Kids

Child of the dream : a memoir of 1963 book cover

Child of the dream : a memoir of 1963

Sharon Robinson

jBIOGRAPHY Robinson, Sharon
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Memoir

"In January of 1963, Sharon Robinson turned thirteen the night before George Wallace declared on national television 'segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever' in his inauguration for governor of Alabama. That was the start of a year that would become one of the most pivotal years in the history of America. As the daughter of Jackie Robinson, Sharon had incredible access to some of the most important events of the era, including her family hosting several fundraisers for Martin Luther King Jr. at their home in Connecticut, other Civil Rights heroes of the day calling Jackie Robinson for advice and support, and even attending the March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs. But Sharon was also dealing with her own personal problems like going through puberty, being one of the only black children in her wealthy Connecticut neighborhood, and figuring out her own role in the fight for equality. This memoir follows Sharon as she goes through that incredible year of her life"--

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This promise of change : one girl's story in the fight for school equality book cover

This promise of change : one girl's story in the fight for school equality

Jo Ann Allen Boyce

jBIOGRAPHY Boyce, Jo Ann Allen
Black Lives Matter, Music, Kids

"In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton 12 themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann--clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students--found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process"--

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Life in motion : an unlikely ballerina book cover

Life in motion : an unlikely ballerina

Misty Copeland

jBIOGRAPHY Copeland, Misty
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Memoir

Determination meets dance in this middle grade adaptation of the New York Times bestselling memoir by the first African-American principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre history, Misty Copeland. Life in Motion is a story for all the kids who dare to be different, dream bigger, and want to break stereotypes in whatever they do.

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Brown girl dreaming book cover

Brown girl dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson

jBIOGRAPHY Woodson, Jacqueline
Memoir, Kids, Black Lives Matter

"The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South"--

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Reaching for the Moon : the autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson book cover

Reaching for the Moon : the autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson

Katherine G. Johnson

jBIOGRAPHY Johnson, Katherine G.
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Memoir

"As a young girl, Katherine Johnson showed an exceptional aptitude for math. In school she quickly skipped ahead several grades and was soon studying complex equations with the support of a professor who saw great promise in her. But ability and opportunity did not always go hand in hand. As an African American and a girl growing up in an era of brutal racism and sexism, Katherine faced daily challenges. Still, she lived her life with her father's words in mind: "You are no better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you." In the early 1950s, Katherine was thrilled to join the organization that would become NASA. She worked on many of NASA's biggest projects including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon. Katherine Johnson's story was made famous in the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. Now she tells her own story for the first time, in a lively autobiography that will inspire young readers everywhere"--

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Dactyl Hill Squad book cover

Dactyl Hill Squad

Daniel José Older

jFICTION Older Daniel
Kids, Diverse Characters

It is the summer of 1863, and as the Civil War rages between dinosaur-mounted armies down south, and a tense New York City seems on the brink of exploding into riots, Magdalys Roca and the other children at the Colored Orphan Asylum are trying to survive; but when she receives a letter telling her that her brother Montez was wounded, Magdalys knows that somehow she must reach him--and just possibly her ability to communicate telepathically with dinosaurs may come in handy.

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Stone River crossing book cover

Stone River crossing

Tim Tingle

jFICTION Tingle Tim
Kids, Diverse Characters

"Martha Tom knows better than to cross the Bok Chitto River to pick blackberries. The Bok Chitto is the only border between her town in the Choctaw Nation and the slave-owning plantation in Mississippi territory. The slave owners could catch her, too. What was she thinking? But crossing the river brings a surprise friendship with Lil Mo, a boy who is enslaved on the other side. When Lil Mo discovers that his mother is about to be sold and the rest of his family left behind. But Martha Tom has the answer: cross the Bok Chitto and become free. Crossing to freedom with his family seems impossible with slave catchers roaming, but then there is a miracle -- a magical night where things become unseen and souls walk on water. By morning, Lil Mo discovers he has entered a completely new world of tradition, community, and... a little magic. But as Lil Mo's family adjusts to their new life, danger waits just around the corner. In an expansion of his award-winning picture book Crossing Bok Chitto, acclaimed Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle offers a story that reminds readers that the strongest bridge between cultures is friendship." --

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In the footsteps of Crazy Horse book cover

In the footsteps of Crazy Horse

Joseph Marshall

jFICTION Marshall Joseph
Kids, Diverse Characters

Teased for his fair coloring, eleven-year-old Jimmy McClean travels with his maternal grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior, in a tale that weaves the past with the present. Includes historical note and glossary.

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Spotted Tail book cover

Spotted Tail

David Heska Wanbli Weiden

jBIOGRAPHY Spotted Tail
Kids, Nonfiction

"Meet Chief Spotted Tail, the great leader of the Sicangu Lakota people. Spotted Tail was born almost 200 years ago, and he helped lead the Lakota Nation during times of war. Chief Spotted Tail was not only a great warrior, but he was one of the First American Indian leaders to argue for peace between the United States and Native Americans. He was also a great believer in education as the best way to improve the lives of American Indians. Today, there is a university named after him on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, and his life is an inspiration to all Americans."--From introduction.

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