Book picks similar to
Marvin and Tige by Frankcina Glass


fiction
coretta-scott-king-honor
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Let the Lion Eat Straw


Ellease Southerland - 1979
    Missing her mother, she clings to Mamma Habblesham, a woman with enviable reserves of love and hope. Their affection for each other seems boundless –– until Abeba's mother returns to take her to Brooklyn.As Abeba grows up, her exceptional musical talent promises to be an avenue of escape. But a handsome singer distracts her, and opportunities that once seemed so close begin to fall away. Now married with children of her own, she fights to maintain the dignity of her family. Let the Lion Eat Straw is a revelation of the glory in apparently ordinary lives.

Which Way Freedom?


Joyce Hansen - 1986
    The double-edged title refers to trust and decisions as well as to the escapes of African Americans from bondage. This historical novel accurately documents the military participation of blacks in the Civil War." (Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)Obi had never forgotten the sounds of his mother's screams on the day he was sold away from her. Making plans to run away to find her was a secret game he played with his friend Buka, an old African who lived at the edge of the farm.When the Civil War began, Obi knew it was time to run—or be sold again. If he was caught, he'd be killed...or worse. But if he stayed, he might never know freedom.This classic historical fiction for ages 9 to 12 is a strong choice for sharing in the classroom or at home, especially for students studying topics including the Civil War, African American participation in the war, and the history of slavery in the United States.

Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir


Eloise Greenfield - 1979
    Three generations of black women remember their "childtime" in this lyrical memoir spanning a century of American history. Their memories are sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always vivid. Not simply a chronicle of one black family, this book preserves the lives and communities of times past for future generations.

The Red Rose Box


Brenda Woods - 2002
    On her tenth birthday, Leah receives a surprise gift from glamorous Aunt Olivia, Mama's only sister, who lives in Los Angeles.  It is a red rose box.  Not many people in 1958 Louisiana have seen such a beautiful traveling case, covered with red roses, filled with jewelry, silk bedclothes, expensive soaps...and train tickets to California.  Soon after, Leah and her sister, Ruth, find themselves in Hollywood, far away from cotton fields and Jim Crow laws.  To Leah, California feels like freedom.  But when disaster strikes back home, Leah and Ruth have to stay with Aunt Olivia permanently.  Will freedom ever feel like home?

Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff


Walter Dean Myers - 1975
    Cool Clyde, Fast Sam, Gloria, BB, Angel and Maria, Chalky and Carnation Charley - they grew close that one eventful year, and nothing was ever like it again. That was the year that modern science got them all in jail; the year Stuff fell in love and was unfaithful; the year Cool Clyde and Fast Sam won the dance contest - almost.In this funny and energetic book, Walter Dean Myers brings to life with warmth and good humor an unusual group of boys and girls, who together grow to know the meaning of friendship.

Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues


Patricia C. McKissack - 1994
    A 1995 Coretta Scott King Honor Book now in a striking Polaris edition.

Horses Of The Rain (The Outback Riders Book 4)


Leanne Owens - 2019
    The peace is fractured by the brewing storms, and hot days end with lightning in the distance as the monsoonal band heads their way, bringing record floods. There are personal storms, as well, with Dane struggling with depression as his family and friends seek to help, and Amy desperate to discover if her father is still alive. When the record rains arrive, their part of the outback becomes an inland sea, and a neighbor's horses and cattle are doomed to drown unless the outback riders saddle up and risk their lives to save them. Horses of the Rain is the fourth in The Outback Riders series, and the teens are a bit older and facing problems that many teens need to overcome. They are falling in love, making plans for the future, and finding their way through life. Polo, the rock star, returns to ride with them, and the Min Min lights continue to watch over them. Leanne Owens lived in the outback for many years and saw the Min Min lights, she teaches high school students, and has won dozens of national titles with her horses - so The Outback Riders is the perfect 'write what you know' series as she knows the outback, teenagers, and horses. This version has U.S. spelling.

The Complete Opposite of Everything


Nour Abou Fayad
    He just doesn’t. He doesn’t overthink, he doesn’t second-guess himself, and he most certainly does not cry.YetThat’s all he’s been doing lately.He’s a mess and he just can’t seem to get it together.His friend, Rami, is no help.Nobody is.UntilYasmin comes along to reconnect with her homeland. She’s been away for too long. She needs to know her roots.And she’s the one person who understands what Adam’s going through, even when he doesn’t.But can two people, both with minds that can’t fully be trusted, help each other navigate the other’s journey towards self-discovery?

FURY RISING (Children of the Mountain Book 4)


R.A. Hakok - 2019
     Exiled from Mount Weather, Gabe, Mags and Johnny make their way north, seeking shelter from the coming storms. With the furies awakening across the country they stumble into the middle of a feud between two unlikely adversaries.

Imperfect


Claire Fraise - 2015
    Not a good home, but at least there she can find food and shelter for her sisters, Lily and Tory.To the powerful Making Perfect corporation, however, the Slump is a gold mine, a source of unending test subjects. Once a month, squads of company officials invade the ruins to capture orphans for their facilities. What happens to the kids they take is unclear—none of them ever return.Then Summer herself is taken.Forced into a series of grueling experiments, she soon discovers that Making Perfect’s ultimate goal is far darker than anything she imagined. As she fights to get back to the Slump and her now-defenseless sisters, she begins to understand why once you enter Making Perfect, you never get out.

Roderick Blackwood & The Demon Stone


Ralph Rathbone - 2011
    

Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave


Virginia Hamilton - 1988
    But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement.Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children's literature, Virginia Hamilton's important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.

Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys


Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard - 2000
    My brothers had doubts. School was seven miles away—a long way from Mama. Virgie was scarcely big as a field mouse. How could she make the trip? And girls didn’t really need school. But I got to thinking: Virgie was free like we were. Free to learn. And didn’t girls need to know how to write and add, too? Mama and Papa thought so. And one summer, they decided to do something about it. That was the year Virgie came to school with us boys. And she sure showed us!

The Icicle


Carolyn Marie Castagna - 2022
    Illustrator and writer's Carolyn Marie Castagna's first shared short story.A small icicle hanging from a roof peers inside a window at a small reading room, and learns about magical human qualities, and the importance of the one most special human feeling.

Middle Falls Time Travel Series, Books 4-6


Shawn Inmon - 2018
     The Final Life of Nathaniel Moon - Nathaniel is born with unimaginable powers and insight. When he tries to use his abilities to help the world, he and his family must go into hiding. In time, he is faced with an impossibly choice - reveal himself to the world or let the unthinkable happen. The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister - Veronica lived a quiet, almost-wasted life. When she died in 2018, she opened her eyes in her eighteen year old body in 1958 with all her memories intact. If you think you know what is coming, can you live your perfect life? The Changing Lives of Joe Hart - Joe wants to make the world a better place. Stop John Lennon from being killed, do the same for his friends who died in the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Before he can save others, he needs to save himself.