hear the lions roar

Kristin Levine's THE LIONS OF LITTLE ROCK (Penguin 2012) explores some new territory in the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the South. Marlee and her older sister Judy are preparing for the start of a new school year. Marlee is apprehensive; she is painfully shy, and hates even being called on in class. Judy, though, is looking forward to high school, but her school will not open because the governor is ignoring orders to integrate the school. The Little Rock Nine are gone and Governor Faubus intends to keep the school closed to prevent anyone other than the white students from attending. Off goes Marlee, though, to junior high where she meets the new girl, Liz. Liz seems to understand Marlee's reluctance to draw attention to herself. She even teams up with Marlee for a project, one in which Marlee will have to present to the class. She has Marlee practice in front of the various animal cages at the zoo and even bestows a magic feather which will give Marlee the courage to speak up. And speaking up is something Marlee will have to do once Liz withdraws from the school beacuse someone discovered she was "passing" as white.

Levine chronicles some of the dark events of the 1950s on Arkansas through the eyes of Marlee and her family and friends. While exploring the rampant racism, Levine never loses focus on the story of Marlee and her family. This prevents the story from becoming didactic and, instead, creates a heartfelt story that will touch the hearts and minds of readers. Pair this with Melba Patillo Beal's WARRIORS DON'T CRY, the real life biography of one of the Little Rock Nine and with Christopher Paul Curtis' THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963, and Ellen Levine's FREEDOM'S CHILDREN. <201>

Glory Be

GLORY BE by Augusta Scattergood (Scholastic, January 2012) examines the vestiges of racism in the South in the 1960s. Gloriana, Glory, is just shy of her 12th birthday which happens to fall on the Fourth of July. She hopes to be able to celebrate it at the community pool as she has in the past. However, some of the town leaders have decided to close the pool in order to avoid allowing Negroes to swim there. Some of the town residents resent the Freedom workers who have come to Hanging Moss, Mississippi, to help Negroes register to vote. There is palpable tension in the air. Glory writes a heartfelt letter to the editor of the local paper decrying the narrowmindedness that is keeping the pool closed and minds closed as well. Glory does not see herself as an activist, but that is indeed what she is becoming. Of course, she is also preoccupied with her older sister's sneaky visits out at night, with her own relationship with a lifelong friend, and with the other usual troubles and triumphs of being on the verge of young adulthood. Team this book up with A THOUSAND NEVER EVERS by Shauna Berg and A SUMMER OF KINGS by Han Nolan to name just a couple of other excellent books set in this era. <43>

history in many forms and formats

Kadir Nelson creates a memorable reading and viewing experience in HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AFRICA AND AFRICAN AMERICANS (Balzer and Bray 2011). As he did in WE ARE THE SHIP, Nelson creates a narrator to tell the story of the history from Colonial times to post Civil Rights Movement. Paintings of key players and events extend and elaborate the text which is immediately accessible to readers. This is a book that begs to be browsed at first, taking time to view the illustrations that are hallmarks of Nelson's work. The text can be enjoyed silently, but the rhythm and style beg for a good read aloud as well. <24>





NEVER FORGOTTEN by Patricia McKissack with illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon (Schwartz and Wade 2011) uses poems to tell the story of one family's travails in slavery. McKissack's voice never waivers as she gives voice to various
characters" and their experiences from capture to final freedom. Acrylic and watercolor illustrations are highly stylized and provide the perfect colors, tones, and symbols from each of the stories contained in this book. <25>

The Silence of our Friends

THE SILENCE OF OUR FRIENDS by Mark Long, Jim Demonakos, and Nate Powell (First Second 2012) is a graphic novel about the struggle for civil rights in Houston in the late 60s. Jack is a reporter for a local TV station in Houston and Larry is is a resident of one of the poor wards in the city. He and his neighbors are protesting the presence of the Klan and the lack of rights for Blacks. Somehow, Jack and Larry manage to overcome the intense hatred of racism become friends. However, Houston is not tolerant of interracial friends and this relationship places Jack and Larry and their families in harm's way. Nate Powell's powerful illustrations (Swallow Me Whole) and the terse narrative by Long and Demonakos propel readers into this epoch of American history. Hand this GN to your history teachers as a "text" that will bring to life the struggle for human and civil rights that continues here and abroad. <621>