From the Trenches
RSSSara Campbell
As I began working on my column for Black History Month, it was tough to decide which two titles I wanted to highlight. As you'll see from the list below, there are lots of great books to choose from, including historical fiction for teens who want something with a strong story line, nonfiction for those who like their history straight forward and to the point, and a picture book just for fun. Consider adding these wonderful new titles, as well as the classics, which are worth reading again and again, to your own list or book display for Black History Month. WRIGHT, Barbara. Crow. Random House. 2011. ISBN: 978-0-375-86928-0. Gr 6-9—It's 1898, and in Wilmington, NC, there's growing racial tension and the Red Shirts, a Klu Klux Klan-like organization, are gathering strength. But for 11-year-old Moses, it's life as usual. On the first, and only, day of his summer job (which he's been assigned to in order to pay for a summons for skinny dipping), he helps a coworker from being cheated on his wages. This incident prompts Moses to look beyond his comfortable middle-class black world. In what would have certainly resulted in a lynching had they been apprehended, he then gets caught up in helping his father's boss escape town during a riot. His father, who is a reporter at the "only Negro daily in the South," does his best to make Moses aware of the dangers in town, as does Boo Nanny, his grandmother. With characters similar in feel to those found in Richard Peck's and Gennifer Choldenko's novels, Crow is a wonderful combination of charming, childhood stories interwoven with the harsh realities of this period of United States history. (See our interview with author Barbara Wright in this issue.) Gr 4-8—What Color Is My World? is a fascinating mix of fiction and nonfiction. The center part of each page of this square-shaped book is a fiction story narrated by twins Ella and Herbie and the family's handyman, Mr. Mital. Many of the thick cardstock pages fold out to reveal biographical or scientific information about the scientists and inventors mentioned in the story. Cartoon insets, fast facts, and lots of pictures make this book a good choice for reluctant readers and those who are interested in how things work. BANDY, Michael S. and Eric Stein. White Water. Candlewick. 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7636-3678-4. Gr 1-4. BRIMNER, Larry Dane. Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor. Boyds Mills Press. 2011. ISBN: 978-1-59078-766-3. Gr 6 Up. CROWE, Chris. Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America's Game. Candlewick. 2012. ISBN: 978-0-7636-5026-1. Gr 1-4. CURTIS, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963. Yearling. 1997 (PB edition). ISBN: 978-0-4404-1412-1. Gr 6 Up. MCKISSACK, Patricia. The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural. Yearling. 2001 (PB edition). ISBN: 978-0-6798-9006-5. Gr 6 Up. RAMSEY, Calvin Alexander and Bettye Stroud. Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend: A Civil Rights Story. Candlewick. 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4058-3. Gr 1-4. WILLIAMS-GARCIA, Rita. One Crazy Summer. Amistad. 2011 (PB edition). ISBN: 978-0-0607-6090-8. Gr 4-7. This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
ABDUL-JABBAR, Kareem and Raymond Obstfeld. What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors. Candlewick. 2012. 978-0-7636-4564-9.
HAMILTON, Virginia. The House of Dies Drear. Aladdin. 2006 (PB edition). ISBN: 978-1-4169-1405-1. Gr 4-8.
