One Crazy Summer (Historical Fiction)

(Book cover compliments of Titlewave)

Bibliography

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistad. ISBN 0-06-076088-5

Plot summary

In the summer of 1968, 11-year old Delphine and her two sisters visit their estranged mother in Oakland who coldy sends them off to the Black Panther-run community center where they daily receive free food and a revolutionary education.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Historical Fiction)

Book cover compliments of Titlewave)

Bibliography

Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 0805088415

Plot summary

The only girl in a well-to-do family of six brothers, 11-year old Calpurnia Tate struggles to find her place in 1899 Texas life between the demands of “lady-like” society and her unconventional desires to explore nature.

Willow Run (Historical Fiction)

(Book cover compliments of Titlewave)

Bibliography

Giff, Patricia Reilly, and Staci Snell. 2006. Willow Run. [New York]: Listening Library. ISBN 030728333X

Plot summary

Set in 1944 during WWII, 11-year old Meggie learns about many forms of courage and generational bonds when her family moves from her home town to far away Willow Run, Michigan, where her father works in B-24 bomber factory.

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) (Informational)

(Book Cover compliments of titlewave.com)

Bibliography

Kerley, Barbara. The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy). Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham. New York:NY. Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-545-12508-1

Plot summary

Thirteen year-old Susy Clemens secretly writes a biography on her famous writer father Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) to show that he is more than just a humorist.

Written In Bone (Informational)

(Book Cover compliments of titlewave.com)

Bibliography

Walker, Sally M. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. ISBN 0-8225-7135-8

Plot summary

Author documents the findings of forensic scientists at colonial-era gravesites in old Jamestown, Virginia, and methods that the scientists use to determine mysteries surrounding the remains of a teenage boy, a ship's captain, an indentured servant, a colonial officer, and an African slave girl.

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Informational)

(Book Cover compliments of titlewave.com)

(Video from You Tube http://youtu.be/-ZOpqtdd8nw) 

Bibliography

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. New York: NY Melanie Kroupa Books. ISBN 0-312-66105-3

Plot summary

This story explores the details surrounding the little-known Alabama teen who added fuel to the growing Civil Rights movement by refusing to give up her bus seat and later serving as a plaintiff in the ground-breaking case that overturned the bus segregation law.

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night (Poetry)

(Bookcover compliments of indiebound.org)

(Original book trailer by MV Meeks)

Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. Illustrated by Rick Allen. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 9780547152288 

Plot summary

This collection of poems reveals the wonder of the night and the mysterious creatures that emerge after nightfall including informational sidebars of biological details.

Diamond Willow (Poetry)

(Bookcover compliments of Titlewave.com)

Bibliography

Frost, Helen. Diamond Willow. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books. ISBN 9780374317768 

Plot summary

After an accident involving her beloved sled dog, 12-year old Willow discovers truths about her family, herself, and her Alaskan community.

What Is Goodbye? (Poetry)

(Bookcover compliments of home.iprimus.com.au)

Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. What is Goodbye? Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0787807784

Plot summary

After the death of their older brother, two younger siblings uncover their painful emotions and their family’s journey through grief in poems that alternate between two voices.