All about the Books

  Bibliography: Holm, Jennifer L. 2010. TURTLE IN PARADISE. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780375836886 Plot Summary: It is 1935 and times are hard for Americans: the stock market has crashed; the country is trying to avoid war. Turtle lives with her mother but is shipped to Key West, Florida when her mother’s new boss declares that she does not like kids.  Turtle goes to live with her aunt and cousins.  Aunt Minnie isn’t thrilled to learn, unexpectedly that she is going to to be caring for Turtle because she has her hands full with the three boys and a husband who works away. Turtle adjusts to living in Key West but notices that its pretty slow for somewhere so beautiful. All the adults are busy with their lives and the kids play from sun-up until sunset.  Turtle decides one day that she needs a job to help earn money to buy the house that her Mama promised they will live in. Turtle gets work helping at the docks and when she’s not working, she is hanging out wit...

Bibliography: Nelson, Kadir. WE ARE THE SHIP: THE STORY OF NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL. 2008. New York: Hyperion Books for Children ISBN 9780789808328 Plot Summary: Segregation of African Americans existed in every space and place in the United States of America. One of the spaces was in sports, specifically, baseball. In this grand account and telling of an organization that was created because African Americans weren't allowed to play with Caucasions; Kadir Nelson gives us the story how The Negro League came to exist. Mr. Nelson begins with talking of the few Negro baseball players who in the mid-1860's played the game but due to discrimination and downright violent mistreatment would eventually be kicked off the teams they were playing on. The reader then learns about a player and manager by name of Rube Foster who would establish and organize The Negro Leagues: a baseball league of teams with only Black men as players.  The narrator goes on to tell how the teams would travel in t...

Bibliography: Murphy, Jim. A SAVAGE THUNDER: ANTIETAM AND THE BLOODY ROAD TO FREEDOM. 2009. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 9780689876332 Plot Summary: This is a story about one day during the Civil War and how the blood that was shed would have a huge impact on history.  During the Civil War, a war that was about the rights of people, specifically the power that a state can hold when it came to laws and slaves. The Union soldiers led by General McClellan and the Confederate soldiers led by General Robert E. Lee were in a do or die; fight to the end, battle to uphold what each side believed in as being right.  The Civil War had already become a ugly war of principles, states' rights, and the right to prove a group of people wrong about slaves.  President Lincoln was poised and ready to make good on giving freedom to slaves but there were states that depended on the slaves to help their economy.  Although General McClellan was a leader for the Union Army, ...

Bibliography: Nelson, Kadir. 2011. HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICA AND AFRICAN AMERICANS. New York: Balzer + Bray. ISBN 9780061730740 Plot Summary: In a country where history is told, shared, and taught in a variety of ways, comes a book that captures some of the most captivating stories about America and it's complicated history with African Americans. These stories are told by an unknown narrator who talks about how her ancestors were brought to America and unfairly treated. These are stories that start at the beginning: when our country was founded to a movement that was known as The Civil Rights Movement; when African Americans would fight for the same rights as Caucasians. Readers are introduced to the American Revolution and the role which African Americans had in this war; only to find themselves remaining property and working for a nation that was more concerned with profits than equality of all humans.  Moving further into the pages, we read about the fight to maintai...

Bibliography: Kerley, Barbara. 2010. THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY). Ill. by Fotheringham, Edwin. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545125086 Plot Summary: There have been many biographies written about the great American author Mark Twain.  Many of them talk about his literary career and the humor that he brought to his writings. In this serious but cute biography, we get a to know Mr. Twain through the eyes of his daughter, Susy. Susy has heard how people talk about her father being such a humorous and upbeat man.  She knows that this is partly true but what about the other characteristics of "Papa" that no one is talking about or at least don't know about him.  Susy decides that she is going to write about "Papa" and tell the world what her father is really like; all of his personality quirks and nuances.  Susy during the day would follow her father around; studying his every move: the way he talked, walked, how he would take time to hims...

Bibliography: Engle, Margarita. 2010. THE FIREFLY LETTERS. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. ISBN 978085090826 Plot Summary: The Firefly Letters is the story of freedom, compassion for humankind, and longing for home.  Ms. Engle writes a story about Fredrika, a Swedish lady who visits Cuba to see what life is like in a country that is beautiful and full of life.  In Cuba, there are two girls who live completely different lives: Elena is the daughter of a wealthy Cuban and Cecilia, the slave girl who will serve as translator for the Swedish guest. When Fredrika arrives in Cuba, she expects to stay in a small hut but is placed at a compound; something that Fredrika did not want.  However, as she is a guest and doesn't want to cause trouble for herself nor her country, Fredrika is the gracious visitor.  Elena was warned by her father to, "ignore any outlandish ideas..."; Elena however wishes that she could move as free as Fredrika and even Cecilia.  Cecilia, a...

Bibliography: Florian, Douglas. 2022. ZOOBILATIONS! New York: Beach Lane Books.  ISBN 9781534465909 Plot Summary: Douglas Florian writes a playful, colorful collection of poems about animals that you may see in the zoo. Each poem talks about what the animal can do or maybe not. The words Mr. Florian uses to describe the animals give the reader an idea of what the animal looks like but also what they can do physically. Kids will find a poem about centipedes and millipedes:"The centipede and millipede for legs, could win a medal." This is talking about how the two insects would win a race because of their speed having so many legs. Critical Analysis: I enjoyed reading this book not just for the poems and how silly they read but for the artwork that Mr. Florian has included on the pages. On the cover, just above the author's name, there is the byline, "Animal Poems and Paintings"; but I couldn't believe that those illustrations were created using paint. The ill...