Posts Tagged ‘african american’
A Thousand Never Evers – Update





Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2008
Historical Fiction
ISBN-10: 0385734700
320 pages
Synopsis
I was recently able to connect with Shana Burg, and she mentioned that she has just updated her website with more tools for educators. I thought I would post an update in case any teachers or librarians are looking for tools. Enjoy! http://www.shanaburg.com/educators.php. …
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After Tupac and D Foster





Putnam Young Adult, 2008
Fiction
ISBN: 0399246541
160 pages
Newbery Honor Book
Synopsis
A summer of adventure and loss, the unnamed narrator gains a new best friend named D Foster. Mysteriously coming out of nowhere, D quickly becomes friends with the narrator and her best friend Neeka. Throughout this coming of age text, the narrator takes us on a journey throughout her summer, starting when D shows up, just after Tupac gets shot for the first time, and ending when Tupac gets killed and D leaves to go live with her real mother. Woodson takes us back a few years to show the reality of living in Queens as an African American family, and many of the personal and national events that effect the block the narrator lives on. …
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The Blacker the Berry





Amistad, 2008
Poetry
ISBN: 0060253754
32 Pages
ALA Notable Children’s Books. Middle Readers
Coretta Scott King Award (Illustrator)
Coretta Scott King Honor (Author)
Synopsis
Written and beautifully illustrated for a younger audience, likely grades 1-4, this book seeks to broaden the worldview of American children that it is necessary to see a wider range of representation in skin tone for African Americans than simply light or dark. There are many variations given ethnic background and heritage, and Thomas’s poetry, along with Cooper’s art shows this by utilizing the common phrase, “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” by comparing the color of skin tone to various berries that can be found throughout the wild. …
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I Am The Darker Brother – Reviewing Classics





Simon Pulse, (reprint edition) 1997
Genre
ISBN: 0689808690
192 pages
Synopsis
A collection of African American poetry from the 20th century originally compiled in the late 60s, I Am The Darker Brother is one of the few anthologies of African American poetry amassed specifically for younger readers. From cover to cover, each poet leaves a legacy about life in America as ‘the other’. This edition adds more current writers that carved out a career post 1968, like Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, and Ishmael Reed. …
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Chains





Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2008
Historical Fiction
ISBN-10: 1416905855
320 pages
The National Book Awards Nominee
Synopsis
With both her mother and her master now dead, a young and brave girl named Isabel tells her new owner that her previous owner had the papers drawn up to set her free. However, no one believes her, and she and her sister are soon sold again and shipped to New York City during the midst of the Revolutionary War. Battling against all odds, Isabel must fight to protect her sister, herself, and her burning desire to be free. …
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Elijah Of Buxton





Scholastic, 2007
Historical Fiction
ISBN: 0439023440
352 pages
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Award Winner
Synopsis
Told from the 1st person perspective of a boy named Elijah about his life and hometown, Buxton, the narrative moves from chapter to chapter, giving Elijah’s point of view on various stories involving he and other characters. Just north of the border in Canada, Buxton is a community for runaway slaves set during the times of late American slavery and the Underground Railroad. …
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Feathers





Putnam Juvenile, 2007
Fiction
ISBN-10: 0399239898
208 pages
Newberry Honor Book
Synopsis
Frannie’s life is about to change in important ways. She just doesn’t know it yet. While contemplating a famous line from an Emily Dickenson poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” she notices a change in her surroundings—winter emerges, her mother becomes pregnant, and, most importantly, a new boy arrives in class who looks like Jesus. Within just a few months, Frannie grows sensitive to the people around her, and the result is that she herself changes and discovers the true meaning of hope in light of Emily Dickenson’s words. …
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