARMY DANCER

Chairman Mao, our beloved leader, smiled down at us from his place above the blackboard. The sounds and smells of the tantalizing May afternoon drifted in through the window. The sweet breeze carried the scent of new leaves and tender young grass and rippled the paper slogan below Chairman Mao's picture: STUDY HARD AND ADVANCE EVERY DAY. In the corner behind me the breeze also rustled the papers hanging from the Students' Garden, a beautifully decorated piece of cardboard that displayed exemplary work. One of them was my latest perfect math test.

We were having music class, but we couldn't keep our minds on the teacher's directions. We were all confused by the two-part harmony of the Young Pioneers' Anthem. We are Young Pioneers, successors to Communism. Our red scarves flutter on our chests, we sang over and over, trying to get the timing right. The old black pump organ wheezed and squeaked as impatiently as we did. We made another start, but Wang Dayong burst out a beat early, and the whole class broke into laughter.

Just then Principal Long appeared at the door. She walked in, looking less serious than usual, and behind her was a stranger, a beautiful young woman dressed in the People's Liberation Army uniform. A Liberation Army soldier! She was slim and stood straight as a reed. Her eyes sparkled, and her long braids, tied with red ribbons, swung at her waist. There was not a sound in the classroom as all forty of us stared at her in awe.

Principal Long told us to stand up. The woman soldier smiled but did not speak. She walked up and down the aisles, looking at us one by one. When she finished, she spoke quietly with Principal Long. Tong Chao and Jiang Ji-li, Principal Long announced. Come with us to the gym. A murmur rose behind us as we left the room. Tong Chao looked at me and I looked at him in wonder as we followed the swinging braids.

The gym was empty.

I want to see how flexible you are. Let me lift your leg, the Liberation Army woman said in her gentle voice. She raised my right leg over my head in front of me. Very good! Now I'll support you. Lean over backward as far as you can. That was easy. I bent backward until I could grab my ankles like an acrobat. That's great! she said, and her braids swung with excitement.

This is Jiang Ji-li. Principal Long leaned forward proudly. She's been studying martial arts since the second grade. She was on the Municipal Children's Martial Arts Team. Their demonstration was even filmed.

The Liberation Army woman smiled sweetly. That was very good. Now you may go back to your classroom. She patted me on my head before she turned back to test Tong Chao.

I went back to class, but I could not remember the song we were singing. What did the Liberation Army woman want? Could she want to choose me for something? It was too much to contemplate. I hardly moved when the bell rang to end school. Someone told me that the principal wanted to see me. I walked slowly down the hall, surrounded by my shouting and jostling classmates, seeing only the beautiful soldier, feeling only the electric tingle of her soft touch on my head.

The office door was heavy. I pushed it open cautiously. Some students from the other sixth-grade classes were there already. I recognized Wang Qi, a girl in class two, and one of the boys, You Xiao-fan of class four. I didn't know the other boy. The three of them sat nervously and respectfully opposite Principal Long. I slipped into a chair next to them.

Principal Long leaned forward from her big desk. I know you must be wondering about the Liberation Army soldier, she said. She sounded cheerful and excited. Why did she come? Why did she want you to do back bends? She looked at us one by one and then took a long sip from her tea mug as if she wanted to keep us guessing, She was Comrade Li from the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy.

I slowly took a deep breath.

She is recruiting students for the dance training class. She selected you four to audition. It's a great honor for Xin Er Primary School. I'm very proud of all of you, and I know you'll do your best.

I did not hear the rest of her words. I saw myself in a new Liberation Army uniform, slim and standing straight as a reed, long braids swinging at my waist. A Liberation Army soldier! One of the heroes admired by all, who helped Chairman Mao liberate China from oppression and defeated the Americans in Korea. And a performer, just like my mother used to be, touring the country, the world, to tell everyone about the New China that Chairman Mao had built and how it was becoming stronger and stronger.

I couldn't help giving Wang Qi a silly smile.

Mom! Dad! Grandma! I panted up the steep, dark stairs, in too much of a hurry to turn on the light, and tripped over some pots stored on the steps. I couldn't wait to tell them my news. I knew they would all be as excited as I was.

Our apartment was bright and warm and welcoming. Burgundy curtains shut the darkness outside and made the one big room even cozier. In front of the tall French window our square mahogany table was covered with steaming dishes and surrounded by my family, who were laughing and chattering when I rushed in. They all looked up expectantly.

Everybody, guess what! Today a Liberation Army woman came to school and she tested me and she wants me to audition for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy. Just think! I could be in the Liberation Army! And I could be a performer, too! Isn't it great? I picked up our cat, Little White, and gave her a big kiss.

It's lucky I studied martial arts for so long. When the Liberation Army woman saw my back bend, she just loved it. I twirled around on my toes and snapped my heels together in a salute. Comrade Grandma, Jiang Ji-li reporting!

My younger brother, Ji-yong, jumped up from the table and saluted me. My little sister, Ji-yun, started to twirl around as I had done, but she slipped and fell. We jumped to the floor with her and rolled around together.

Ji-li, I heard Dad call. I looked up. Mom and Dad and Grandma were looking at each other solemnly. It might be better not to do the audition. Dad spoke slowly, but his tone was serious, very serious.

Don't do the audition, Ji-li. He looked straight at me this time, and sounded much more forceful.

Don't do the audition? Why not?

Dad shook his head.

I grabbed Mom's arm. Mom, why not?

She squeezed my hand and looked at me worriedly. Your father means that the recruitment requirements are very strict.

Wow. You really scared me, Dad. I laughed with relief. I know that. Principal Long told us it would be very competitive. I know it's just an audition, but who knows? I might be lucky, right? I picked up a steamed bun and took a bite.

I'm not just talking about talent, Dad said. There are more important requirements, political considerations...

Oh, Dad, that's no problem. I took another big bite of the bun. I was an Outstanding Student, an Excellent Young Pioneer, and even the da-dui-zhang, the student chairman of the whole school. What more could they want? My mouth was full, so I stretched out my arm to show Dad my da-dui-zhang badge, a plastic tag with three red stripes.

I saw a pain in Dad's eyes that I had never seen before.

The problem isn't with you yourself, Ji-li. What I mean is that the political background investigations at these academies are very severe.

Political background investigation? What's that?

That is an investigation into the class status of your ancestors and all members of your family. He leaned back in his chair, and the lampshade put his face in shadow. Ji-li, the fact is that our family will not be able to pass these investigations, he said slowly. And you will not be allowed to be a member of a Liberation Army performing troupe.

For a long time I did not speak. Why? I whispered at last.

He started to say something but stopped. He leaned forward again, and I could see the sorrow on his face. It's very complicated, and you wouldn't understand it now even if I told you. Maybe we should wait until you're grown up. The point is that I don't think you'll be admitted. So just drop it, all right?

I did not say anything. Putting down the half-eaten bun, I walked to the mirror on the big wardrobe that divided the room and pressed my forehead against its cool surface. I could not hold back any longer. I burst out crying.

I want to do it. I want to try. What will I tell Principal Long? And my classmates? I wailed.

Maybe we should let her try. She probably won't be chosen anyway. Grandma looked at Dad.

Dad stood up, heaving a deep sigh. This is for her own good. Her classmates and teachers will just be surprised if she says that her father won't let her go. But what if she passes the audition and can't pass the political background investigation? Then everybody will know that the family has a political problem. Dad's voice grew louder and louder as he went on.

Ji-yong and Ji-yun were looking up at Dad, wide-eyed. I bit my lip to force myself to stop crying and went to bed without saying another word.

The hallway outside the principal's office was very quiet. It was noon, and nearly everyone was home for lunch. The big red characters PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE made me nervous. I put my hand on the knob, hesitated, and lowered it. I walked back to the stairs, trembling and covered with sweat.

I rehearsed the words I was going to say one more time. Then I rushed back to the office door and pushed it open.

Principal Long was reading a newspaper. She raised her head and peered through her glasses to see who had interrupted her. Principal Long, here is a note from my father. Hastily I gave her the note, damp with sweat from my palm. I hurried out of the office before she could look at it or ask me any questions. I ran down the hallway, colliding with someone and running blindly on, thinking only that she must be very disappointed.

At one o'clock when the bell finally rang to start class, I heaved a long sigh and walked out of the library. My best friend, An Yi, and our homeroom teacher were standing outside the main building. As soon as they saw me, An Yi shouted, Where have you been? Aren't you supposed to go to the audition at one? Hurry up! You're going to be late.

I opened my mouth but couldn't say a word.

Why, what's wrong? Teacher Gu asked.

I... I'm not going. I bowed my head and twisted my fingers in my red scarf.

What? Are you crazy? This is the chance of a lifetime!

I did not raise my head. I didn't want to see An Yi's face.

Really? Why not? Teacher Gu sounded concerned.

I tried hard not to cry. Father wouldn't let me....

An Yi was about to say something else, but Teacher Gu cut her off. All right. This is her family's decision. We won't talk about it any further. She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a little squeeze. Then she went away with An Yi without another word.

Across the yard I saw Principal Long, Wang Qi, and the two boys coming out of the gym. I dodged behind a tree and heard them chatting and laughing as they went by. They were going to the audition. I could have been going with them. My eyes blurred with tears.

I thought of the way Teacher Gu had looked at me. There had been a mixture of disappointment, doubt, and inquiry in her eyes. I was sure that Principal Long must have looked the same way after she read Dad's note. So must Wang Qi, You Xiao-fan, and all my classmates.

I didn't want to think any longer. I just wished that I could find a place to hide, so I wouldn't have to see their faces.

Until that spring I believed that my life and my family were nearly perfect.

My father was a stage actor, six feet tall and slightly stoop shouldered. Because of his height and his serious face he usually played the villain at the children's theater where he worked. He was the vicious landlord, the foolish king. But at home he was our humorous, kind, and wise Dad. He loved reading, and he loved including the whole family in his discoveries. He demonstrated the exercises of the great acting teacher Stanislavsky, he imitated Charlie Chaplin's funny walk, and when he was reading about calculus, he explained Zeno's paradox and the infinite series. We thought Dad knew everything.

Mom had been an actress when she met Dad, and she was still as pretty as an actress. When I was little, she stopped acting and worked in a sports-equipment store. Every evening we eagerly waited for her to come home from work. We rushed out to greet her and opened her handbag, where there was sure to be a treat for us. Mom spoiled us, Grandma said.

Grandma was truly amazing. She had graduated from a modern-style high school in 1914, a time when very few girls went to school at all. After Liberation she had helped to found Xin Er Primary School-my school-and become its vice-principal. She retired from teaching when I was born so that she could take care of me while Mom worked. But whenever we met her old students, now adults, they still bowed respectfully and called her Teacher Cao, which made me so proud.

Ji-yong was eleven, one year younger than me, and Ji-yun was one year younger than Ji-yong. Once Mom told me that she had her three children in three years because she wanted to finish the duty of having babies sooner, so she could devote herself wholeheartedly to the revolution. While I was tall and thin, like Dad, Ji-yong and Ji-yun were shorter and plumper, like Mom. Ji-yong was nicknamed Iron-Ball because he was dark skinned and sturdy. He liked to play in the alley and paid little attention to his studies. Ji-yun had two dimples, which gave her an especially sweet smile. She was easygoing and did not always strive to be the best, as I did. But I had learned that she could be very stubborn.

And then there was Song Po-po. She had originally been our nanny. When we grew up, she stayed and became our housekeeper. As long as I could remember, she had been living in the small room downstairs. She had raised the three of us, and we all felt she was like another grandmother. She was as dear to us as we were to her.

We lived in a big building in one of Shanghai's nicer neighborhoods. My Fourth Aunt, who had been married to Dad's half-brother, lived downstairs with her daughter, my cousin You-mei, and You-mei's daughter, a lovely baby called Hua-hua. My uncle had died in Hong Kong a few years before. You-mei's husband had a job in another city and was allowed to visit Shanghai only twice a year.

Song Po-po told us our extended family used to occupy two whole buildings, ten rooms all together. Then they all moved away, and only your family and your Fourth Aunt's family were left. Your family only has one room now. It's just too bad. She shook her head sadly.

But I didn't feel that way at all. I loved our top-floor room. A huge French window and a high ceiling made it bright all year round, warmer during the winter and cooler in summer. The kitchen on the landing outside the room was small, but I didn't mind. Our room was ten times as big as many of my classmates' homes, and a hundred times brighter. Best of all, we had a private bathroom, a full-size room with a sink, a toilet, and a tub. It was almost as large as some families'

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Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

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Publishers Weekly Best Book * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * ALA Notable Children's Book * ALA Booklist Editors' Choice Moving, honest, and deeply personal, Red Scarf Girl is the incredible true story of one girl's courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.

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Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson

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Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson

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16 November 2002 LEFT FOR DEAD: A YOUNG MAN'S SEARCH FOR JUSTICE FOR THE USS INDIANAPOLIS by Pete Nelson, Preface by Hunter Scott, Random House/Delacorte Press, May 2002

"Oh look outside the window, there's a woman bein' grabbed,
They've dragged her to the bushes, and now she's bein' stabbed,
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain,
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game,
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody,
Outside of a small circle of friends." --Phil Ochs

Every...more

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16 November 2002 LEFT FOR DEAD: A YOUNG MAN'S SEARCH FOR JUSTICE FOR THE USS INDIANAPOLIS by Pete Nelson, Preface by Hunter Scott, Random House/Delacorte Press, May 2002 "Oh look outside the window, there's a woman bein' grabbed,They've dragged her to the bushes, and now she's bein' stabbed,Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain,But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game,And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody,Outside of a small circle of friends."

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Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and The Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong

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Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and The Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong

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I was fascinated with the idea that a man who had "failed" in what he tried to do over and over was such and amazing leader and it challenged my definI was fascinated with the idea that a man who had "failed" in what he tried to do over and over was such and amazing leader and it challenged my definitions of success and failure! Also, an incredible family read/ listen to! My 3 boys LOVED it and so did my husband. ...more (less)

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I was fascinated with the idea that a man who had "failed" in what he tried to do over and over was such and amazing leader and it challenged my definI was fascinated with the idea that a man who had "failed" in what he tried to do over and over was such and amazing leader and it challenged my definitions of success and failure!

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Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker

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Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker

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Interesting story of the raising of the Confederacy's submarine,the CSS Huntley. How did it sink? And why would another crew sign on after it sunk the first time. But they did. One of those who did sign on was the creator of the Hunley. He felt it went down the first time because the captain didn't know how to drive her (do you say drive when talking about helming a submarine?). So he signed on to captain her. The question is did the sub go down on purpose or couldn't bring it back up.

The second...more

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Interesting story of the raising of the Confederacy's submarine,the CSS Huntley. How did it sink? And why would another crew sign on after it sunk the first time. But they did. One of those who did sign on was the creator of the Hunley.

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Pretty much the perfect companion piece to my last read, which was about the Manhattan Project and the decision-making process that ultimately led to the A-bomb being dropped on Hiroshima.

This one here is a book full of haunting poems that show the very personal fates of the people that died during the attacks on Pearl Harbor and on Hiroshima. And about those who survived them. The Hibakusha.

It pairs the poems with simple black-and-white illustrations, which works perfectly.

What makes this speci...more

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Pretty much the perfect companion piece to my last read, which was about the Manhattan Project and the decision-making process that ultimately led to the A-bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. This one here is a book full of haunting poems that show the very personal fates of the people that died during the attacks on Pearl Harbor and on Hiroshima.

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Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

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Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

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It has quite a bit of neurology and science, and can be graphic talking about the injury, but our twelve year old liked it. No sex or profanity or anyIt has quite a bit of neurology and science, and can be graphic talking about the injury, but our twelve year old liked it. No sex or profanity or anything that would exclude kids from reading it. It is gross though! ...more (less)

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عمران ابن مصر

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It has quite a bit of neurology and science, and can be graphic talking about the injury, but our twelve year old liked it. No sex or profanity or anyIt has quite a bit of neurology and science, and can be graphic talking about the injury, but our twelve year old liked it.

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The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Richie Chevat 

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The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Richie Chevat 

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[Note: this is the Young Readers Edition]

Michael Pollan provides an in-depth account of where our food comes from - approaching the topic by examining the ingredients of several different types of "meals," the Industrial Meal, the Industrial Organic Meal, the Local Sustainable Meal, and the Do-It-Yourself Meal (hunted, gathered, and gardened food).

Although this is the "young readers'" edition, it doesn't seem dumbed down at all. Young readers and their adult parents can all benefit from reading...more

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Note: this is the Young Readers Edition] Michael Pollan provides an in-depth account of where our food comes from - approaching the topic by examining the ingredients of several different types of "meals," the Industrial Meal, the Industrial Organic Meal, the Local Sustainable Meal, and the Do-It-Yourself Meal (hunted, gathered, and gardened food).

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Drawing from Memory book. Read 414 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Caldecott Medalist Allen Say presents a stunning graphic novel...

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Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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It tells the story of the children and teens who were brainwashed during the Third Reich and joined the Hitler Youth, their story and those of jewish It tells the story of the children and teens who were brainwashed during the Third Reich and joined the Hitler Youth, their story and those of jewish children during that time. How Hitler was able to brainwashed a whole country against the people in and outside itself. ...more (less)

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It tells the story of the children and teens who were brainwashed during the Third Reich and joined the Hitler Youth, their story and those of jewish It tells the story of the children and teens who were brainwashed during the Third Reich and joined the Hitler Youth, their story and those of jewish children during that time.

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The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

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The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

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Ostensibly, this book is for young adults, but anyone who isn't interested in reading 400 dense pages of details will enjoy this swift, engaging account of an American personality we all recognize by name, but few of us can describe. Take a look at some of the reviews here, and you'll find lots of younger readers who expected not to like this, but found Sheinkin's writing so compelling that they forgot they were reading history. I came to this book after reading Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal...more

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Ostensibly, this book is for young adults, but anyone who isn't interested in reading 400 dense pages of details will enjoy this swift, engaging account of an American personality we all recognize by name, but few of us can describe.

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Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin

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Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin

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Years of Dust book. Read 78 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Before global warming, there was dust. In the 1930s, dangerous black ...

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Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker

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Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker

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Listening to this book was so cool!

I've been a fan of fictional forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan since long before the TV show Bones. I like what she's able to do with contemporary bodies, but I'm always interested in the asides about her ventures with older, more historic graves.

This book goes into many of the details of this process, using some bodies from colonial Jamestown.

The book goes into details of isotopes, of bone measurements, and of soil composition. It then takes this info...more

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Listening to this book was so cool! I've been a fan of fictional forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan since long before the TV show Bones. I like what she's able to do with contemporary bodies, but I'm always interested in the asides about her ventures with older, more historic graves.

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Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

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Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

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Audience: Intermediate
Genre: Non-fiction (Biography)

Discussion Questions:
Remembering: How big is Howland Island? (Length and Width)
Understanding: In the chapter about Amelia's childhood, Amelia claimed she could see "certain threads...leading me to airplanes." What do you think she meant by that?
Applying:Amelia was good at sports, but she wasn't allowed to play on any of the sports teams at school when she was younger because sports were only for boys. What questions would you ask if you were...more

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Audience: IntermediateGenre: Non-fiction (Biography) Discussion Questions: Remembering: How big is Howland Island? (Length and Width) Understanding: In the chapter about Amelia's childhood, Amelia claimed she could see "certain threads...leading me to airplanes." What do you think she meant by that?

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Almost astronauts : 13 women who dared to dream by Tanya Lee Stone

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Almost astronauts : 13 women who dared to dream by Tanya Lee Stone

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Audience: 4-6th girls
Appeal: This book would appeal to perhaps the girls who need a role model in their life or motivation that they can do great adventurous things. The book breaks the typical girl stereotype and empowers women to follow their dreams and fight for what what they believe in.
Award NCTE Orbis Pictus Award

FOR ME E-BOOK
I choose an E-Book from the website Pebble Go. I myself love killer whales and so I read the Killer Whales book under Animals then mammals and then lastly there is a...more

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Audience: 4-6th girlsAppeal: This book would appeal to perhaps the girls who need a role model in their life or motivation that they can do great adventurous things. The book breaks the typical girl stereotype and empowers women to follow their dreams and fight for what what they believe in.Award NCTE Orbis Pictus Award FOR ME E-BOOK I choose an E-Book from the website Pebble Go.

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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Brown Girl Dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson

The author won the National Book Award in 2014 in the category of Young People's Literature for Brown Girl Dreaming

We tend to believe that the way our memory process works is similar to a movie playing back in our heads in a sort of linear, chronological order, in reality though, at least in my experience, memories come in flashes and moments, not in long scenes like in a book or a documentary.

According to some literary critics, the use of poems as a...more

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Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson The author won the National Book Award in 2014 in the category of Young People's Literature for Brown Girl Dreaming We tend to believe that the way our memory process works is similar to a movie playing back in our heads in a sort of linear, chronological order, in reality though, at least in my experience, memories come in flashes and moments, not in long scenes like in a book or a documentary.

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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers)by Trevor Noah

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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers)by Trevor Noah

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They are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer. For instance, the chapter about TrThey are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer. For instance, the chapter about Trevor's time in jail includes some details about the people he met while he was there that are eliminated from the YA version. But for the most part, it's the same book. ...more (less)

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They are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer. For instance, the chapter about TrThey are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer.

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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers)by Trevor Noah

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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers)by Trevor Noah

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They are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer. For instance, the chapter about TrThey are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer. For instance, the chapter about Trevor's time in jail includes some details about the people he met while he was there that are eliminated from the YA version. But for the most part, it's the same book. ...more (less)

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They are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer. For instance, the chapter about TrThey are about 98% the same. The "regular version" has more profanity in it, and a few storylines are a bit longer.

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A small bunny gets meningitis and loses her hearing. This graphic novel is about how she learns to deal with other people and their reactions to 'the deaf girl.'

Wow, sounds pretty lame and after-school-special, right? WRONG. This book is so cute and funny. And Cece is sassy, you'll be cheering for her all the way.

It's so hard and frustrating when people treat her like she's different - or even worse, 'special.' She just wants to yell at them and tell them to treat her normal! But she's pretty sw...more

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A small bunny gets meningitis and loses her hearing. This graphic novel is about how she learns to deal with other people and their reactions to 'the deaf girl.' Wow, sounds pretty lame and after-school-special, right? WRONG. This book is so cute and funny. And Cece is sassy, you'll be cheering for her all the way.

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A small bunny gets meningitis and loses her hearing. This graphic novel is about how she learns to deal with other people and their reactions to 'the deaf girl.'

Wow, sounds pretty lame and after-school-special, right? WRONG. This book is so cute and funny. And Cece is sassy, you'll be cheering for her all the way.

It's so hard and frustrating when people treat her like she's different - or even worse, 'special.' She just wants to yell at them and tell them to treat her normal! But she's pretty sw...more

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A small bunny gets meningitis and loses her hearing. This graphic novel is about how she learns to deal with other people and their reactions to 'the deaf girl.' Wow, sounds pretty lame and after-school-special, right? WRONG. This book is so cute and funny. And Cece is sassy, you'll be cheering for her all the way.

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Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices by Mitali Perkins

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Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices by Mitali Perkins

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This is actually a very slim book; the ten selections are each quite short, so it's best enjoyed as tiny tastes. In that mode it works very well. Each piece had pleasing and unique element in it that contributed to the theme of life between cultures. Here's a peek at my favorite moments in each:

David Yoo: "Becoming Henry Lee." I laughed out loud when titular character's parents couldn't keep straight the white actors in a movie and "were convinced the movie was a psychological thriller about one white guy who had multiple personalities warring each other in his head."

Gene Luen Yang: "Why I Won't Be Watching the Last Airbender Movie." Done as a comic, this nonfiction piece recapped the controversy when the human-acted Last Airbender came out--with the protagonists white-washed. It has a happy ending: thanks to his protest, Gene Luen Yang got offered a chance to create graphic novels in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe.

Cherry Cheva: "Talent Show." Enjoyed the logic behind why Gretchen, an ultra-nervous would-be comedian, turns down Josh's proffered date.

Debbie Rigau: "Voila!" Loved Simone's change of heart regarding bossy, clueless Waverly when Waverly points out that Simone can get credit for acting as an interpreter for Haitian-Creole-speaking patients at the little clinic they're both visiting--Simone accompanying her aunt and Waverly as part of their high school's volunteer program.

Mitali Perkins: "Three-Pointer." It can be annoying, if you're dark skinned, to constantly have your skin color compared to foods like chocolate or coffee. Mitali Perkins gets a dig in, comparing pale European skin tones to deli-sliced turkey, which made me laugh because it's so precisely accurate. (I also was happy to learn the meaning of the name "Mitali": friendly.)

Varian Johnson: "Like Me." Initially, Griffin's the only black student at his high school. The degree to which everyone pays attention to him during black history month was painfully hilarious.

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich: "Confessions of a Black Geek." Racism comes to the surface when the high-achieving narrator gets into colleges that her white classmates are rejected from. It was painful to see it happen but heartening to see the narrator embrace her accomplishments.

G. Neri: "Under Berlin." Told in verse, this contribution was one of my favorites, because it showed diversity not only within the narrator's family (black dad, Hispanic mom), but in Germany, where the family is living. The changing makeup of the subway car the family rides, and the concluding lines of the story, were beautiful.

Francisco X. Stork: "Brotherly Love." A really delicately told story of an older brother's support of his younger brother in the face of a father who has very rigid, traditional notions of gender and masculinity. I liked when Rosalinda, the older sister, shares what Bernie, the older brother, said in support of Luis: "God made all kinds of Mexican guys."

Naomi Shihab Nye: "Lexicon." Another tale--or tribute, really--in verse, a lovely portrait of the narrator's father. We need, the narrator says, words with hems and pockets, words like umbrella, flashlight, milk, pencil, blizzard, song.

A lovely bouquet, and I'll look for longer works from the contributors.

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Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices

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Using humor as the common denominator, a multicultural cast of YA authors steps up to the mic to share stories touching on race. Listen in as ten YA authors-some familiar, some new-use their own brand of humor to share their stories about growing up between cultures.

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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic-novel series

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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic-novel series

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"She drugs babies and pays people with underwear -- isn't she FANTASTIC!?"

Love this series! And I'm in love with Harriet Tubman after reading this book - her will to live and her courageousness were truly heroic. Some specific things I loved about this book:

-The mention of Rochester and Frederick Douglass! I need to read more about his life. I often stop by his grave when I walk at Mount Hope cemetery. Something that I learned through additional Wikipedia research - the house where he lived in R...more

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"She drugs babies and pays people with underwear -- isn't she FANTASTIC!?" Love this series! And I'm in love with Harriet Tubman after reading this book - her will to live and her courageousness were truly heroic. Some specific things I loved about this book: -The mention of Rochester and Frederick Douglass!

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Buy books online and find book series such as The Thrifty Guides on PenguinRandomHouse.com

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Buy books online and find book series such as The Thrifty Guides on PenguinRandomHouse.com

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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr

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of course its partly because it was a gift from her best friend Chizuko, but i think it's more about the fact that Chizuko, who was never a superstitiof course its partly because it was a gift from her best friend Chizuko, but i think it's more about the fact that Chizuko, who was never a superstitious person, came up with the idea and folded the crane for Sadako just to cheer her up. as we know Sadako believed in good luck charms. Cathy Chan Pakyung...more
so it's about how best friends do things just for each other.(less)

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Scarlett Readz and Runz....Through Novel Time & Distance

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of course its partly because it was a gift from her best friend Chizuko, but i think it's more about the fact that Chizuko, who was never a superstitiof course its partly because it was a gift from her best friend Chizuko, but i think it's more about the fact that Chizuko, who was never a superstitious person, came up with the idea and folded the crane for Sadako just to cheer her up.

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Google It: A History of Googleby Anna Crowley Redding 

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Google It: A History of Googleby Anna Crowley Redding 

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Wow. I picked this book up from the library as a joke because it was lying there on display and I was like, "hahaha a YA book about Google? Uhhh yeah why not I can laugh with my cousin about it."

And that. Was. The. Best. Decision. Ever.

Now I feel so knowledgeable about Google. Ah, it feels so nice to finally know things...

Y'all should read this!! Seriously!!

And schools should teach history the way this book taught me Google history!!!!

PS This is a demonstration of good advertising because I low-...more

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Wow. I picked this book up from the library as a joke because it was lying there on display and I was like, "hahaha a YA book about Google? Uhhh yeah why not I can laugh with my cousin about it." And that. Was. The. Best. Decision. Ever.

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Ten Days a Madwoman: The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original "Girl" Reporter, Nellie Blyby Deborah Noyes 

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Ten Days a Madwoman: The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original "Girl" Reporter, Nellie Blyby Deborah Noyes 

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Nellie Bly is the best.

This entire book is a fascinating, well-written, engaging account of Bly's career, from her beginnings through to the end. I loved that it followed so many pieces of history that are familiar and offered insights and interesting aspects we may not otherwise know about Bly nor the time period. There was one part about how Willa Cather wrote a scathing letter against Bly's journalism that made me so happy to see and think about because it so mirrors today's social action an...more

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Nellie Bly is the best. This entire book is a fascinating, well-written, engaging account of Bly's career, from her beginnings through to the end. I loved that it followed so many pieces of history that are familiar and offered insights and interesting aspects we may not otherwise know about Bly nor the time period.

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Dark Days in Salem: The Witchcraft Trialsby Deborah Ann Kent

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Dark Days in Salem: The Witchcraft Trialsby Deborah Ann Kent

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Dark Days in Salem book. Read reviews from world's largest community for readers. In 1692, a group of girls in Salem Village set off a witchcraft panic t...

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Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer

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Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer

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Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem

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Award-winning author and illustrator Rosalyn Schanzer's book Witches! was named a School Library Journal Best Book and a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best. Witches! recounts in electrifying detail the true events of the 17th-century witch trials in Salem Village, Massachusetts.

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The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

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The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

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I'm in my 30s and have read many many WWII books and seen documentaries and I still found this volume very interesting. The text can be a strain on thI'm in my 30s and have read many many WWII books and seen documentaries and I still found this volume very interesting. The text can be a strain on the eyes, but probably that's less of an issue at 16 than at my age, lol. Britt, Book Habitue...more (less)

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I'm in my 30s and have read many many WWII books and seen documentaries and I still found this volume very interesting. The text can be a strain on thI'm in my 30s and have read many many WWII books and seen documentaries and I still found this volume very interesting.

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The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

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The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

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I would say high school is an appropriate time for kids to read this book AND I would recommend that it be taught carefully, showing them how to look I would say high school is an appropriate time for kids to read this book AND I would recommend that it be taught carefully, showing them how to look things up for themselves, how to put people and events in context, how to look under the surface for root causes, etc. I would not hand this book to a young person without support. Jenny's Book Life...more (less)

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I would say high school is an appropriate time for kids to read this book AND I would recommend that it be taught carefully, showing them how to look I would say high school is an appropriate time for kids to read this book AND I would recommend that it be taught carefully, showing them how to look things up for themselves, how to put people and events in context, how to look under the surface for root causes, etc.

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We are displaced : my journey and stories from refugee girls around the world by Malala Yousafzai

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We are displaced : my journey and stories from refugee girls around the world by Malala Yousafzai

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I could not put this book down! As tearful moments of the stories can be, We Are Displaced is an important read for all of us!

All the girls who shared their stories in this book are inspirational. They have gone through so much and their resilience and determination to not just help their families, but pursue studies to help others is inspiring.

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I could not put this book down! As tearful moments of the stories can be, We Are Displaced is an important read for all of us! All the girls who shared their stories in this book are inspirational.

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

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

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INTRODUCTION

MY NAME IS MO'NE DAVIS. SOME PEOPLE KNOW ME AS THE first girl to throw a shutout in the Little League Baseball World Series. I am only the fourth American girl and the eighteenth girl from anywhere in the entire world to ever get to participate. Other people know that I was the first Little Leaguer and the youngest athlete to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. I was named SportsKid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids, too. And still others know me as the girl who read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with the First Lady of the United States.

My teammates, who I've played with since I was seven, know more about me than almost anyone in the world. They know that I always try to make people feel good and cheer them up when they're mad or upset. They know that I tell a lot of cheesy jokes. And even though I'm a good athlete, sometimes I'm goofy and clumsy. My catcher, Scott, still cracks up about the time that I walked into a pole.

Opposing batters? Well, they know that I throw a nasty curve, a seventy-miles-per-hour fastball, and that I bring new meaning to the saying You throw like a girl.

The summer of 2014, when I turned thirteen, I played in the Little League World Series and had the best time I've ever had in my young life. Me and some of my teammates from my Philadelphia neighborhood baseball team, the Anderson Monarchs, also played on the Taney Dragons, our community's Little League all-star team. The Dragons first won our district tournament, then the sectionals, then states, then the regional tournament, and then we achieved every Little League player's dream: we went to the Little League World Series!

One hot August night that summer, I, Mo'ne-a girl who loves Disney movies, is afraid of the dark, and keeps change in her baseball pants pocket for good luck-stood on the pitcher's mound in front of 34,950 people and five million people from around the world who were watching on TV.

Even with all those eyes on our team, I didn't freak out. I just tuned out the crowd (I couldn't even hear my mom, who yells super loud!), stared straight into Scott's eyes, and fired strike after strike into his glove. Pop!

I gave up two infield hits and threw eight strikeouts against South Nashville that night. The Taney Dragons had shut out the second team in a row.

The fact that I was so calm under pressure and struck out so many boys amazed a lot of adults. It made people see girls who play sports in a different light, and turned me into a role model overnight. All of a sudden people started to recognize me, want my autograph, and remember my name.

CHAPTER 1

LUCKY SEVEN
YOU'VE REALLY GOT A NICE ARM THERE, THE MAN SAID TO ME.
I was kind of surprised that anyone had been watching me, and I didn't know the man, so I just said, Thanks, and looked away.

It was late October 2008, and I was playing catch with a football with my cousin Mark and some friends on the outfield at Marian Anderson, the neighborhood recreation center. Mark had just finished playing a baseball game and we were hanging out on the grass.

It's okay, Mo, Coach Steve is my coach, Mark said. Mark is two years older than me.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, the man said. That's your name, Mo?

My name is Mo'ne, I answered, catching the ball. I aimed at the top of the silver skyscraper pointing into the blue sky over the tops of the trees, and threw the football back to Mark.

Anderson was just a few blocks from my house, but the field, it was like my backyard. It is this green oasis the size of a city block. A fence, parked cars, and, across the street, three-story redbrick row homes run all around it.

Oh, Mo-NAY, he said, pronouncing my name carefully. Nice to meet you, I'm Coach Steve.

Hi, I said. Coach Steve's dark blue sweats had the word Monarchs in white across the chest. A yellow pencil balanced behind his ear. For a split second I wondered if it ever fell off.

How old are you?

You've got a really strong arm. Most boys your age can't throw as far as you can, he said. I'm starting a Monarchs team for seven-year-olds. It's a boys' team, but you can play if you want. Why don't you think about coming out to basketball practice?

Okay, I said, looking him in the eye for the first time. He looked kind. Lots of kids played for the Monarchs. And I liked basketball. A lot.

Then he took the pencil and wrote on a scrap of paper he pulled out of his pocket.

Will you give this to your mother and ask her to call me?

Okay. I smiled at him, and carefully put the paper in my front pocket.

Later on, after I rode my bike home, I uncrumpled the paper and handed it to my mom.

What's this? she asked me. She was roasting a chicken, baking macaroni and cheese, and mashing sweet potatoes-my all-time favorite dinner-and the house smelled really good. My little brother, Maurice, who is four years younger than me, was watching cartoons on the couch.

This man wants you to call him, I told her.

Who is he? You shouldn't just be talking to strangers.

He isn't a stranger, he's Mark's baseball coach, I said. He wants to invite me to play on a basketball team.

Oh, okay, I'll call him, she said as she sprinkled some cinnamon into the sweet potato pot. Yum!

I hoped my mom would pick up the phone while she cooked. But she didn't. She didn't pick it up then, or when she washed the dishes, or when we were watching TV later on that night.

Mom, you gotta call that man, I reminded her the next morning when I put on my uniform for school.

When I got home after school, I asked her again.

Did you call that man yet?

When are you going to call him?

It turns out that my mom wasn't exactly thrilled about me playing what she saw as an aggressive sport. When I was a baby, she thought that I would become a girlie girl-the kind who would like dressing up, and getting her hair braided and curled, and playing with dolls. But I wasn't that girl. My mom says whenever she would buy me a doll, I would just look at her like she was crazy. I'd rather run around with a football or basketball and try to keep up with my brother Qu'ran, who is four years older than me.

I was a big Allen Iverson fan, says Qu'ran. So I started playing basketball, and she saw me dribbling and found it attractive, and started doing the same thing.

People say I look just like Qu'ran. You could say he is the boy version of me.

The next day, I tried with my mother again.

Mom, you gotta call that man.

All right, Mo'ne, I'm gonna call.

When I came home from school, she picked up the phone and started dialing Coach Steve.

My daughter, Mo'ne, gave me a piece of paper with your name and number on it and said that you wanted me to call you, she said as she sat in a kitchen chair.

I leaned up against her so I could listen.

Oh, yeah, hi, my name is Steve Bandura. I coach the Anderson Monarchs. I was watching your daughter play football the other day.

Football! Mo'ne's playing football? My mother frowned. My mom, she's the kind of person who sometimes fusses a lot, but even when she's yelling, you can do something funny and make her laugh.

She was just throwing the ball around with her cousin Mark, who I coach on the Monarchs, and some of their friends, Coach Steve said.

Oh, okay. My mother relaxed.

I've never seen anyone throw like that at her age-boy or girl-and I've been coaching kids for a long time.

I didn't even know Mo'ne could throw a football, she said, raising one eyebrow and giving me a side-eye.

A few weeks before, I had talked to her about football. Qu'ran had taught me how to throw a football.

My friend Qayyah and I wanted to play for the South Philly Hurricanes at Smith Playground.

Her mom said that if my mom let me play, she could play. And my mom said, if her mom let her play, I could play, Qayyah says. But then they wouldn't let us.

Not many kids that age can throw a football, because the ball's so big and their hands are so small. But Mo'ne was throwing the ball about twenty yards, Coach Steve told my mom. I'm starting a Monarchs team of seven-year-olds. It's all boys, but I invited her to come to basketball practice.

You want Mo'ne to play on a basketball team with all boys?! My mother started to talk very fast, like she does when she gets worked up.

Your daughter's got something special, he said.

But playing with boys-I don't want my daughter getting hurt!

They're just seven. There's not a lot of physical contact.

Oh, okay. I could feel my mom calming down. Thank you very much. I'll think about it and get back to you, she said, and hung up the phone.

Mo'ne, you wanna go?

I broke into a smile.

Even though she didn't like the idea of me playing with boys, my mom took me to practice the very next day. I didn't know it then, but when I look back on it now, the year I turned seven was the year that I started having good luck.

CHAPTER 2

ALL EYES ON ME

WHEN MY MOM AND I WALKED INTO THE GYM, THE FIRST thing I thought was that it was hot. The second thing I noticed was the smell of dirty socks.

Coach Steve and the team were already on the basketball court when my mom and I got there. As we cut across the corner of the court and headed toward the bench, it seemed like the grown-ups in the stands and along the court were staring at us.

Coach Steve said something to the team, then walked off the court and came over to greet us.

Hi, I'm Lakeisha, my mom said as she reached out her hand. I guess you already know Mo'ne.

Nice to meet you, Lakeisha. Thanks so much for letting Mo'ne come, he said, before smiling at me. Great to see you, Mo'ne. You ready to have some fun?

Yes. I smiled back at him, feeling excited but shy.

I see they're all boys . . . , my mother said. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was nervous.

Yes, we have twelve boys on the team. Most of them have been with us since they were four, so I know them very well, Coach said. That one over there, in the navy blue Monarchs T-shirt, is my son, Scott. They're all very nice kids, and a lot of them have been together since they were three or four-they're like family to each other. You don't have to worry; they won't be mean to Mo'ne or give her any trouble.

Okay, that's good to know, my mom said, relaxing.

If it's okay with you, I'd like to get her started with practice, Coach said.

That's fine, she said. I'll stay for a little while to make sure she's okay. But I have to go to work. My boyfriend, Mark-we call him Squirt-is gonna pick her up.

Okay, no problem, Coach said.

My mom smiled, gave me a hug, and then walked toward the sidelines.

Coach Steve put his hand on my shoulder and turned me toward the court. He told me the boys were doing something called a three-man weave.

You don't have to do this drill; it's a little tough. You can wait till the next one, Coach Steve said, watching me. But watch for a while, and let me know if you want to try.

The boys stood in three lines

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Mo'ne Davis: Remember My Name: My Story from First Pitch to Game Changer

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Be inspired to reach for your dreams! 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.

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When Stars Are Scatteredby Victoria Jamieson,

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When Stars Are Scatteredby Victoria Jamieson,

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Oh my heart. This book. This is a must-read.

Omar Muhammed's graphic novel memoir (written with powerhouse graphic novel author Victoria Jamieson) presents his story of fleeing war-torn Somalia and arriving at a Kenyan refugee camp at age 4 with his little brother. They had no idea if their mother was alive or dead. And they lived in that refugee camp until Omar was 18 years old and was finally resettled to the United States.

This is an eye-opening real life story of life in a refugee camp and o...more

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Oh my heart. This book. This is a must-read. Omar Muhammed's graphic novel memoir (written with powerhouse graphic novel author Victoria Jamieson) presents his story of fleeing war-torn Somalia and arriving at a Kenyan refugee camp at age 4 with his little brother. They had no idea if their mother was alive or dead.

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Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

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Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

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THE ESCAPE

ONA MARIA JUDGE, A SLAVE since birth to George and Martha Washington, didn't typically serve dinner to her owners. It was the one time of day when she didn't have to worry whether she was quiet enough or helpful enough or invisible enough; the kitchen staff dealt with meals, not her. Usually Ona was upstairs or outside or in the back kitchen, treasuring her moments away from her 24/7 life of slavery.

On Saturday, May 21, 1796, this changes. Watching the dining room from the hallway of the President's House in Philadelphia, Ona's eyes flit back and forth between George and Martha, perhaps eating their salt fish, drinking their wine, discussing things she can't hear. It is time. Now or never: she has made a decision, and now the only question is whether she will have the guts to go through with it.

Escape.

She takes a deep breath. A force inside her compels her to move down the hallway, toward the back of the house. Each step she takes brings clarity and strength. Just move, Ona. Just move.

She reaches the back door. Maybe the enslaved chef, Hercules, gives her a slight nod; maybe he knows what she's about to do. Then again, maybe he doesn't notice her at all. Ona does not stop. She keeps moving, her breath fast, her vision startlingly clear. Pull the door open. Go outside. Head to the docks. Move!

If she is caught . . . If she is caught . . .

No. She can't let herself think about that. Not now.

She starts to walk. Or does she run? Does she look back? Does she grimace or frown or smile? We can't know. Security cameras are still hundreds of years in the future. All Ona knows for sure is that she is taking the biggest risk of her life and needs to move quickly to get to the nearby docks built against the banks of the Delaware River. For five city blocks, her head down, her heart probably beating faster than it ever has before, she walks and walks until she ends up on board a ship called the Nancy, headed far away.

Ona has no idea where she is going. She has lived with the Washingtons for her entire life. Yet soon, there she is against the ship's railing, alone, wind skimming her face. She is trusting blindly in the white ship captain and her free black friends who have helped her escape. Fear of being caught, of being whipped, of being a slave for the remainder of her life must make her feel like she is wearing a blanket of fire around her neck.

Looking out at the turbulent waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Ona Maria Judge, this brave, trailblazing young woman, has one thought above all else flaming through her mind.
CHAPTER ONE
AMERICA'S DAUGHTER

ONA'S STORY BEGINS IN VIRGINIA around 1773, when the United States is not yet the United States, and slavery is considered acceptable by many of the white people who live in what comprises the first thirteen colonies. Strangely enough, the American colonies and the American slaves were engaged in a similar quest for freedom. In 1773 the colonists in America-those people who lived in what would be the original thirteen states of the US-decided they wanted to be free from the British government making all their laws. The enslaved people of America, who had been brought over from Africa and the Caribbean as part of the slave trade, wanted to be free to live as they chose. These fights for freedom as a country and as a race of people would become as much a part of Ona's life as waking up in the morning and breathing.

But first Ona needs to be born.

Ona's parents were Betty, a woman born into slavery in Virginia, and Andrew Judge, a white indentured servant from England whose labor had been bought by George Washington for forty-five dollars. (An indenture agreement meant that in return for Andrew's transport to America, as well as food, clothing, shelter, and a small cash allowance, Andrew's labor was owned for the next four years of his life by whoever purchased his agreement. Still, Andrew had small freedoms as an indentured servant that the enslaved population did not share.) Betty and Andrew were not married. It was illegal for a black person to marry a white person. In fact, it was illegal for slaves to be married at all.

Betty had originally been owned by Daniel Parke Custis, Martha Washington's first husband, who died after only seven years of marriage. By this point in America, slavery was as entrenched as the roots of the biggest, oldest tree. Like the Custises, Martha's family (the Dandridges) owned slaves, as did Martha's second husband's family, the Washingtons. When Daniel died, his property was split three ways between Martha and their children. This property included both land and the humans owned by the Custises-one of whom was Betty, Ona's mother. (This is the reason why Betty was always classified as a dower slave-meaning that she would always be the property of Martha Washington and her heirs, no matter whom Martha married after Daniel.)

After Martha married George Washington, she brought at least eighty-four slaves with her to Mount Vernon, about one hundred miles away from the main Custis estate. Betty was chosen to go and was allowed to take her two-year-old son, Austin. This was a big deal, because slave families were often split up after the death of the original owner. It may have also indicated that Betty had already established herself as one of Martha's more valued slaves. Certainly by 1773 she had become an important part of Martha Washington's team of seamstresses.

Betty was the person whom many other seamstresses in the Washington household went to when they needed to learn how to hem a skirt or weave a certain fabric. She was also known as the person who could take a piece of expensive material from London and dye it the exact color Martha wanted without ruining the garment. The creation of clothing was an important job for anyone during colonial times, when fabric, not finished clothes, was what was available at a store, and every household needed someone who could use a needle and thread to stitch together garments for everyone-black and white-to wear. Betty's expertise at sewing and spinning kept her out of the fields of George Washington's five working farms. Instead she earned a place working in the spinning house. The spinning house was a building near the mansion where George and Martha lived, where the enslaved seamstresses did their work. Martha herself liked to sew, so sometimes Betty was a part of a larger sewing circle in the mansion, alongside her owner.

Andrew Judge, Ona's father, was also an expert at sewing. Usually George Washington did not prefer white indentured servants. He complained that they were unreliable and lazy, yet George seemed to like and trust Andrew. He was one of George Washington's preferred tailors, eventually creating the blue uniform George wore when he was named commander in chief of the American forces in 1775.

In 1773, however, George would have been surprised to learn that soon he would be leading the American military forces against the British. Although he was a well-known colonel and respected military man, George would have said his main occupation was farming. He was well aware of the political events that were stirring up the anger of the American colonists; he too felt strongly that Americans should not be ruled across an ocean by King George III of England. He knew that many colonists wanted to form a new country with their own form of democratic government. Yet like many of his friends and acquaintances, George had protected British control of American land. Like his father and grandfather, George was also a member of the colonial government in Virginia. Turning publicly against his ancestors and the reigning monarch would be a massive and dangerous step.

Neither George nor the country was quite ready to take such a step. But change was in the air, and it was Mother Nature herself who, by throwing a snowball, got the attention of not only George, but Betty, too.

In June 1773 the unimaginable happened. It snowed in Virginia. Farmers like George Washington needed to rely on familiar weather patterns, but it was anything but familiar for snow to fall this far south in June. Mount Vernon's crops were at risk, and the people on the plantation were confused. Many of the enslaved saw the late snow as an omen bringing something bad upon the people of Mount Vernon. Other enslaved people believed the snow meant that something good was about to happen. Both turned out to be right.

Eight days after the snow fell, Patsy, the daughter of Martha Washington and her first husband, became terribly ill. Only seventeen, Patsy had been plagued by seizures that had begun during her teenage years. There was no effective treatment for Patsy's condition. Instead the doctors who cared for Patsy would treat her with bloodletting-drawing out her blood as a way to stop the seizures. It never worked.

It was shortly after four o'clock on June 19 when Patsy excused herself after dinner to get a letter from her bedroom. When she didn't come back, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Eleanor Calvert, went to check on her. Patsy lay on the floor of her room, in the middle of a violent seizure. Though Eleanor called for help immediately, there was very little anyone could do. Within two minutes Patsy was dead.

George Washington, Patsy's stepfather, was devastated. Martha Washington was almost destroyed. When she had been married to her first husband, Martha had borne four children: Daniel, Frances, Jacky, and Patsy. The oldest two children had died when they were toddlers. To lose another child was pushing Martha off an emotional cliff.

In a letter written to his nephew, George Washington stated, I scarce need add [that Patsy's death] has almost reduced my poor Wife to the lowest ebb of Misery.

Everyone at Mount Vernon was aware of Martha's pain, especially the enslaved women whom she had chosen to work near her in the mansion. Betty, Ona's mother, was one of these women.

Only seven years younger than Martha, Betty had already watched Martha as she'd endured the deaths of her first husband and first two children. She understood how painful it was for Martha to lose another child, especially because by this time Betty had two other children besides Austin, and she knew how desperate she would have been if any of them had died.

She may have stood near Martha's bedside, comforting her in her terrible grief while at the same time helping the household prepare for Patsy's funeral. It would not have been relevant to Martha that Betty was pregnant at this time; the fact that she and Andrew Judge were going to have a baby was not and could not be Betty's priority.

We do not know what kind of relationship Andrew and Betty had. They may have fallen in love. They may have had the kind of relationship that is the opposite of love, the kind of nonconsensual encounter where a man uses his strength and privilege to overpower the woman. The truth is that Andrew Judge could have raped Betty, and she would have been unable to do anything about it. His status as a white man would have protected him, just as it did the white male owners who commonly raped the women they owned.

Still, it is also possible that Betty entered into this relationship with aims of her own besides romantic love. Perhaps she believed that having a relationship with Andrew could lead to her own freedom and that of her children, because she knew that in a few years Andrew would become a free man. At that time he could potentially offer to buy all of them from the Washingtons. We will never know Betty's feelings. All we do know is that Andrew Judge did eventually claim his freedom, but he did not take Betty and his child with him. If he loved Betty, it was not enough to keep him from leaving.

Still, in 1773, Andrew was living at Mount Vernon. And sometime during or close to that year, after the strange snowfall and after Patsy's funeral, Betty gave birth to their daughter. They named her Ona Maria Judge. While there are few records about the births and deaths of slaves, this girl child, of mixed race, would, as a young woman, walk that tightrope of freedom for African Americans long before her bold descendants-in-spirit, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, made their own escapes from slavery.

Like her mother, Betty, Ona learned how to persevere in the face of extreme hardship. Like her father, Ona would eventually free herself no matter who she left behind. Finally, like America itself, Ona would risk everything so that she, too, could achieve those rights written in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

CHAPTER TWO

MOUNT VERNON

THE PLACE WHERE ONA GREW up-Mount Vernon-was actually an estate owned by George Washington that covered almost eight thousand acres of property in eastern Virginia. George Washington's family had lived in America for four generations; his ancestor John had arrived in America in 1657. The British government believed that since their explorers had landed on the coast of this colony, the British were now the owners of the land, to do whatever they wanted with it. This was news to the Native Americans, who had lived in America for thousands of years, and who had very different ideas about what it meant to own land. Still, once the Europeans arrived, the drive to claim more and more land only grew more intense, and soon European countries such as France and England began to fight over which country would control which area in the Americas.

George Washington, like his father and his grandfather, fought for the British government in its quest to claim more land. This is important because when George was a British soldier during the seven-year French and Indian War in the 1750s, he became known to people in England as a worthy military man. He was unafraid to take the lead in battles, and while he experienced hard times-like losing a battle against the French and continuing to fight despite four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me -he also established a reputation for strong, unemotional leadership.

One of the reasons why historians believe George was a good leader in military battles was because of his difficult times growing up. His father died when he was eleven, and he did not get along well with his mother, Mary, who had given birth to five other children. By the time he was sixteen, he was basically living like a grown-up. He never went to college, and he left America only once, in 1751, when he went to Barbados with his older brother Lawrence because it was thought that Lawrence's being in a hotter climate would cure his tuberculosis. It didn't help him, and in fact, while George was in Barbados, he contracted smallpox. When they returned to Virginia, Lawrence died.

Besides his military battles, George spent most of his time during his thirties and forties building up Mount Vernon. He formed five farms within the one property, growing tobacco, wheat, and

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Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition

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"A brilliant work of US history." -School Library Journal (starred review) "Gripping." -BCCB (starred review) "Accessible...Necessary." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Book of 2019! A National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction, Never Caught is the eye-opening narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington's runaway slave, who risked everything for a better life-now available as a young reader's edition!

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Stolen into Slavery: The True Story of Solomon Northup, Free Black Man

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Stolen into Slavery: The True Story of Solomon Northup, Free Black Man

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Nicole:Nicole: JUDITH FRADIN

There is some mature content in the book, including some dramatic and somewhat disturbing information, but slavery in Louisiana was very disturbing by nature. I doubt, however, that Sana Khalid read our book. I think, rather, that he's heard about the movie, which was brutal.
Dennis and I are career teachers, parents, and the grandparents of 7. We're experienced, award-winning authors and know how to write for young adults. Our book is written with care and discretion for young adult readers. Judy Fradin, co-author, STOLEN INTO SLAVERY.(less)
There is some mature content in the book, including some dramatic and somewhat disturbing information, but slavery in Louisiana was very distur ...more

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Nicole:Nicole: JUDITH FRADIN There is some mature content in the book, including some dramatic and somewhat disturbing information, but slavery in Louisiana was very disturbing by nature. I doubt, however, that Sana Khalid read our book. I think, rather, that he's heard about the movie, which was brutal.Dennis and I are career teachers, parents, and the grandparents of 7.

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Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924 by Deborah Hopkinson 

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Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924 by Deborah Hopkinson 

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Hopkinson, D. (2003). Shutting Out the Sky: life in the tenements of New York, 1880-1924. Orchard Bks.
Orchard Bks. 0-439-37590-8, $17.95
Review Source: School Library Journal; December 2003, Vol. 49 Issue 12, p169-169, 1p
SOL Correlation: : From the US History 1885- Present and World History Standards:
* USII.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War by e) describing the impact of the Progressive Movement on child labor, working conditions, the rise of organiz...more

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Hopkinson, D. (2003). Shutting Out the Sky: life in the tenements of New York, 1880-1924. Orchard Bks.Orchard Bks. 0-439-37590-8, $17.95Review Source: School Library Journal; December 2003, Vol.

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Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassinby James L. Swanson

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Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassinby James L. Swanson

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Chasing King's Killer book. Read 211 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. An astonishing account of the assassination of America's mos...

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Lifting as we climb : black women's battle for the ballot box 

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Lifting as we climb : black women's battle for the ballot box 

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5 Stars!

"Suffrage was an important goal for Black women's clubs as a tool to help them redress larger issues, such as abuse in the judicial system, being lynched, and not being able to get ahead financially. Getting the right to vote wasn't the end goal; improving the lives of African Americans was."

Lifting As We Climb is the story of the obstacles and challenges that Black women faced (still face!) securing their right to vote. Evette Dionne does a phenomenal job of tying in abolition, suffrag...more

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5 Stars! "Suffrage was an important goal for Black women's clubs as a tool to help them redress larger issues, such as abuse in the judicial system, being lynched, and not being able to get ahead financially. Getting the right to vote wasn't the end goal; improving the lives of African Americans was."

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The dark game : true spy stories from invisible ink to CIA moles

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The dark game : true spy stories from invisible ink to CIA moles

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Arranged in chronological order, Mr. Janeczko combed the pages of history to find spies and spy stories that intrigue, inform, and entertain. Though some of the older stories aren't as amazing - that's no fault of Mr. Janeczko - they are interesting to read about to shed light on unknown or little-known parts of history.

Not only are the stories in The Dark Game interesting; the book itself is quite informative and serves loosely as a book on the history of spying in America. It would have been n...more

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Arranged in chronological order, Mr. Janeczko combed the pages of history to find spies and spy stories that intrigue, inform, and entertain. Though some of the older stories aren't as amazing - that's no fault of Mr. Janeczko - they are interesting to read about to shed light on unknown or little-known parts of history.

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Fighting for the forest : how FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps helped save America by Pearson, P. O'Connell 

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Fighting for the forest : how FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps helped save America by Pearson, P. O'Connell 

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Fighting for the Forest book. Read 27 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. In an inspiring middle grade nonfiction work, P. O'Connell ...

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Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson

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Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson

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I read both books simultaneously--a chapter of adult, a chapter of Young Readers and took extensive notes. I explain them in my review, so check out mI read both books simultaneously--a chapter of adult, a chapter of Young Readers and took extensive notes. I explain them in my review, so check out my review for more specifics. :) Julie Suzanne...more (less)

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I read both books simultaneously--a chapter of adult, a chapter of Young Readers and took extensive notes. I explain them in my review, so check out mI read both books simultaneously--a chapter of adult, a chapter of Young Readers and took extensive notes. I explain them in my review, so check out my review for more specifics.

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The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Centuryby Sarah Miller

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The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Centuryby Sarah Miller

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STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND WELL TOLD.

"...what Marshal Hilliard had told the press was true. He did not have one atom of direct evidence linking Lizzie Borden to the crime." (Kindle location 1267)

As a native of Fall River, Massachusetts, I've had a life-long fascination with the stories of Lizzie Borden, and the brutal axe murders of her father and her stepmother. Aimed at the middle-grade reader, Sarah Miller's recently released book, The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century relate...more

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Reading Reindeer 2021 On Proxima Centauri

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STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND WELL TOLD. "...what Marshal Hilliard had told the press was true. He did not have one atom of direct evidence linking Lizzie Borden to the crime." (Kindle location 1267) As a native of Fall River, Massachusetts, I've had a life-long fascination with the stories of Lizzie Borden, and the brutal axe murders of her father and her stepmother.

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Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life and Workby Victoria Ortiz

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Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life and Workby Victoria Ortiz

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Dissenter on the Bench book. Read 109 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The life and career of the fiercely principled Supreme Cour...

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Walk Toward the Rising Sun: From Child Soldier to Ambassador of Peace by Ger Duany

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Walk Toward the Rising Sun: From Child Soldier to Ambassador of Peace by Ger Duany

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This was an amazing tale of a refugee's life. It highlights the struggles, the determination, and hope that I'm sure all refugees experience just to make a better life. Well written and I'm excited to get the book in the hands of my students!

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This was an amazing tale of a refugee's life. It highlights the struggles, the determination, and hope that I'm sure all refugees experience just to make a better life. Well written and I'm excited to get the book in the hands of my students!

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I did not. While I agree with you that the way Ogle's mother treated him was hard to read, it represents a reality that so many of our students, (I amI did not. While I agree with you that the way Ogle's mother treated him was hard to read, it represents a reality that so many of our students, (I am in education) face. The book serves as a reminder that building relationships with our students is a vital component to their success and well-being. ...more (less)

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I did not. While I agree with you that the way Ogle's mother treated him was hard to read, it represents a reality that so many of our students, (I amI did not. While I agree with you that the way Ogle's mother treated him was hard to read, it represents a reality that so many of our students, (I am in education) face.

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I had some familiarity with the story behind The Poison Eaters from an episode about Dr. Harvey Wiley's food additive study on Sawbones. I've long been interested in tales of patent medicines and other less than savory medical practices from the distant past, and had a passing familiarity with the "Poison Eaters" study, so when this book was suggested from the library's e-collection, I checked it out.

Gail Jarrow's writing is clear and engaging. Pretty early into the book, I realized that it was...more

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I had some familiarity with the story behind The Poison Eaters from an episode about Dr. Harvey Wiley's food additive study on Sawbones. I've long been interested in tales of patent medicines and other less than savory medical practices from the distant past, and had a passing familiarity with the "Poison Eaters" study, so when this book was suggested from the library's e-collection, I checked it out.

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Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlinesby Paul Fleischman

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Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlinesby Paul Fleischman

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The authors starts by identifying 2 myths many people believe that make it hard for them to truly "get" how important climate change is: "it's always been this way," and "everything's fine."
Read p. 5: The amazing new world we've created has created new residues ... Suddenly, they're in sight, close enough to touch." Then p. 7: "The more I researched, the more I realized that science is only part of the environmental story ... the book's goal is to give you a foundation under your decisions...more

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The authors starts by identifying 2 myths many people believe that make it hard for them to truly "get" how important climate change is: "it's always been this way," and "everything's fine." Read p. 5: The amazing new world we've created has created new residues ... Suddenly, they're in sight, close enough to touch."

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The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb 

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The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb 

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I have a whole document of questions here are a few:I have a whole document of questions here are a few:
What was the most surprising thing that you found in this book?
What was the most surprising thing that you found in this book?
Did anything in the book change your view of the topics within it?
What was the most appealing thing in the book?(less)
Did anything in the book change you ...more

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I have a whole document of questions here are a few:I have a whole document of questions here are a few:What was the most surprising thing that you found in this book?What was the most surprising thing that you found in this book?Did anything in the book change your view of the topics within it?What was the most appealing thing in the book?(less) Did anything in the book change you ...more

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Bad girls : sirens, Jezebels, murderesses, thieves & other female villains by Yolen, Jane 

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Bad girls : sirens, Jezebels, murderesses, thieves & other female villains by Yolen, Jane 

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Bad Girls book. Read 287 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. From Jezebel to Catherine the Great, from Cleopatra to Mae West, from Ma...

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Malala: A Hero for All (Step into Reading)by Shana Corey,

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Malala: A Hero for All (Step into Reading)by Shana Corey,

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Malala is a Hero because she wanted to help the world and she is brave. She wants girls to have an education. I would recommend the book Malala A Hero for All by Shana Corey because it was fun to read and it is a true story.
Malala was born on July 12,1997, in Pakistan. Her family was her father, Ziauddin, her mother, Toor, and two brothers. She loves learning and has gone to Oxford University. Her interests are cricket, tag and her favorite television show was about a boy with a magic pencil. O...more

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Malala is a Hero because she wanted to help the world and she is brave. She wants girls to have an education. I would recommend the book Malala A Hero for All by Shana Corey because it was fun to read and it is a true story.

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This began as a five star book due to the format; pictures are included and the writing is nice.

Then it started to slide down a different path. I picked up what I thought was going to be a book about Ruby Bridges . . . it did begin that way then it turned into someone's political agenda.

While I think there was an attempt to try and do a "yesterday and today are the same with the same issues," I was not impressed in the least.

To even imply that American society/laws have not improved in regards t...more

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This began as a five star book due to the format; pictures are included and the writing is nice. Then it started to slide down a different path. I picked up what I thought was going to be a book about Ruby Bridges . . .

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Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

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Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

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"The history of the twentieth century was dominated by the struggle against totalitarian systems of state power. The twenty-first will no doubt be marked by a struggle to curtail excessive corporate power."

"The medical literature on the causes of food poisoning is full of euphemisms and dry scientific terms: coliform levels, aerobic plate counts, sorbitol, MacConkey agar, and so on. Behind them lies a simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously ill: There is shit in the meat."

More quotes...

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"The history of the twentieth century was dominated by the struggle against totalitarian systems of state power. The twenty-first will no doubt be marked by a struggle to curtail excessive corporate power." "The medical literature on the causes of food poisoning is full of euphemisms and dry scientific terms: coliform levels, aerobic plate counts, sorbitol, MacConkey agar, and so on.

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The Griffin and the Dinosaur: How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link Between Myth and Science by Marc Aronson

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The Griffin and the Dinosaur: How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link Between Myth and Science by Marc Aronson

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The Griffin and the Dinosaur book. Read 47 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Growing up in South Dakota, Adrienne Mayor was the qui...

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Knowledge Encyclopedia Space!: The Universe as You've Never Seen it Before by D.K. Publishing

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Knowledge Encyclopedia Space!: The Universe as You've Never Seen it Before by D.K. Publishing

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NonFiction/Twin Text #1

This book is a great example of education and reading made fun. Science is such a fun genre for kids to dive into.The book has tons of bright and vibrant images and illustrations that help make the reading more engaging. I loved learning about space when I was younger, so I would enjoy helping engage my students on the subject. The book is broken into parts that are broken up into sections. For example, the first part is titled The Solar System and that is broken into 30 s...more

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West Hempstead Public Library Children's Room

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NonFiction/Twin Text #1 This book is a great example of education and reading made fun. Science is such a fun genre for kids to dive into.The book has tons of bright and vibrant images and illustrations that help make the reading more engaging.

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A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami Decristofano

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A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami Decristofano

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This is a short and engaging audiobook that explains the science of black holes and other aspects of the stars in our universe.

The authors use plain terminology and clear comparisons in our own world to explain the very complicated concepts. And yet, they do not 'dumb down' the science.

I can't say that I truly understand black holes any more than I did before, but I have a better grasp on the general idea....more

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This is a short and engaging audiobook that explains the science of black holes and other aspects of the stars in our universe. The authors use plain terminology and clear comparisons in our own world to explain the very complicated concepts. And yet, they do not 'dumb down' the science.

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The mysterious universe : supernovae, dark energy, and black holes by Ellen Jackson

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The mysterious universe : supernovae, dark energy, and black holes by Ellen Jackson

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Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes- Ellen Jackson

This book is an introduction for elementary to middle school age children to the science of astronomy and the ways astronomers are unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

Curriculum Connection:
The book is written in a simple style and is clearly aimed at informing children. I would recommend it to 4th-8th graders with an interest in science or even as an introduction to non-fiction books.

Personal Reaction:
The book did...more

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Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes- Ellen Jackson This book is an introduction for elementary to middle school age children to the science of astronomy and the ways astronomers are unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Curriculum Connection: The book is written in a simple style and is clearly aimed at informing children.

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Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide (Series) by Michael Geisen

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Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide (Series) by Michael Geisen

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It's mostly just notes and helpful facts, but there are occasionally some "Check Your Knowledge" pages where there are questions you can answer. Hope It's mostly just notes and helpful facts, but there are occasionally some "Check Your Knowledge" pages where there are questions you can answer. Hope this helps! ...more (less)

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Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook

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It's mostly just notes and helpful facts, but there are occasionally some "Check Your Knowledge" pages where there are questions you can answer. Hope It's mostly just notes and helpful facts, but there are occasionally some "Check Your Knowledge" pages where there are questions you can answer. Hope this helps!

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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic-novel series

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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic-novel series

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"She drugs babies and pays people with underwear -- isn't she FANTASTIC!?"

Love this series! And I'm in love with Harriet Tubman after reading this book - her will to live and her courageousness were truly heroic. Some specific things I loved about this book:

-The mention of Rochester and Frederick Douglass! I need to read more about his life. I often stop by his grave when I walk at Mount Hope cemetery. Something that I learned through additional Wikipedia research - the house where he lived in R...more

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"She drugs babies and pays people with underwear -- isn't she FANTASTIC!?" Love this series! And I'm in love with Harriet Tubman after reading this book - her will to live and her courageousness were truly heroic. Some specific things I loved about this book: -The mention of Rochester and Frederick Douglass!

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Misty Copeland: Ballerina(Junior Biographies) by Hannah Isbell

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Misty Copeland: Ballerina(Junior Biographies) by Hannah Isbell

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Misty Copeland is such a wonderful role model so I jumped on the chance of purchasing this book for $7 from the JLG winter sale. It is a wonderful biography with short chapters and beautiful photographs that all students can enjoy. I loved the quotes and sidebars added throughout so you can learn even more about her.

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Misty Copeland is such a wonderful role model so I jumped on the chance of purchasing this book for $7 from the JLG winter sale. It is a wonderful biography with short chapters and beautiful photographs that all students can enjoy. I loved the quotes and sidebars added throughout so you can learn even more about her.

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

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

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INTRODUCTION

MY NAME IS MO'NE DAVIS. SOME PEOPLE KNOW ME AS THE first girl to throw a shutout in the Little League Baseball World Series. I am only the fourth American girl and the eighteenth girl from anywhere in the entire world to ever get to participate. Other people know that I was the first Little Leaguer and the youngest athlete to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. I was named SportsKid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids, too. And still others know me as the girl who read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with the First Lady of the United States.

My teammates, who I've played with since I was seven, know more about me than almost anyone in the world. They know that I always try to make people feel good and cheer them up when they're mad or upset. They know that I tell a lot of cheesy jokes. And even though I'm a good athlete, sometimes I'm goofy and clumsy. My catcher, Scott, still cracks up about the time that I walked into a pole.

Opposing batters? Well, they know that I throw a nasty curve, a seventy-miles-per-hour fastball, and that I bring new meaning to the saying You throw like a girl.

The summer of 2014, when I turned thirteen, I played in the Little League World Series and had the best time I've ever had in my young life. Me and some of my teammates from my Philadelphia neighborhood baseball team, the Anderson Monarchs, also played on the Taney Dragons, our community's Little League all-star team. The Dragons first won our district tournament, then the sectionals, then states, then the regional tournament, and then we achieved every Little League player's dream: we went to the Little League World Series!

One hot August night that summer, I, Mo'ne-a girl who loves Disney movies, is afraid of the dark, and keeps change in her baseball pants pocket for good luck-stood on the pitcher's mound in front of 34,950 people and five million people from around the world who were watching on TV.

Even with all those eyes on our team, I didn't freak out. I just tuned out the crowd (I couldn't even hear my mom, who yells super loud!), stared straight into Scott's eyes, and fired strike after strike into his glove. Pop!

I gave up two infield hits and threw eight strikeouts against South Nashville that night. The Taney Dragons had shut out the second team in a row.

The fact that I was so calm under pressure and struck out so many boys amazed a lot of adults. It made people see girls who play sports in a different light, and turned me into a role model overnight. All of a sudden people started to recognize me, want my autograph, and remember my name.

CHAPTER 1

LUCKY SEVEN
YOU'VE REALLY GOT A NICE ARM THERE, THE MAN SAID TO ME.
I was kind of surprised that anyone had been watching me, and I didn't know the man, so I just said, Thanks, and looked away.

It was late October 2008, and I was playing catch with a football with my cousin Mark and some friends on the outfield at Marian Anderson, the neighborhood recreation center. Mark had just finished playing a baseball game and we were hanging out on the grass.

It's okay, Mo, Coach Steve is my coach, Mark said. Mark is two years older than me.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, the man said. That's your name, Mo?

My name is Mo'ne, I answered, catching the ball. I aimed at the top of the silver skyscraper pointing into the blue sky over the tops of the trees, and threw the football back to Mark.

Anderson was just a few blocks from my house, but the field, it was like my backyard. It is this green oasis the size of a city block. A fence, parked cars, and, across the street, three-story redbrick row homes run all around it.

Oh, Mo-NAY, he said, pronouncing my name carefully. Nice to meet you, I'm Coach Steve.

Hi, I said. Coach Steve's dark blue sweats had the word Monarchs in white across the chest. A yellow pencil balanced behind his ear. For a split second I wondered if it ever fell off.

How old are you?

You've got a really strong arm. Most boys your age can't throw as far as you can, he said. I'm starting a Monarchs team for seven-year-olds. It's a boys' team, but you can play if you want. Why don't you think about coming out to basketball practice?

Okay, I said, looking him in the eye for the first time. He looked kind. Lots of kids played for the Monarchs. And I liked basketball. A lot.

Then he took the pencil and wrote on a scrap of paper he pulled out of his pocket.

Will you give this to your mother and ask her to call me?

Okay. I smiled at him, and carefully put the paper in my front pocket.

Later on, after I rode my bike home, I uncrumpled the paper and handed it to my mom.

What's this? she asked me. She was roasting a chicken, baking macaroni and cheese, and mashing sweet potatoes-my all-time favorite dinner-and the house smelled really good. My little brother, Maurice, who is four years younger than me, was watching cartoons on the couch.

This man wants you to call him, I told her.

Who is he? You shouldn't just be talking to strangers.

He isn't a stranger, he's Mark's baseball coach, I said. He wants to invite me to play on a basketball team.

Oh, okay, I'll call him, she said as she sprinkled some cinnamon into the sweet potato pot. Yum!

I hoped my mom would pick up the phone while she cooked. But she didn't. She didn't pick it up then, or when she washed the dishes, or when we were watching TV later on that night.

Mom, you gotta call that man, I reminded her the next morning when I put on my uniform for school.

When I got home after school, I asked her again.

Did you call that man yet?

When are you going to call him?

It turns out that my mom wasn't exactly thrilled about me playing what she saw as an aggressive sport. When I was a baby, she thought that I would become a girlie girl-the kind who would like dressing up, and getting her hair braided and curled, and playing with dolls. But I wasn't that girl. My mom says whenever she would buy me a doll, I would just look at her like she was crazy. I'd rather run around with a football or basketball and try to keep up with my brother Qu'ran, who is four years older than me.

I was a big Allen Iverson fan, says Qu'ran. So I started playing basketball, and she saw me dribbling and found it attractive, and started doing the same thing.

People say I look just like Qu'ran. You could say he is the boy version of me.

The next day, I tried with my mother again.

Mom, you gotta call that man.

All right, Mo'ne, I'm gonna call.

When I came home from school, she picked up the phone and started dialing Coach Steve.

My daughter, Mo'ne, gave me a piece of paper with your name and number on it and said that you wanted me to call you, she said as she sat in a kitchen chair.

I leaned up against her so I could listen.

Oh, yeah, hi, my name is Steve Bandura. I coach the Anderson Monarchs. I was watching your daughter play football the other day.

Football! Mo'ne's playing football? My mother frowned. My mom, she's the kind of person who sometimes fusses a lot, but even when she's yelling, you can do something funny and make her laugh.

She was just throwing the ball around with her cousin Mark, who I coach on the Monarchs, and some of their friends, Coach Steve said.

Oh, okay. My mother relaxed.

I've never seen anyone throw like that at her age-boy or girl-and I've been coaching kids for a long time.

I didn't even know Mo'ne could throw a football, she said, raising one eyebrow and giving me a side-eye.

A few weeks before, I had talked to her about football. Qu'ran had taught me how to throw a football.

My friend Qayyah and I wanted to play for the South Philly Hurricanes at Smith Playground.

Her mom said that if my mom let me play, she could play. And my mom said, if her mom let her play, I could play, Qayyah says. But then they wouldn't let us.

Not many kids that age can throw a football, because the ball's so big and their hands are so small. But Mo'ne was throwing the ball about twenty yards, Coach Steve told my mom. I'm starting a Monarchs team of seven-year-olds. It's all boys, but I invited her to come to basketball practice.

You want Mo'ne to play on a basketball team with all boys?! My mother started to talk very fast, like she does when she gets worked up.

Your daughter's got something special, he said.

But playing with boys-I don't want my daughter getting hurt!

They're just seven. There's not a lot of physical contact.

Oh, okay. I could feel my mom calming down. Thank you very much. I'll think about it and get back to you, she said, and hung up the phone.

Mo'ne, you wanna go?

I broke into a smile.

Even though she didn't like the idea of me playing with boys, my mom took me to practice the very next day. I didn't know it then, but when I look back on it now, the year I turned seven was the year that I started having good luck.

CHAPTER 2

ALL EYES ON ME

WHEN MY MOM AND I WALKED INTO THE GYM, THE FIRST thing I thought was that it was hot. The second thing I noticed was the smell of dirty socks.

Coach Steve and the team were already on the basketball court when my mom and I got there. As we cut across the corner of the court and headed toward the bench, it seemed like the grown-ups in the stands and along the court were staring at us.

Coach Steve said something to the team, then walked off the court and came over to greet us.

Hi, I'm Lakeisha, my mom said as she reached out her hand. I guess you already know Mo'ne.

Nice to meet you, Lakeisha. Thanks so much for letting Mo'ne come, he said, before smiling at me. Great to see you, Mo'ne. You ready to have some fun?

Yes. I smiled back at him, feeling excited but shy.

I see they're all boys . . . , my mother said. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was nervous.

Yes, we have twelve boys on the team. Most of them have been with us since they were four, so I know them very well, Coach said. That one over there, in the navy blue Monarchs T-shirt, is my son, Scott. They're all very nice kids, and a lot of them have been together since they were three or four-they're like family to each other. You don't have to worry; they won't be mean to Mo'ne or give her any trouble.

Okay, that's good to know, my mom said, relaxing.

If it's okay with you, I'd like to get her started with practice, Coach said.

That's fine, she said. I'll stay for a little while to make sure she's okay. But I have to go to work. My boyfriend, Mark-we call him Squirt-is gonna pick her up.

Okay, no problem, Coach said.

My mom smiled, gave me a hug, and then walked toward the sidelines.

Coach Steve put his hand on my shoulder and turned me toward the court. He told me the boys were doing something called a three-man weave.

You don't have to do this drill; it's a little tough. You can wait till the next one, Coach Steve said, watching me. But watch for a while, and let me know if you want to try.

The boys stood in three lines

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Mo'ne Davis: Remember My Name: My Story from First Pitch to Game Changer

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Be inspired to reach for your dreams! 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.

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You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmenby Carole Boston Weatherford

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You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmenby Carole Boston Weatherford

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This is a quick, powerful read about an important part of our history too few people know about. This book would be a very accessible introduction to the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.

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This is a quick, powerful read about an important part of our history too few people know about. This book would be a very accessible introduction to the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.

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CARMEN: *sighs*
*drinks coffee*
Okay, I've put off writing this long enough. Let's do this thing.

As a child, however, I knew so many African Americans working in science, math, and engineering that I thought that's just what black folks did.

THE GOOD:

- Feminism! Smash the patriarchy! Sisters are doin' it for themselves!

- Break down those race barriers!

I'm totally on board with this message.

Even more on board with calling attention to something that most Americans are ignorant about - Women's rol...more

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CARMEN: *sighs**drinks coffee*Okay, I've put off writing this long enough. Let's do this thing. As a child, however, I knew so many African Americans working in science, math, and engineering that I thought that's just what black folks did. THE GOOD: - Feminism! Smash the patriarchy! Sisters are doin' it for themselves!

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Tooth and Claw: The Dinosaur Wars of Cope and Marsh by Deborah Noyes 

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Tooth and Claw: The Dinosaur Wars of Cope and Marsh by Deborah Noyes 

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Once you get past the slightly bizarro cover, this is another good overview of the "Great Bone War" between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh in the mid-to-late 1800's; very similar to Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's 2006 Dinosaur Bone War which I read around two years ago. However, Noyes' book does a better job of tying this story into the other scientific and political events taking place during the same time - Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, America's western expansion and the...more

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The Center for Children's & Young Adult Literature

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Once you get past the slightly bizarro cover, this is another good overview of the "Great Bone War" between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh in the mid-to-late 1800's; very similar to Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's 2006 Dinosaur Bone War which I read around two years ago.

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this book is about how people clone animals the first animal they clone is a sheep named dolly. they continued to do the cloning process and they can clone other animals. sometimes the cloning does not work and they die. sometimes they dont live that long like a sheep would live for ten years but dolly lived for six years. sometimes the process does not go as planned and they don't come out. the animals don't get all the same dna as the other animal and that is ok.

i would recommend this book to...more

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this book is about how people clone animals the first animal they clone is a sheep named dolly. they continued to do the cloning process and they can clone other animals. sometimes the cloning does not work and they die. sometimes they dont live that long like a sheep would live for ten years but dolly lived for six years.

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Life on Surtsey: Iceland's Upstart Island by Loree Griffin Burns 

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Life on Surtsey: Iceland's Upstart Island by Loree Griffin Burns 

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This was FUN!

Understand that Surtsey burst on the scene in 1963, my second year as a biology major with an eventual emphasis in ecology. The event just blew me away! What an opportunity for ecologists to study first hand exactly how a sterile block of lava and ash can progress, gradually, to becoming a living, breathing, developing ecosystem. This wonderful little book, as simplistic as it might be, touches all the high points in the development of this new, free-standing system. And all in just...more

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This was FUN! Understand that Surtsey burst on the scene in 1963, my second year as a biology major with an eventual emphasis in ecology. The event just blew me away! What an opportunity for ecologists to study first hand exactly how a sterile block of lava and ash can progress, gradually, to becoming a living, breathing, developing ecosystem.

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Nature Attacks!(I Survived True Stories #2) by Lauren Tarshis

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Nature Attacks!(I Survived True Stories #2) by Lauren Tarshis

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I love the I Survived series and so of course I am going to read the true stories books. This was a good book, but I did prefer the original books. I loved the new stories, but was disappointed in the retelling of one of the I Survived books. I wanted all new stories. The new ones were good and I may try some of the other true stories books.

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Nature Attacks! (I Survived True Stories, #2)

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I love the I Survived series and so of course I am going to read the true stories books. This was a good book, but I did prefer the original books. I loved the new stories, but was disappointed in the retelling of one of the I Survived books.

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Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkillby Heather L. Montgomery 

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Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkillby Heather L. Montgomery 

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When Heather L. Montgomery sees a rattlesnake flattened on the side of the road, her first instinct is to pick it up and dissect it--she'...

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Anacondas(Xtreme Snakes) by Sue L. Hamilton

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Anacondas(Xtreme Snakes) by Sue L. Hamilton

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Anacondas book. Read reviews from world's largest community for readers. Simple text and dynamic close-up photographs bring young readers face-to-face wi...

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Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow

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Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow

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Remember hearing stories when I was younger about Typhoid Mary & now I know the story behind the name.
Found this to be a pretty interesting read with lots of info on the history of Typhoid Fever.

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Remember hearing stories when I was younger about Typhoid Mary & now I know the story behind the name.Found this to be a pretty interesting read with lots of info on the history of Typhoid Fever.

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Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

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Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

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"No other disease, no war, no natural disaster, no famine comes close to the great pandemic. In the space of eighteen months in 1918-1919, about 500 million people, one-third of the human race at the time, came down with influenza. The exact total of lives lost will never be known. An early estimate, made in 1920, claimed 21.5 million died worldwide. Since then, researchers have been continually raising the number as they find new information. Today, the best estimate of flu deaths in 1918-1919 is between 50 million and 100 million worldwide, and probably closer to the latter figure. 7"

"Flu pandemics are nothing new. Medical historians think the first one struck in 1510, infecting Asia, Africa, Europe, and the New World. Between the years 1700 and 1900, there were at least sixteen pandemics, some of them killing up to one million people. Yet these were tame compared to the 1918 calamity. It was by far the worst thing that has ever happened to humankind; not even the Black Death of the Middle Ages comes close in the number of lives it took. A 1994 report by the World Health Organization pulled no punches. The 1918 pandemic, it said, "killed more people in less time than any other disease before or since." It was the "most deadly disease event in the history of humanity."

More quotes...

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"No other disease, no war, no natural disaster, no famine comes close to the great pandemic. In the space of eighteen months in 1918-1919, about 500 million people, one-third of the human race at the time, came down with influenza. The exact total of lives lost will never be known.

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Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nationby Candy J. Cooper

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Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nationby Candy J. Cooper

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The very company that had built up Flint Michigan was the same General Motors that abandoned them.
The government also left them with Legionnaire's disease, skin diseases/rashes, lung diseases, and more.
It's a sad state of affairs when saving money requires drinking dirty river water that was treated with chlorine but that erodes the pipes in a failing infrastructure that's been ignored for far too long.
In fact those that were required to save money weren't the ones making the high end salaries...more

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Nenia ✨️ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨️ Campbell

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The very company that had built up Flint Michigan was the same General Motors that abandoned them.The government also left them with Legionnaire's disease, skin diseases/rashes, lung diseases, and more.It's a sad state of affairs when saving money requires drinking dirty river water that was treated with chlorine but that erodes the pipes in a failing infrastructure that's been ignored for far too long.

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Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat by Gail Jarrow

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Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat by Gail Jarrow

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Red Madness book. Read 173 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. One hundred years ago, a mysterious and alarming illness spread across...

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The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida

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The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida

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This is not a story. This book consists of faq about autism and author answering them. It is really helpful if you want to know more about people withThis is not a story. This book consists of faq about autism and author answering them. It is really helpful if you want to know more about people with autism. This book finally answered some questions I had about my brother (he can't speak nor write) so I definitely recommend. ...more (less)

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This is not a story. This book consists of faq about autism and author answering them. It is really helpful if you want to know more about people withThis is not a story. This book consists of faq about autism and author answering them.

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Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey by Magdalena Newman

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Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey by Magdalena Newman

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Normal book. Read 55 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Praised by R.J. Palacio as wondrous--this moving memoir follows a teenage ...

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Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani 

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Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani 

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GRAPHIC NOVEL

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Fun, funny and inspiring -- the best kind of history. Astronaut Mary Cleave is a great narrator for this exploration of female astronauts -- the ones who should have been and the ones were -- as the U.S. space program stumbled slowly toward diversity. Star Trek fans will love the Nichelle Nichols cameo.

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Fun, funny and inspiring -- the best kind of history. Astronaut Mary Cleave is a great narrator for this exploration of female astronauts -- the ones who should have been and the ones were -- as the U.S. space program stumbled slowly toward diversity. Star Trek fans will love the Nichelle Nichols cameo.

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A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Humanby Kay Frydenborg

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A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Humanby Kay Frydenborg

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"Surprisingly, studies have shown that married couples share more microorganisms with their dog than with each other!"

"Of all the animal species alive in the world now or in the past, only a relatively few have been domesticated by humans, most of them in just the last few thousand years of human history. The dog was the first, by a wide margin-the only animal believed to have been domesticated by itinerant human hunter-gatherers, long before the development of farming and permanent settlements."

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"Surprisingly, studies have shown that married couples share more microorganisms with their dog than with each other!" "Of all the animal species alive in the world now or in the past, only a relatively few have been domesticated by humans, most of them in just the last few thousand years of human history.

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The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations by Aisholpan Nurgaiv

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The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations by Aisholpan Nurgaiv

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The subject of the award-winning documentary The Eagle Huntress tells the true story of how she became the first girl to compete in -- an...

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Where's My Stuff?: The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide by Samantha Moss

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Where's My Stuff?: The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide by Samantha Moss

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Where's My Stuff? book. Read 22 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Helps to learn how to organise your school stuff, your time, and ...

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Vincent and Theo : the Van Gogh brothers

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Vincent and Theo : the Van Gogh brothers

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The hardcover has several pages of color reproductions, but the sections between the chapters are all in black and white, showing VanGogh's drawings aThe hardcover has several pages of color reproductions, but the sections between the chapters are all in black and white, showing VanGogh's drawings and letters. ...more (less)

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The hardcover has several pages of color reproductions, but the sections between the chapters are all in black and white, showing VanGogh's drawings aThe hardcover has several pages of color reproductions, but the sections between the chapters are all in black and white, showing VanGogh's drawings and letters. ...more (less)

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This was phenomenal. I've been a big fan of graphic memoirs ever since reading Persepolis, and this book is the perfect example of why.

We follow a four-year-old George Takei and his family as they are forced into concentration camps during WWII because of their Japanese ancestry. Seeing this all through a young child's eyes was even more heart-wrenching. While his parents are just trying to get through the day and keep their family safe, young George and his brother Henry think they are going on...more

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This was phenomenal. I've been a big fan of graphic memoirs ever since reading Persepolis, and this book is the perfect example of why. We follow a four-year-old George Takei and his family as they are forced into concentration camps during WWII because of their Japanese ancestry.

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Yes, I used to do dance, but I became uninterested in it later on. I started reading this book and I found it very intriguing. This book isn't about hYes, I used to do dance, but I became uninterested in it later on. I started reading this book and I found it very intriguing. This book isn't about her dancing, it also has explanations about her life problems. I believe this book is good for non-dancers. Hannah Johnson...more (less)

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Yes, I used to do dance, but I became uninterested in it later on. I started reading this book and I found it very intriguing. This book isn't about hYes, I used to do dance, but I became uninterested in it later on. I started reading this book and I found it very intriguing.

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Part memoir, part biography, part history, part sports diary, Dragon Hoops is Gene Luen Yang's story of several months charting the ups and downs of a high school basketball team.
I tend to seek out Yang's work, and would have read this regardless of its subject matter. Thank goodness I also enjoy basketball, and was able to appreciate the action in each game. I particularly liked the player profiles, and the slightly dorky humour and big heart Yang brings to this book.

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Part memoir, part biography, part history, part sports diary, Dragon Hoops is Gene Luen Yang's story of several months charting the ups and downs of a high school basketball team. I tend to seek out Yang's work, and would have read this regardless of its subject matter.

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Soccer's Greatest Clubs

This action-packed collection explores and celebrates
history's most popular, successful, and lauded soccer clubs. Each book covers
the club's origins, founding members, struggles, important milestones and
achievements, notable players both past and present, and current affairs in
their domestic and international competitions. Complete with facts and sidebars,
as well as photographs historical and current, this set shows how these clubs
have transcended their sport to become true cultural icons.
Each Book
Contains:

* Historical overview and history of each soccer club

* Current
events connected to each club

* Facts that highlight key points, historically
and in modern times, connected to the club

* Sidebars that explore rivalries,
partner women's clubs, and financial/promotional tactics to market the
club
Curriculum Connections:

* Allows students to understand historical,
social, and economic conditions of an organization's creation and follow its
evolution to present day

* Equips students with chances to study the
financial conditions of an organization and explore how these conditions
contribute to success or failure

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This action-packed collection explores and celebrates history's most popular, successful, and lauded soccer clubs. Each book covers the club's origins, founding members, struggles, important milestones and achievements, notable players both past and present, and current affairs in their domestic and international competitions.

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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

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It really depends how much you like baseball and the statistical/Bill James aspect. If you like digging deep into all this, the book is better. But ifIt really depends how much you like baseball and the statistical/Bill James aspect. If you like digging deep into all this, the book is better. But if you like the info in a more simpler form, the movie is better. Andersen Pickard...more (less)

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It really depends how much you like baseball and the statistical/Bill James aspect. If you like digging deep into all this, the book is better. But ifIt really depends how much you like baseball and the statistical/Bill James aspect. If you like digging deep into all this, the book is better.

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No Summit out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summitsby Jordan Romero

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No Summit out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summitsby Jordan Romero

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No Summit out of Sight book. Read 397 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Jordan Romero climbed Mount Everest at age thirteen-and he ...