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Please welcome Linda Jackson with her list of 8 Triumphant African American Chapter Books. We are also giving away a copy of her book, Midnight Without a Moon. Please fill out the Rafflecopter below at the bottom to enter.
8 Triumphant African American Chapter Books
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one African-American family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. [chapter book, ages 10 and up]
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Three sisters travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. Young readers have the opportunity to learn about the Black Panther movement in an engaging, narrative form. [chapter book, ages 8 to 12]
The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Building it’s narrative around a historical event that changed race relations in the South, this book gives readers a historical eye-witness account of the tragic bombing of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. [chapter book, ages 10 and up]
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Acclaimed children’s book author Jacqueline Woodson, recounts her upbringing, split between the North and the South, in this powerful verse memoir. [novel in verse, ages 10 and up]
The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
Although this is not a work of historical fiction, The Skin I’m In deals with the historical theme of colorism, where among her own race, the main character Maleeka is mistreated because of the darkness of her skin. [chapter book, ages 10 to 14]
The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou by Kristin Lattany
“Sister Lou” Louretta Hawkins discovers music and, through it, the worth of her black identity. She navigates an urban world of poverty, overcrowding, hostile police, and feuding gangs to emerge triumphant, secure in her talent and in the love of her family and friends. [chapter book, ages 11 and up]
Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored by Clifton Taulbert
In this memoir, Clifton Taulbert writes about his life experiences from his childhood in the small Mississippi Delta town of Glen Allen during the segregated 1950s. [memoir, ages 11 and up]
Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson
While thirteen-year-old Rose is dreaming of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields, her world is rocked when fourteen-year-old Emmett Till, an African-American boy visiting from Chicago, is murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. [chapter book, ages 10 and up]
Midnight Without a Moon GIVEAWAY
Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to win Midnight Without a Moon. We can only mail to U.S. addresses due to high cost of shipping.
Linda Williams Jackson is a former information technology specialist, turned stay-at-home mom, turned author. In a small city in Mississippi is the place she calls home. She shares this home with her husband, three children, and a cat named Knoxville.
Connect with her on her website and on Twitter (@LindaWJackson).
To find more diverse and multicultural books for children, please check out our Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents. We also have Pinterest board full of ideas:
My favorite African American book for teens right now is Stella By Starlight – kids just LOVE it and it’s so impactful!
Yes! We love that one too! Thanks for stopping by!
Henry’s Freedom Box! Or The Boy who Harnessed the Wind 🙂 s many to choose from but these are at the top of my list…
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a personal favorite 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Freedom School is a great choice!
“One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garcia looks like a great book! The cover art is gorgeous! (As is that of “Midnight Without Moon.)