Books

Fiction

37 Things I Love

Ellis Baldwin only has four days of her sophomore year left, and summer is so close that she can almost taste it. But even with vacation just within reach, Ellis isn’t exactly relaxed. Her father has been in a coma for years, the result of a construction accident, and her already-fragile relationship with her mother is strained over whether or not to remove him from life support. Her best friend fails even to notice that anything is wrong and Ellis feels like her world is falling apart. But when all seems bleak, Ellis finds comfort in the most unexpected places. Life goes on, but in those four fleeting days friends are lost and found, promises are made, and Ellis realizes that nothing will ever quite be the same.

Publication Date: May 22, 2012

  

Camo Girl

Set in the modern-day suburbs of Las Vegas, biracial sixth-grader Ella Cartwright finds herself caught between two worlds. She is drawn to the popular new boy, Bailey—the only other black student in the school—but also loyal to her best friend, Z, a geeky boy whose social status, like hers, is bottom-rung, and with whom she has shared an incomparable friendship. A relationship with Bailey means a chance at popularity for Ella, but Z is far too weird to ever be accepted by his classmates. When push comes to shove, where will Ella turn for real friendship?

“Elegantly crafted….a full and richly textured narrative.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

  

Fire in the Streets

At fourteen, Maxie Brown is too young to be a Black Panther—or so everyone says—but it’s the only thing on her mind. When Maxie wakes up hungry, the Panthers serve breakfast in the school yard. When her friends are unfairly threatened by the police, the Panthers show up and make the cops back down.  To Maxie, the Panthers are everything–so why won’t they take her into their ranks? Maxie is determined to prove herself worthy—she vows to do anything necessary to fulfill her dream. But when she finally figures out what she’ll have to do to become a Panther—is it worth the ultimate price?

Publication date: August 28, 2012 

 

The Rock and the River

1968, Chicago. Thirteen-year-old Sam Childs finds himself caught between his father (a well-known civil rights leader) and his older brother, Stick, who joins the Black Panther Party. When escalating racial tensions throw Sam’s community into turmoil, he faces a difficult decision. Will Sam choose to follow his father, or his brother? His mind, or his heart? The rock, or the river?

“A smart, sensible, deeply layered title.” –Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse #8 Production

2010 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner

2010 NAACP Image Award Nominee, Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens

  

 

Non-Fiction

Today the World Is Watching You: The Little Rock Nine and the Fight for School Integration, 1957-58.

In the fall of 1957, nine black students became the first to integrate the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their particular struggle against racism paralleled the experiences of many black children in the south after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. The Little Rock Nine’s situation rose to national prominence when the governor sent Arkansas National Guard troops to block the black students from entering the school on their first day of classes. The tumultuous events that followed captured the attention of the entire nation. Today the World is Watching You chronicles the Little Rock Nine’s harrowing first year at Central High and the impact of their courage on the generations of black Americans that would follow them.

“Extensively researched…well-paced and engaging…” –School Library Journal