Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells

Philip Dray has written a wonderful story of the life of Ida B. Wells - as the subtitle says, "The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist." It is just that - a deeply touching story of a girl in a slave family - given their freedom - yet struggling from then on to keep it. It is a powerful story - Ida was tough and she deserves this recognition. At the end of the book, there is a beautiful timeline of Ida's life - it adds the authenticity and information that readers can use for reports and other projects. Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells is a great addition to our Civil Rights units, slavery, etc. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations add such a wonderful touch to this book.

Seven Miles to Freedom

Janet Halfmann's Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story is a powerful slave story. I was not familiar at all with Robert Smalls but now that I've read this book - I am SURE to recommend it to others studying slavery or just interested in reading on the Civil War/Slavery, etc. Duane Smith's illustrations are marvelous - they give you a rugged feel for the times. The powerful picture book tells an amazing story - I would read this to students WAY up even into middle school - it will be long-remembered.