52 stories of fearless daredevils, adventurers & rebels. Amazing, daring, and dangerously brave women who are rarely mentioned in our history books. Looking for a text that shatters boundaries and supports female triumphs? Look no further! Meet a young girl raised by a single mother in Harlem who became a highly educated North and South […]
Category: Class Reviews 2020-2021
The Name Jar
by Yangsook Choi Published by Dragonfly Books Across the globe from where she was born, Unhei bravely begins school in the United States. After an unpleasant first encounter with students on the bus leaves her feeling embarrassed and hesitant to share her name, Unhei decides to tell her class she will choose a name in […]
Rad Women Worldwide
Written by Kate Schatz and Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl Rad Women Worldwide is a sequel to Rad American Women A-Z which features 26 different rad American women, one for each letter of the alphabet. In Rad Women Worldwide, the scope has been broadened. As author Kate Schatz writes in the book’s introduction, “think about […]
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Be Malcolm X
Do you remember learning about Malcolm X in school? I know that I had never heard his name until I was in college. Malcolm X is often described as the sword to Martin Luther King Jr.’s shield, but his legacy stands alone as an incredible organizer for the Nation of Islam, fierce advocate for the […]
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The Undefeated written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Reviewed by Isabelle Grant. “This is for the underdogs and the uncertain, the Unspoken but no longer untitled” The Undefeated is an illustrated poem honoring the incredible strength of the African American community. With sharp, smooth prose alongside masterful, oil painted illustrations, The Undefeated […]
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson reflects on her childhood in the south in the 1960’s and 70’s. The food, the family, the culture, the weather. Though she lives in a community where her family often lives in fear and faces degradation at the hands of those living in neighboring white neighborhoods, she learns to feel immense pride and strength […]
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968
Written by: Alice Faye Duncan Illustrated by: R. Gregory Christie Reviewed by: Macey Putnam (2020-2021) Mountaintop Dream big. Walk tall. Be strong. March on. Don’t quit. Never stop. Climb up the MOUNTAINTOP! As the title details, Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 is written from the perspective of a young girl […]
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
Written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh tells the story dating back to the 1940s when segregation based on race or national origin was common throughout the United States. The Mendez v. Westminster School District case paved the way for the desegregation of schools in America. After the Mendez […]
Not Quite Snow White
Written by Ashley Franklin; illustrated by Ebony Glenn. Meet Tameika, a sassy little Black girl who loves musicals! Not only does she have fabulous dance moves for every occasion, but a giant personality fit for stardom. She has her eyes set on the star role of her school musical, Snow White. As Tameika prepares for […]
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
I Am Every Good Thing written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James Reviewed by Sarah Conley “I am one eye open, one eye closed, peeking through a microscope, gazing through a telescope, checking out the spaces around me and plotting out those far-off places I have yet to go- but will.” I […]