INTRODUCTION It's not too often that I run a book review twice. And to be honest, my TBR shelf is long and so I rarely reread a book. But I was re-researching the Jim Crow period for a presentation at the North Carolina Social Studies conference and rememberedThe Color of Love by Gene Cheek. I… Continue reading Revisiting ‘The Color of Love’: A Jim Crow Memoir Review
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!
In honor of Black History Month, I'm introducing two books published by SPB Publishing. This publisher is a crossover of two Cherry Lake Publishing imprints: Sleeping Bear Press which specializes in fiction and nonfiction trade books, and the more academically-specialized Cherry Lake Press. Both books were published in 2021 but are still pertinent and will impact students for… Continue reading TWO MIDDLE GRADE NONFICTION BOOKS from SBP Publishing: Reviews and Giveaways
Although I've never met Sundee Frazier in person, I feel as if I know her. When I first started researching Half-Truths, I read her autobiographical book, Check All That Apply: Finding Wholeness as a Multiracial Person (InterVarsity, 2002. The daughter of a white mother and a Black father, Sundee wrote candidly about her struggles to fit in, to feel accepted… Continue reading MIGHTY INSIDE: A Middle Grade Historical Novel Review and Giveaway
Last week in Part I, I reviewed Christine Kindberg's debut novel, The Means That Make Us Strangers. Today she shares her passion for racial equality and her path to publication. And as promised, I'll tell you how she and I are connected. AUTHOR INTERVIEWCAROL: Everyone always wants to know how author’s get their ideas for their… Continue reading THE MEANS THAT MAKES US STRANGERS: Author Interview with Christine Kindberg and Giveaway–Part II
Here is my criteria for loving a book: I don't want it to end so I drag out reading the last few chapters. That was the case with my most recent read, The Means that Make Us Strangers, Christine Kindberg's debut novel. The book caught my attention when a friend tweeted that it had won the 2020 Christie Award… Continue reading THE MEANS THAT MAKE US STRANGERS: A YA Debut Novel Review and a Giveaway- Part I
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 Connie Saunders who won Vijaya Bodach's new novel, BOUND. Thanks to all of you for your comments the last three weeks; both Vijaya and I appreciated hearing from you. ******* Many of you have been following my blog for years and some of you are new readers. My "old" followers are familiar with… Continue reading Celebrate Black History Month With These Books
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
Congratulations to Linda Phillips who won a copy of Back On Earth from last week's blog. Alice Faye Duncan reached out to me through Twitter and asked if I was willing to review her two new picture books. Since I'm always interested in highlighting new books for you, of course I said yes! Here's the first… Continue reading Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: A Review and Giveaway