American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. Roaring Brook Press, 2006. 240 pages. pap. $17.95. ISBN 978-1-59643-152-2.

Annotation: Three stories are blended together in words and pictures. One is the fable of a monkey king; another is an elementary school age boy’s attempt to fit in at a white school, and the last is a popular teenage boy’s struggle in dealing with his stereotypical Chinese cousin.

Summary: In graphic novel form, three stories are told and become intermingled in the end. The first involves a monkey king who is shut out by the gods and tries to shed his monkey form. The second involves elementary school student, Jin Wang, who wanting to be Caucasian, tries to change his appearance so he can find acceptance. The third is about a popular teenager named Danny who endures embarrassing visits from his stereotypical Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee. When Danny beats up Chin-Kee he discovers that his cousin was the monkey king in disguise. The monkey king talks to Danny about love and acceptance of others. Jin accepts his Chinese identity and becomes friends again with a Chinese immigrant whom he hurt but who is really the monkey king’s son who is passing a test of virtue.

Evaluation: The blending of the three stories (although it initially seemed random) works extremely well in this medium. Yang was able to pull the three together to form a coherent and complex whole. The vibrant artwork is easy to follow and captures the spirit of the stories. The story raises important questions about identity, friendship, racism, and acceptance. Recommended for ages 12 to 18.

Genre / Subject: Fiction, Graphic Novel, Chinese Americans, Schools, Prejudice, Identity, Racism, Acceptance, Friendship, Family, Aspirations

Awards: 2006 National Book Honor Award, 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Winner, 2007 Best Books for Young Adults, 2007 ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2009. 144 pages. Tr. $19.95 ISBN 978-0-374-31322-7.

Annotation: Before Rosa Parks became famous for refusing to give up her bus seat, Claudette Colvin, a black teenager, initiated the protest that led to the Montgomery Bus boycott and the desegregation of public areas by first refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. This is the story that history missed.

Summary: Fed up with the injustice that accompanied Jim Crow segregation, Claudette Colvin was an early civil rights pioneer. Only fifteen years old, she was the first person to refuse to give up a bus seat to a white person. Rosa Parks did a similar thing about nine months later and was hailed as a hero. Unfortunately, for Claudette, after she was arrested, she was spurned classmates and ignored by community leaders. Later Claudette championed for equal rights when she was a key plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, a landmark case that struck down the segregation laws of Montgomery. But Claudette was again largely disregarded for her heroic efforts, probably as a result of her unplanned pregnancy and expulsion from school.

Evaluation: The author has done excellent research for this book taking an in-depth look at Claudette’s life; he conducted many personal interviews with Claudette. Phillip Hoose wove together a gripping story with Claudette rightfully playing a central role in Montgomery’s civil rights drama. This informative book is replete with black-and-white period photographs and reprints of newspaper articles and other documents making it a visual historic treat. Recommended for ages 9 to 16.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Racism, African Americans, Biography, History, Civil Rights Movement

Awards: 2009 National Book Award Winner - Young People’s Literature, 2010 Newbery Medal Honor Book, 2010 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book Award, 2010 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2010 ALA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Honor Book

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Disney Press, 2008. 96 pages. Tr. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-0832-8.

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Narrated by Dion Graham. Brilliance Audio, 2009. CD, 120 minutes. $19.99 ISBN 978-1-4233-7536-4.

Annotation: The history, life style, challenges, discrimination, and popularity of Negro League Baseball from the 1920’s until 1947 is explored through text and paintings.

Summary: This is a fitting tribute to Negro League Baseball. It describes the beginning and history of the leagues, the players, the style of play and the league’s ultimate collapse when Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. An elderly fictional baseball player gives an insider account of what is was like to experience segregated baseball. Since blacks were banned from playing in the major leagues, Rube Foster organized the Leagues and offered African Americans the chance to earn a living playing baseball. The accounts of great players like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige are detailed. The impact of racism is discussed as well as how the League ultimately enabled black players to be given the chance to play in the major leagues.

Evaluation: This history book reads like a compelling story. Nine chapters (or innings) are chronologically presented with beautifully vivid muscular oil paintings spread throughout. The conservational text and the larger-than-life illustrations complement each other. The history of the Negro leagues and the discrimination that the players endured are brought to life. Recommended for ages 6 to 16.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Sports, Baseball, African Americans, History, Racism, Discrimination

Awards: 2009 Coretta Scott King Award Winner – Author, 2009 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book – Illustrator, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner- Children’s Book, 2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010 Odyssey Honor Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production, 2010 ALA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Award

The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go To Birmingham- 1963. Random House Children’s Books, 1997. 224 pages. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-440-41412-4.

Annotation: A black family from Michigan decides to spend the summer in Alabama during 1963 when racism and civil rights tensions are high. Their grandmother’s church is bombed and the impact of violence will prove to strengthen their family’s love and endurance.

Summary: A middle class black family from Flint Michigan decides to spend the summer in Birmingham, Alabama during the year 1963. Kenny’s older brother, Byron, is getting into too much trouble with city life and gangs and needs to be straightened out by his strong grandma. Kenny, the narrator, tells of his family’s experiences, both humorous and tragic as they deal with both northern and southern racism. Curtis writes thoughtfully about family relations, civil rights, and the impact of violence. When a local church is bombed and the whereabouts of Kenny’s sister, Joetta, is uncertain, the strength of family love and endurance is revealed. The story is especially compelling because it is a fictional account of an actual event- the September 15th, 1963 bombing of the 16th Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham which killed four teenage girls.

Evaluation: This well-written book is both funny and serious. The reader gets to know what a wonderfully wacky family the Watson’s are and share in their sorrow when violence erupts upon this undeserving family. The family comedy turns into a national tragedy with hope for a future filled with equality and acceptance. Recommended for ages 10 to 16.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Fiction, Historical, Family, Racism, African Americans, Violence

Awards: 1995 Golden Kite Award Winner- Fiction, 1996 Newbery Award Honor Book, 1996 Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award, 1996 Jane Addams Children’s Honor Book Award, 1996 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1996 ALA Notable Children’s Book

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle

Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom. Henry Holt & Company, 2008. 176 pages. Tr. $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-8674-4.

Annotation: This book, written in free verse prose, sheds a personal light on Cuba’s three wars for independence from Spain between the years 1850-1899. The story in verse follows alternating voices including Rosa, a healer, Jose, a freed slave, Silvia, a refugee child, and Lieutenant Death, a slave hunter and soldier.

Summary: This novel in verse alternately follows four central characters as they are involved in various struggles with Cuba’s three wars for independence from Spain between the years 1850-1899. The most prominent voice is Rosa, a traditional healer, who nurses all people- blacks, whites, Cuban, and Spanish back to health during the fifty year struggle. Despite living her life on the lam, she uses herbal medicine she makes from the native plants and sets up hospitals in caves and other hidden places. The second voice is Rosa’s husband, Jose, who is a freed slave that assists Rosa in tending to the sick and dying. The third voice is that of Silvia, a refugee child who Rosa teaches the art of healing. The final voice is that of Lieutenant Death, a slave hunter and callous soldier who is obsessed with hunting down slaves and trying to kill the heroine Rosa. The story follows the struggle of slavery and the sadness involved with the concentration camps that bring starvation, disease, and death. But the story also shows the hope in Cuba’s quest for freedom. The healing kindness that Rose, Jose, and Silvia show to others touches people and changes lives.

Evaluation: With simple, short lines of prose the story is easy to follow and well-written. There is a Cuban flavor to the language with a sprinkling of Spanish words. The free verse poems vary in length and style and together construct a compelling narrative that offers an authentic-feeling glance into the Cuban history. Recommended for ages 10-17.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Poetry, Cuba, History, Independence, Racism, Survival

Awards: 2009 Pura Belpre Award Winner, 2009 Newbery Medal Honor Book, 2009 ALA Notable Books for Children, 2009 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winner – Books for Older Children, 2009 ALA Best Books for Young Adults