Many books about slavery mention the Underground Railroad as an aid to helping slaves reach the northern states which had abolished slavery. Unbound is interesting since it focuses on people who escaped slavery but who did not make it to the north. In doing research for her novel, Ann Burg referenced Born in Slavery: Slave...
The audiobook Countdown by Deborah Wiles is amazing! It includes actual radio and television news clips, snippets of popular songs, and excerpts from famous speeches. Realistic sound effects have been added to really bring the story to life. This was the second book I listened to for the Audiobook Tour. Countdown, the first book in the...
This is the first audiobook I listened to for the Audiobook Tour of US History project and I highly recommend it! I learned a lot and Joseph Bruchac did an excellent job of narrating his book. I’m definitely interested in reading more by this prolific author. Talking Leaves is the fictionalized story of Uwohali and...
Michael Bornstein was 4 years old when he was rescued from Auschwitz by Russian soldiers on January 27, 1945, which made him one of the youngest Auschwitz survivors. A few days later the Russians photographed the children that had been rescued to document the event. Michael Bornstein didn’t see the picture until he stumbled across...
The Sun is Also a Star is a wonderful romance book for teens. Do you believe in love-at-first-sight? In soulmates? In fate? Or is life just a random set of events? Natasha is a practical, no-nonsense sort of person. Definitely not the starry-eyed and sentimental, ready-to-fall in love at the drop-of-a-hat type. She loves her...
The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin is the poignant story of Suzy Swanson and her attempts to comprehend a world that doesn’t always seem to make sense. Suzy has always been a bit of a nerd and maybe a bit awkward, but she’s always been able to rely on her best friend, Franny Jackson. ...
Wolf Hollow, Lauren Wolk’s debut novel, takes place in rural Pennsylvania in late 1943. The story is told by Annabelle as she looks back in time to the year she turned 12 and “learned to lie”. This ominous start lets the reader know that there is going to be big trouble developing, and so it...
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo is a bighearted tale told by 10-year-old Raymie Clarke whose world has just been turned upside down by her father who left her and her mother in the middle of the night for another woman. Like many kids in similar situations, Raymie thinks it is up to her to win...