Black History Month
Little Ones
Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass
By Dean Robbins; Illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko
Orchard Books
- January 2016
- $17.99
- Ages 4–8
Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass chat over tea about their efforts to win rights for women and African Americans. Includes back matter with photos of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.
Chasing Freedom
By Nikki Grimes; Illustrated by Michele Wood
Orchard Books
- January 2015
- $18.99
- Ages 7-10
Chasing Freedom, written by award-winning poet and author Nikki Grimes and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Michele Wood, invites curious young readers to further explore two of nineteenth century’s most powerful, and inspiring American women; Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman through an engaging work of historical fiction.
The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage
By Selina Alko; Illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
Arthur A. Levine Books
- February 2015
- $18.99
- Ages 4–8
Husband and wife duo, acclaimed author Selina Alko and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Sean Qualls, collaborate on their first book together, The Case for Loving. This is the story of one brave family from Virginia and their fight against the law banning interracial marriage that went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1967.
Middle-Grade
NEW!
The Harlem Charade
By Natasha Tarpley
Scholastic Press
- January 31, 2017
- $16.99
- Ages 8-12
Chasing Vermeer comes to Harlem in this clever mystery about art, artifice, and the power of community.
WATCHER. SHADOW. FUGITIVE.
Harlem is home to all kinds of kids. Jin sees life passing her by from the window of her family’s bodega. Alex wants to help the needy one shelter at a time, but can’t tell anyone who she really is. Elvin's living on Harlem's cold, lonely streets, surviving on his own after his grandfather was mysteriously attacked.
When these three strangers join forces to find out what happened to Elvin’s grandfather, their digging leads them to an enigmatic artist whose missing masterpieces are worth a fortune – one that might save the neighborhood from development by an ambitious politician who wants to turn it into Harlem World, a ludicrous historic theme park. But if they don't find the paintings soon, nothing in their beloved neighborhood will ever be the same . . .
In this remarkable tale of daring and danger, debut novelist Natasha Tarpley explores the way a community defines itself, the power of art to show truth, and what it really means to be home.
NEW!
Unbound: A Novel in Verse
By Anne E. Burg
Scholastic Press
- September 27, 2016
- $16.99
- Ages 9-12
From the award-winning author of All the Broken Pieces and Serafina's Promise comes a new novel-in-verse that is a gripping, transcendent story about a little-known piece of slave history.
The day Grace is called from the slave cabins to work in the Big House, Mama makes her promise to keep her eyes down. Uncle Jim warns her to keep her thoughts tucked private in her mind or they could bring a whole lot of trouble and pain.
But the more Grace sees of the heartless Master and hateful Missus, the more a rightiness voice clamors in her head-asking how come white folks can own slaves, sell them on the auction block, and separate families forever. When that voice escapes without warning, it sets off a terrible chain of events that prove Uncle Jim’s words true. Suddenly, Grace and her family must flee deep into the woods, where they brave deadly animals, slave patrollers, and the uncertainty of ever finding freedom.
With candor and compassion, Ann E. Burg unearths a startling chapter of American history – the remarkable story of runaways who sought sanctuary in the wilds of the Great Dismal Swamp – and creates a powerful testament to the right of every human to be free.
Long Road to Freedom (Ranger in Time #3)
By Kate Messner; Illustrated by Kelley McMorris
Scholastic Press
- January 2016
- $5.99
- Ages 7–10
Ranger is a golden retriever with search-and-rescue training. In this adventure, he travels to a Maryland plantation during the time of American slavery, where he meets a young girl named Sarah. When Sarah learns that the plantation owner has plans to sell her little brother, Jesse, to another plantation in the South, it means they could be separated forever. Sarah takes their future into her own hands and decides there's only one way to run—north.
The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship Between a Boy and a Baseball Legend
By Sharon Robinson
Scholastic Press
- February 2016
- $16.99
- Ages 8–12
Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball great and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson, delivers a touching novel based on the true story of a boy in Brooklyn who became neighbors and friends with his hero, Jackie Robinson.
Ruby Lee and Me
By Shannon Hitchcock
Scholastic Press
- January 2016
- $16.99
- Ages 8–12
When a segregated North Carolina town gets its first black teacher, two girls—one black, one white—come face-to-face with how prejudice affects their friendship. "Ruby Lee & Me" is a powerful story about relationships and self-forgiveness by critically-acclaimed author Shannon Hitchcock.
10 True Tales: Young Civil Rights Heroes
By Allan Zullo
Scholastic Inc.
- January 2015
- $5.99
- Ages 8–12
Ten true stories of real-life civil rights heroes.
Sixteen-year-old protest leader Rodney Hurst can't comprehend what's unfolding in front of him: Hundreds of hate-filled men brandishing ax handles and baseball bats are attacking any black person in their path.
Hundreds of black teens in another peaceful march find themselves blasted by powerful fire hoses. The students lock arms with each other and try desperately to hold their ground. But it's impossible to withstand the force of water pressure that can peel bark off a tree.
Glory Be
By Augusta Scattergood
Scholastic Press
- January 2015
- $6.99 (reprint)
- Ages 8–12
Augusta Scattergood introduces readers to Gloriana June Hemphill, whose only wish for her twelfth birthday is that the segregated public town pool, where she always celebrates, stay open on her birthday, July 4, 1964. In the tradition of American Southern storytelling, and inspired by Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and Kate DiCamillo’s Because Of Winn Dixie, Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship and choices that aren’t always easy.
Revolution
By Deborah Wiles
Scholastic Press
- June 2014
- $19.99
- Ages 8–12
From award-winning author Deborah Wiles comes the story of a formative year in a nation embroiled in a battle over civil rights.
It is 1964, and Sunny's town, Greenwood, Mississippi, is being invaded. So is her home. Her daddy got married last summer, and her house filled up with a new stepmother, Annabelle, a new brother, Gillette, and a new sister, Audrey. Sunny's new family has been growing together, but when Gillette tattles to her father, things grow chilly between them.
Greenwood has been tense and chilly too, but that's because students and "agitators" from up north have driven down in buses for a Freedom Summer, to help register citizens in the town to vote. Everyone in the town, from the churches to the schools to the movie theaters, has been choosing sides, and Sunny suddenly understands how scary it can be to help people out, even when you know you're doing good.
The Madman of Piney Woods
By Christopher Paul Curtis
Scholastic Press
- February 2016
- $7.99
- Ages 8–12
Now in paperback, bestselling Newbery Medalist Christopher Paul Curtis delivers a powerful companion to his multiple award-winning Elijah of Buxton.
Benji and Red couldn't be more different. They aren't friends. They don’t even live in the same town. But their fates are entwined. A chance meeting leads the boys to discover that they have more in common than meets the eye. Both of them have encountered a strange presence in the forest, watching them, tracking them. Could the Madman of Piney Woods be real?
I Survived #7: I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
By Lauren Tarshis
- February 2013
- $4.99 (paperback)
- Ages 7-10
Does Henry have what it takes to survive the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil? The Civil War comes to life for I Survived readers! The bloodiest battle in American history is about to begin. . . It's 1863, and Thomas and his father are slaves in South Carolina. But in the chaos of the Civil War, they manage to break free and head north. Through the Underground Railroad they make their way to Pennsylvania. But they can't escape the war -- and soon Thomas finds himself in the middle of a harrowing battle. He's come so far . . . but does he have what it takes to survive Gettysburg? Does he have what it takes to survive the Battle of Gettysburg?
Seeing Red
By Kathryn Erskine
Scholastic Press
- October 2013
- $16.99
- Ages 10-14
National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine delivers a powerful story of family, friendship, and race relations in the South. Life will never be the same for Red Porter. He's a kid growing up around black car grease, white fence paint, and the backward attitudes of the folks who live in his hometown, Rocky Gap, Virginia. Red's daddy, his idol, has just died, leaving Red and Mama with some hard decisions and a whole lot of doubt. Should they sell the Porter family business, a gas station, repair shop, and convenience store rolled into one, where the slogan—“Porter's: We Fix it Right!”—has been shouting the family's pride for as long as anyone can remember? With Daddy gone, everything's different. Through his friendship with Thomas, Beau, and Miss Georgia, Red starts to see there's a lot more than car motors and rusty fenders that need fixing in his world. When Red discovers the injustices that have been happening in Rocky Gap since before he was born, he's faced with unsettling questions about his family's legacy.
Teens
My Name Is Not Friday
By Jon Walter
David Fickling Books
- January 2015
- $18.99
- Ages 12 and up
In Jon Walter’s YA debut "My Name is Not Friday," readers go back in history to the Civil War period and meet two siblings, who are freeborn black boys. Well-mannered Samuel and his mischievous younger brother Joshua are living in an orphanage during the end of the Civil War. Samuel takes the blame for Joshua’s latest prank, and the consequence is worse than he could ever imagine. He’s taken from the orphanage to the South, given a new name—Friday—and sold into slavery. What follows is a heartbreaking but hopeful account of Samuel’s journey from freedom to captivity, and back again.
Invasion
By Walter Dean Myers
Scholastic Press
- October 2013
- $17.99
- Ages 12 and up
In the prequel to Sunrise Over Fallujah and Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers brings World War II to life in sharp relief.
Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry are on their way to an uncertain future. Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere. One white, one black, these young men have nothing in common and everything in common as they approach an experience that will change them forever. It's May 1944. World War II is ramping up, and so are these young recruits, ready and eager. In small towns and big cities all over the globe, people are filled with fear. When Josiah and Marcus come together in what will be the greatest test of their lives, they learn hard lessons about race, friendship, and what it really means to fight. Set on the front lines of the Normandy invasion, this novel, rendered with heart-in-the-throat precision, is a cinematic masterpiece. Here we see the bold terror of war, and also the nuanced havoc that affects a young person's psyche while living in a barrack, not knowing if today he will end up dead or alive.