Tag Archives: backlist

Review: Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

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Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

Wishbone
Justine Pucella Winans
Publisher
Published September 17, 2024

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About Wishbone

Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren’t careful what you wish for.

Ollie wishes things could be different. He wishes his parents would stop fighting. He wishes his sister Mia didn’t have to worry about paying for college. He wishes people would accept him for who he is. Most of all, he wishes he wasn’t so angry about all of this.

When he and Mia find a two-tailed cat they name Wishbone, Ollie takes comfort in telling him everything he wishes would change—then, … Continue reading →

Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

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Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-In

Winter 2025 Backlist Reading Check-in and Life Update

This will be the whale shark of blog posts because I read a lot of backlist titles in January and February. I was sick for most of February, so I ended up taking it easy and doing a lot more mood reading than I usually do. Plus, as I heard the news about removing Black History celebrations and mentions of women leaders in STEM from websites and government programs, I only felt more determined to read more about both of those things.

Because this list includes so many books, I’m breaking it into subsections. Click the links to jump directly to a subsection that interests you, or feel free … Continue reading →

Review: Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly

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Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space (Young Readers Edition)
Margot Lee Shetterly
HarperCollins
Published November 29, 2016

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About Hidden Figures: Young Readers Edition

The uplifting, amazing true story—a New York Times bestseller

This edition of Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed book is perfect for young readers. It is the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program. Now a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.

Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil … Continue reading →

Review: Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

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Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance
Nikki Grimes
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published January 5, 2021

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About Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance

From Children’s Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance–paired with full-color, original art from today’s most talented female African-American illustrators.

For centuries, accomplished women–of all races–have fallen out of the historical records. The same is true for gifted, prolific, women poets of the Harlem Renaissance who are little known, especially as compared to their male counterparts.
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Review: Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith

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Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith

Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons
James Otis Smith
TOON Books
September 15, 2020

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About Black Heroes of the Wild West

True stories from the Wild West, but not like you’ve seen in the movies.

This graphic novel by James Otis Smith celebrates the extraordinary true tales of three black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their communities in the Old West. Born into slavery in Tennessee, Mary Fields became famous as “Stagecoach Mary,” a cigar-chomping, cardplaying coach driver who never missed a … Continue reading →

Review: The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

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The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Brook Press
Published January 21, 2014

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About The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

An astonishing World War II military story of civil rights from New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor recipient Steve Sheinkin.

A National Book Award Finalist
A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, … Continue reading →