Every once in a while you read a book and feel the passion that the author brings to the topic. That is the way EVICTED! (Calkins Creek, 2022) struck me. This upper-level narrative nonfiction will be a welcome addition to classrooms when studying African American history and civil rights. I have featured both the author, Alice Faye Duncan, and the illustrator, Charly… Continue reading EVICTED! The Struggle for the Right to Vote: A Middle Grade Picture Book Review, A Giveaway, PLUS MORE!
If you're a writer, then someone has probably said to you: "So, are you done with your book yet?" If the person who you are talking to loves you then he may say, "How's the book coming along?" Which is a softer, kinder way of saying the same thing. Either way, most people who are not… Continue reading Revision Revisited
For those of you who know me and my journey with Half-Truths, you will appreciate that when I heard of Bettye Kearse's book, The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family, I knew I had to read it. Since I am way behind on my to-be-read books, I was fortunate to receive a review… Continue reading The Other Madisons: An Audio Book Review
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have a shelf full of picture books to review, use as mentor texts, and to give away. In honor of Women's History month, here's my next one, Born to Swing (Calkins Creek, 2018) by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Michele Wood. (Images courtesy of Calkins Creek.)"I was born… Continue reading Born to Swing: A Picture Book Review and Giveaway
I received a record number of comments on last week's blog. Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef for winning GRANDDADDY'S STORIES. ***** … Continue reading BUZZING WITH QUESTIONS: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner- A Picture Book Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Tricia Clark who won Letters from Space.Six months ago, author Tammi J. Truax contacted me after reading my review of Orchards on Goodreads. She deduced that I liked free verse historical novels and offered to send me a copy of her book, For to See the Elephant (Piscataqua Press, 2019). Come with me into the… Continue reading For to See the Elephant: A Novel in Verse and an Autographed Giveaway
Congratulations to Jolene Guiterrez who won Maiden of Iron from last week's blog. ****** The Teachers March! (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2020) is a nonfiction picture book that many of you will be interested in adding to your home or school library. This is the story of Reverend F.D. Reese's activism and how it led… Continue reading The Teachers March! A Picture Book Review + Giveaway
Congratulations to Linda Andersen Gutheil who won FREE LUNCH from last week's blog. She plans to donate it to a local school. Thank you, Linda! This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality co-written by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy is a book you won't be able to put down.… Continue reading This Promise of Change: A Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Gail Cartee who won The End of the World and Beyond on last week's giveaway. When I began researching Half-Truths someone--I'm afraid I don't remember who it was--told me about how Brooklyn, an African American neighborhood in Charlotte that was leveled as a part of urban renewal. Tomorrow's Bread by Anna Jean Mayhew, breathes life into… Continue reading TOMORROW'S BREAD: A Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop from last week's blog. When I read the blurb about MOTHERS OF MASSIVE RESISTANCE: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy (Oxford University Press, 2018) in the Tantor Audio catalogue, I thought it might provide a different perspective on the Jim Crow era. It definitely did. … Continue reading Mothers of Massive Resistance: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway