Diversify Your Shelves with WNDB--November 2, 2015
Contributed by Karen Sandler
History can be a hard sell for teens (and many adults). Kids ask, “Why do I have to learn this
Diversify Your Shelves with WNDB--November 2, 2015
Contributed by Karen Sandler
History can be a hard sell for teens (and many adults). Kids ask, “Why do I have to learn this stuff? It happened a long time ago.” They don’t feel a connection between themselves and what they read in history books. The kind of historical fiction that is required reading in high school classrooms doesn’t help matters, and often leaves teens glassyeyed and even less inclined to look into the past.
But there are plenty of great teen and middle grade novels out there that are both rich with historical details and captivating to young readers. The three I’ve chosen are all exceptional diverse picks. They all provide an entertaining and thoughtful read, with characters teens can connect with. These three books are my personal recommendations, and I hope you’ll check them out.
Mildred D. Taylor is an awardwinning icon of children’s literature. Her classic novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, won the Newbery Medal in 1977. The 40th anniversary of the book’s release will be celebrated in January 2016 with a beautiful new cover. Roll of Thunder is one of a series of books about the Logan family and is set in southern Mississippi during the depression when Blacks were at the mercy of white vigilantes.
Roll of Thunder is told from the point of view of 9yearold Cassie Logan, who lives in a three room house on land her family owns and farms. They have to walk to school in the mud because the school bus is for whites only. They’re given school books that are worn and damaged rejects from the white students. When they can, they steer clear of whites entirely since those encounters can be frightening or even deadly.
Why you’ll love this book:
It gives a frank, nonsugarcoated view of the South for Blacks. No romanticizing here.
The characters are complex and real. Taylor doesn’t fall into tropes for either the Black or
The rich detail of the setting, encompassing all the senses, thoroughly pull the reader into
the book and the era the story depicts.
While it’s a difficult read at times with the injustices that the Logans experience, it makes
Roll of Thunder an excellent pick for a window or mirror book, reflecting the ways the world has changed as well as the ways it has remain