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Tree of Hope

by Amy Littlesugar Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

The Lafayette Theatre once shone out over the streets of Harlem like a star. But it is the Great Depression, and the only reminder of the Lafayette's glory days is the single Tree of Hope, which Florrie and her Daddy wish on for times to be the way they were.

Samuel's Choice

by Richard Berleth

This story, based on actual incidents and battles in the Revolutionary War, brings readers right into the action — a 14-year-old slave named Samuel faces a difficult choice when only he can help the colonists during the Battle of Long Island, the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

Safe at Home

by Sharon Robinson

Ten-year-old Elijiah Breeze, a.k.a. Jumper, is having the hardest summer of his life. His father has just died; his mother has moved them from the suburbs to New York City's Harlem area; and he has to spend the summer at baseball camp. Basketball is Jumper's game.

The Real Slam Dunk

by Charisse K. Richardson Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Marcus Robinson is psyched! Tomorrow, his class is going on a field trip to a professional basketball arena to meet the one and only Jason Carter, Marcus's hero.

More Than Anything Else

by Marie Bradby

A fictionalized story about the life of young Booker T. Washington. Living in a West Virginia settlement after emancipation, nine-year-old Booker travels by lantern light to the salt works, where he labors from dawn till dusk. Although his stomach rumbles, his real hunger is his intense desire to learn to read.

Koya Delaney and the Good Girl Blues

by Eloise Greenfield

Little Koya Delaney has a knack for hiding what she truly feels with her infectious laugh that leaves everyone happy except herself. Koya is upset by an argument that her sister Loritha and her dear friend Dawn had right before a double-dutch jump rope contest.

Gloria's Way

by Ann Cameron Illustrated by Lis Toft

By the author of The Secret Life of Amanda K Woods and The Stories Julian Tells.

Freedom Crossing

by Margaret Goff Clark

Although she lives in the North, Laura's ties to the South and what it stands for are strong. And she is firm in her conviction that the Southern states have the right to maintain their own laws and beliefs, even those concerning slavery.

Circle of Gold

by Candy Dawson Boyd

This Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book and Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies tells the story of one fatherless young girl who tries her best to improve her family's situation.

Abby Takes a Stand

Series: Scraps of Time, Book #1

by Patricia McKissack Illustrated by Gordon C. James

Gee recalls for her grandchildren what happened in 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she, aged ten, passed out flyers while her cousin and other adults held sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters to protest segregation.