Like Vanessa

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles (Charlesbridge, 2018). 

I'm very happy to share this new middle grade book that comes out on March 13! I've only had a chance to read the beginning, as I recently got back from a vacation, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It's an important book about how our society views beauty.

Book Description from Amazon: 
In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin’s real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa’s view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn’t need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty.

Early Buzz
2017 SCBWI Book Launch Award
2018 "Indies Introduce" Selection
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Kirkus starred review
A Foreward starred review

Endorsed by New York Times Bestselling author, Rita Williams-Garcia 
and Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist & TV/Film Actress

Below is a video where the author discusses her inspiration for the book.

You can read more about the book on the author's website and pre-order it from the publisher here.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Let the Children March

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson, illustrated by Frank Morrison (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018). 

This is a powerful book about the thousands of African American children who marched for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, inspired after hearing Martin Luther King Jr. speak. It's an amazing story. Children and teens took to the streets to protest segregation. They were sprayed with water hoses, hit with batons, and threatened with dogs by the police. Many of them were arrested and jailed. But footage of the violence against these children was seen around the world and there was a public outcry.  Eventually city leaders agreed to desegregate local businesses and free all children who had been jailed. It's an important reminder that we all have a voice, and that sometimes we need to take the risk to speak out against injustice. 

The oil painting illustrations capture the anger, courage, and determination of the protestors. There is also more historical information in the back, like photos, quote sources, and a timeline.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens

Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens by Nina Nolan, illustrated by John Holyfield (HarperCollins, 2015).

In honor of Black History Month, I am sharing this wonderful book about how Mahalia Jackson became the Queen of Gospel. Born in New Orleans, Mahalia had a hard life growing up, but she always loved singing in church. She saved up money working as a maid so that she could move to Chicago and sing in more churches, sometimes for a little money, sometimes not. Eventually she got a record deal and her music was played on the radio. From there, she sang on TV, in movies, at Carnegie Hall, and for presidents and other world leaders. Mahalia even performed at the March on Washington, right before Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Minnie Saves the Day

Minnie Saves the Day by Melodye Benson Rosales (Little, Brown, 2001). 

One day recently when I was walking around my neighborhood, I came across a Little Free Library.  

The rules stated were simple: take a book and either return it or replace it with a different book.  Looking through, an illustrated children's book stood out to me. I knew the author/illustrator from her other books, including the original three Addy books for American Girl. I decided to borrow it and I'm glad I did.

  

Taking place in Chicago during the Great Depression, it's about an African-American girl named Hester who receives a rag doll made by her grandmother.  She's excited because it's the first doll she owns that looks like her. She names her Minnie. We soon learn that all toys come to life when people aren't around.  When Hester's mother thinks her butter pound cake for an upcoming party is ruined, Minnie decides to help save the day. 

The book it set up as part one of a series, "The Adventures of Minnie," although unfortunately it doesn't appear that there were any other stories published. It's formatted similarly to American Girl in that it's historical fiction with a family tree of the characters in the front and some true historical facts in the back, as well as a recipe for the butter pound cake featured in the book. It's a shame there aren't more books in the series.

For more information on black dolls, read this wonderful article titled "Black is Beautiful: Why Black Dolls Matter."

Always an Olivia

Always an Olivia: A Remarkable Family History by Carolivia Herron, illustrated by Jeremy Tugeau (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2012)

This really is a remarkable true family history of the author's.  Her ancestor Sarah was a Jew who lived in Venice, Italy after her family escaped from Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition.  One day in the early 1800s, she is kidnapped by pirates to be ransomed off in North Africa.  However, another captive (who she eventually marries) helps the two of them escape and take a ship to America.  They are dropped off at the Georgia Sea Islands, home of the Geechee (or Gullah) people, free American Americans.  Their family eventually intermarries with the Geechees, but their descendents never forget their Jewish roots, always lighting candles on Sabbath.

There is an interesting article about the author's family history here.

Mumbet's Declaration of Independence

Mumbet's Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfe, illustrated by Alix Delinois (Carolrhoda Books, 2014)

Based on a true story, this book is about Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman.  She was a slave in 18th century Massachusetts who, with the help of a lawyer, fought for her rights based on the Massachusetts Constitution assertion that "All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights."  Amazingly, she won, and gained her freedom.  The court decision led to Massachusetts declaring slavery unconstitutional in 1783. 

It's a shame that her story isn't written about in history textbooks (that I've seen).  I became familiar with Mumbet when my mom was researching our family history.  My several-times great-grandfather Pieter Hogeboom bought Mumbet and another slave named Lizzy (portrayed in this book as her daughter, although it's not known for sure) and later gave her to his daughter Hannah when she married Colonel John Ashley.  Hannah was cruel to her slaves, a famous scene portrayed below, showing her about to strike Lizzy with a hot coal shovel, before Mumbet steps in to protect her. Not a great claim to fame for me, but Hannah Ashley's not a direct ancestor, so it's not quite as bad, I guess?

If you'd like to learn more about Mumbet, there is also a great video from the PBS show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. where he investigates Kyra Sedgwick's ancestry, which includes the lawyer Theodore Sedgwich who helped Mumbet gain her freedom and who she later lived with and worked for.  You can view that here.