by Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge 5 stars A biography in verse using found poetry from Olaudah Equiano’s own autobiography. I absolutely adored this format. Fantastically constructed. The found verse format was done in a way that made the text and narrative more accessible to a modern reader without losing the original intent. Throughout the…
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Illustrated by Emily Cannon 3 stars An interesting blend of history and the paranormal with plenty of mystery and secrets. Chelsea has worked hard to shake her past as the “Ghost Girl”. She’s got new, popular friends at her fancy, new school and everything is going just fine. Until she’s forced to work at Ghost…
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by Kate Messner and José Barreiro Illustrated by Falynn Koch 5 stars Another fantastic entry in the History Smashers series. Told with humor and wit, this book helps to lay out the exploration of Christopher Columbus, describe aspects of Taino culture, and shows why Columbus became such a popular figure in the first place. Along…
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by Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrated by Frank Morrison 4 stars A remarkable exploration of history as told through the modernized lyrics of the popular spiritual, “Standing in the Need of Prayer”. The book works in various events throughout history from the American slave trade to Emancipation to the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives…
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Art by Dare Coulter 5 stars Masterful. This book is hard-hitting, beautiful, powerful, hopeful, unabashed, and well-told. It acknowledges that the histories and realities of the past can be hard to face and difficult to discuss. But encourages us all to keep fighting for a better future. A story of hope and hardship, of remembering…
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by Clive Gifford Illustrated by Steve Gavan 3 stars A fun and interesting introduction to politics. The book focuses on different types of governments, ways of voting, and how to get involved in decision making. It touches on a lot of the major moments throughout political history. While it does make an effort to cover…
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by Zora Neale Hurston Edited by Deborah G. Plant Forward by Alice Walker 5 stars An incredible read. Barracoon not only tells Cudjo Lewis’ story in his own words, but also the story of how Hurston’s relationship with him grew and the history of the book’s publication. About half of the book comes directly from…
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5 stars A fantastic autobiographical novel-in-verse that beautifully showcases Woodson’s voice. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, Woodson shares stories from her life living in Ohio, South Carolina, and New York. Woodson tackles so many themes in this book. From family upheaval to moving to a new place, experiencing death of family members to standing…
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5 stars From the poetic team that brought us, Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship comes a powerful novel-in-verse that tells the story of the last American slave ship. Waters and Latham give voice to the survivors of the journey on the Clotilda, the enslavers who put them on that journey, and even…
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5 stars A breathtaking novel-in-verse. Kwame Alexander’s historical fiction novel tells the story of Kofi, an Asante boy on the verge of his initiation into manhood. Though he nears this milestone, there are secrets his elders still keep from him. I loved the emphasis on Kofi’s life in the Asante Kingdom, the various ways readers…
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