![]() The Parker Inheritance was recommended to me by a former colleague, and I am quite glad she recommended it to me because I always have students ask me for mystery recommendations, and I just rarely read mystery books. The protagonist of the story is a young Black girl named Candice who works with her friend Brandon to solve a mystery involving her grandmother. As Candice works to solve her grandmother's mystery she encounters historical information and racism. The plot line bounces from current times to the 1950s seamlessly as the reader learns what is happening with Candice as well as what happened with her grandmother. Students who like a mystery and historical fiction will love this book. There are some discussions of racism in the book as well as a character who is LGBTQ+. Approximate Reading Level: 4th-6th grade
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![]() I have yet to read a Kwame Alexander book that I have not enjoyed and learned from and The Undefeated is no exception. I read the book to myself initially and then found a video on YouTube of Alexander reading the book himself, and I had to listen to it multiple times in order to appreciate his word choice and view the stunning illustrations. In The Undefeated, Kwame Alexander celebrates and highlights black individuals who have triumphed despite the struggles they undoubtedly encountered over the course of their lives. The words and illustrations work in tandem to allude to specific Black heroes throughout history. For example, the page that includes “the swift and sweet ones who hurdled history” includes an illustration of Jesse Owens who broke barriers by winning four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics which came during Hitler’s reign and the idea of the “perfect Aryan race”. The words and illustrations by Kadir Nelson depict Black people in triumph and perseverance, as individuals and as families. The characters are not presented as stereotypes or as tokens, but as the heroes of their own stories. They are presented to the reader as people to aspire to be. Individuals who became heroes to others despite adversity. One of the illustrations that stands out to me the most is a young adult Black man with his hand on the shoulder of a younger Black boy. It is a show of support and strength. The older young man has his hat in his hands as a show of respect and the younger one has a book opened. They are both contemplative and are presented as an embodiment of strength and faith, not as slaves or someone who is being helped along by a white character as is often seen in African American literature. There is also an illustration of a young Black soldier carrying the American flag as the words on the page reflect his courage “on the battlefield to save an imperfect Union.” This is inspirational to me as it acknowledges the fight for a belief in something that matters despite current conditions which ties into the next page seamlessly with the reference to the current social and political movement of “black lives matter”. Despite the positivity and inspiration of the book, Alexander does not gloss over the topic of slavery or other tragedies throughout history. He announces them as “the unspeakable” which is illustrated on a page of Black individuals lying and standing together in rows that allow the reader to infer they are enslaved. There are also pages of “unspeakable” which illustrate others who have lost their lives to racism and injustice. I adore the layers in this book. The ties to Black heroes from the past and present, the references to historical and current events, the hidden allusions such as “the promised land” which references MLK Jr and his I Have a Dream speech and the “We Real Cool one” which alludes to Gwendolyn Brook’s poem of the same name are all amazing. Approximated Reading Level: Although this book could be read by children as young as 6-7 years, I do not think they will be able to understand the connection and layers. There is also a reference to Black Lives Matter. This is a book that could be appreciated at any grade level. ![]() I have always felt a connection to MLK Jr’s I Have a Dream speech, and this is one of the reasons I chose to read A Place to Land. King’s speech transcends one race and works to paint a picture of a world where we all can live in unity. It is one of the defining moments in the Civil Rights movement and Wittenstein and Pinkney do a fabulous job of giving the reader a glimpse into how this speech came to be in their picture book A Place to Land. They allow the reader take a peek behind the curtain and into MLK Jr’s mind as he pens the speech. A Place to Land discusses the cultural and historical influences that King drew upon when composing his speech – people such as Langston Hughes and Abraham Lincoln as well as the Bible and spirituals. As he is thinking through the content of his speech we learn that he was thinking about Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, and the children of Birmingham. His planning and thought process is anchored in some of the cultural markers and historical tragedies that have molded him into the man that he has become and have caused some of the racial divisions in the country. We learn that his advisors encourage him to preach to the crowd. They want him to dig down into that fountain of knowledge and experience he has developed over the years in the pulpit and share it with the 250,000 congregants at the Lincoln Memorial, and in the end, he does. Pinkney’s illustrations reflect the people’s faces and historical documents and propaganda that may have been seen at Lincoln Memorial and over the course of the Civil Rights movement. The majority of the faces are black; however, there are other races represented as well. They faces are all contemplative or look to be participating in the gathering. A Place to Land is an uplifting book in both words and illustrations. The illustrations do not stereotype or oversimplify the characters as is mentioned in the article 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism, and the hero of the story is not a “safe” hero in that King definitely worked against the establishment to try and bring about change for all. A Place to Land tells the story of a brilliant black man whose goal was to bring peace and equality to all. The last page of the book is particularly poignant. “And those battles continue to be fought. But that night brought optimism and laughter, for they all agreed. Martin stepped up to the lectern, and stepped down on the other side of history.” The author does not state that this one speech brought everyone together and the world is now a perfect place. He does not minimize the battles that still need to be fought which is important for those individuals who read this book and are still feeling disenfranchised and who face hatred and bigotry today, but the book does give kudos to a man who deserves it and helps to open a discussion into the work that still needs to be done. I love this book. I love that it gives background into one of the most important leaders and speeches in our nation’s history. I would hope that as students and teachers read and study this book alongside the I Have a Dream speech they would all feel a sense of pride and unity at the words that MLK so brilliantly espouses. The reader is certainly given a glimpse into the mind of MLK Jr and his intentions, and I personally see my desires and hopes reflected in his words and in the intent of this gorgeously illustrated picture book. This book shares some history from a perspective that is not often discussed, the lead up to the speech, and it opens a door to some conversations about what still needs to be done in order to achieve King’s dream. It also gives a glimpse into the writing process of a brilliant man. Approximate Reading Level: 2nd-4th grades ![]() My son came home in 5th grade with a copy of Ghost Boys that he had chosen for his reading class. I read the summary on the book jacket and was intrigued, so I decided to read it alongside him, and I loved it. That being said. It is not an "easy" read. The vocabulary and storyline is not difficult and is probably accessible for ages 10 and up, but the content is graphic in areas and the story is weighty. The storyline centers around as twelve-year-old boy, Jerome, who is fatally shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real gun. Jerome's ghost narrates the story as he watches the drama and devastation unfold around his killing. Along the way, Jerome's ghost meets the ghost of Emmett Till and the storyline weaves in the historical context and story involving the real-life killing of Emmett Till. Rhodes constructs a story that includes elements of fiction, history, and current sociological and political issues. The story centers on heavy topics and may be difficult for a child to read on their own. I would recommend reading this book alongside your child and discussing all of the layers within it. My son and I had very interesting and important discussions involving Emmett Till, racism, police brutality, profiling, and social issues in general. If you enjoy this book by Jewell Parker Rhodes, you might consider giving Towers Falling a read as well. Approximate Reading Level - 5th-6th grade (the content would work for higher grades) |
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