The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and her Students

The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and her Students. By Suzanne Jurmain. 160 pages. Tr. $19.00 ISBN 978-0618473021

Summary: In 1831, Prudence Crandall opened the Canterbury Female Boarding School. Located in Canterbury, Connecticut, the school was rated as one of the leading private girls’ academies in New England. Though owning a slave was still legal in Connecticut, most African-American people were free. Racial discrimination was rife, however. Prudence Crandall grew up in a Quaker family, and she sympathized with the plight of the slaves. Reading William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist paper the Liberator opened her eyes to the unequal treatment experienced by Northern blacks, who received less pay than whites for the same work, and were forbidden from entering most schools. Crandall was so moved by what she read, that she accepted an African American girl named Sarah Hayes as a student, in 1832. When word got around to students’ parents that their daughters were attending school with a black girl, chaos ensued. The floodgates were opened as parents lashed out at Crandall, removing their girls from her academy. This is the story of Crandall’s decision to transform her academy into a school for African American girls. We follow Prudence Crandall as she welcomes pupils from across New England, and sympathize with her as she courageously bears the local outcry against the school, and battles state laws.

Standard(s): 8.7 Compare the lives of and opportunities for free blacks in the North with those of free blacks in the South; 4.Compare the lives of and opportunities for free blacks in the North with those of free blacks in the South. 8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. 1. Describe the leaders of the movement (e.g., John Quincy Adams and his proposed constitutional amendment, John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass). 6. Describe the lives of free blacks and the laws that limited their freedom and economic opportunities.

Suggested Age Range: 10-14 years

Annotation: The Forbidden Schoolhouse chronicles nineteenth-century ideas of women, race and education, offering tweens with balanced and engaging first-person narratives. We follow Prudence Crandall’s Canterbury Female Boarding School, from its founding in 1831 as an all-white school for girls to its closing in 1835 as a school for African American girls. The local outcry against the school brought forth many short-term laws. The 1833 Connecticut Black Law, for example, fined out-of-state African-American students for attending Connecticut schools. Charged with breaking the Black Law, Prudence’s court struggles were met with failure. However, her lawyer’s rhetoric played a fundamental role in the 1955 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. Separate education for whites and blacks is unconstitutional, for it violates student’s rights as American citizens.

Subjects/Themes: Crandall, Prudence, 1803-1890 – Biography; Women educators – Connecticut; African-American women – Education – Connecticut

Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2006)

            NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Nominee (2006)

            Golden Kite Award Nominee (2005)

            James Madison Book Award Nominee (2006)

            Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Nominee (2007)

Reviews: School Library Journal (November 1, 2005)

            Booklist (October 1, 2005)

High Interest Annotation: Local and state-wide protests against a nineteenth-century academy for African American girls, the Canterbury Female Boarding School, is chronicled.

The Mysteries of Beethoven’s Hair

The Mysteries of Beethoven’s Hair. By Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2009. 128 pages. Tr. $15.95 IBSN 978-1570917141

Summary: Younger readers will not be disappointed with this story, which follows the journey of a locket of Beethoven’s hair as it is first snipped by pianist Ferdinand Hillier at Beethoven’s death in 1827.  The ownership of the locket then passes to Hiller’s son, somehow arriving at the port city of Gilleleje, Denmark, during the Holocaust. Dr. Fremming, a Danish doctor assisting Jewish refugees receives the locket from a captured Jewish prisoner. Later his adopted Jewish daughter, Michele Wassard Larsen, auctions the locket, which is purchased by two American Beethoven aficionados – Dr. Che Guevara and Ira Brilliant. Through the locket of hair, Beethoven’s story comes vividly to life. Readers learn about Beethoven’s character, compositional style, early childhood years, education, and life in Vienna, romantic attachments, friendships, familial mores, philosophy, and health problems. Beethoven’s biography alternates with research in cutting-edge science, as scientists analyze the sample of hair to discern reasons that might explain why Beethoven suffered chronic health problems, especially deafness and stomach ailments.

Standard(s): Ontario, Canada’s cross-curriculum and integrated learning: “students are provided with opportunities to learn and use related content and/or skills in two or more subjects. . . . . they build subject-specific vocabulary, read stories for inspiration for their art works, and respond to and analyze art works using language.” C3.1 analyze some of the social, political, and economic factors that affect the creation of music; C3.2 compare and contrast music from the past and present

Suggested Age Range: 10-14 years

Annotation: In 2001, Russell Martin garnered international acclaim for Beethoven’s Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved. The tie-in documentary, directed by Larry Weinstein was released in 2006 to rave reviews. In 2009, widespread interest in Beethoven’s Hair encouraged Martin to publish the same research on Beethoven with Lydia Nibley for tweens. The biography is a curious mixture of the history of Beethoven, classical music, medicine, Europe, and the Holocaust, along with modern scientific research. Studying relics like hair can aid biographers in fleshing out more information about the subject of interest, and these studies do add a more rounded view of Beethoven.

Subjects/Themes: Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827) – Biography; Holocaust;  Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827) - Relics; Science

Awards: AJL Sydney Taylor Notable Books for Young Readers

            An NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 
(2010)

            CCBC Choices

Reviews: Booklist (June 1, 2009)

School Library Journal (March 1, 2009)

            The Horn Book (May 1, 2009)

High Interest Annotation: A locket of Beethoven’s hair is followed from his death in 1827 to the present day, uncovering mysteries of Beethoven’s life through cutting-edge research.

Life on the Pony Express (The Way People Live series)

A detailed look at the mail delivery system from the expansion era of US History, Life on the Pony Express provides in-depth analysis of the who, what, when, where and why of this unique form of mail.   Each chapter looks one slice of what it took to start and keep the Pony express going through 1860 and 1861.  

What tween boy doesn’t still like action and war?  Well, there is plenty of both in this historical look at such a rough and dangerous job.  While more of a text than a narrative, Ms. Yancey provides plenty of stories beyond the facts, like the one about “American Boy”, a horse who decides he doesn’t need a rider to deliver the mail (Yancey, p. 48) or the description of Warren Frederick Fisher who was one of many riders to be stuck in a blizzard with no idea which way he was going (p. 72).  

Indians were also a part of the ride from Missouri to California causing delivery problems, deaths, and transportation problems.  The way stations used to house riders and horses for each leg were often plagued by Indians looking for “free” horses or food.

Overall, this book presents a fun look at the best known early transcontinental mail delivery system. 

Standards: Louisiana H-1A-M2: Demonstrating historical perspective on political, social and economic context through which an event or idea occurred. H-1A-M3: Analyzing the impact that specific individuals, events or ideas had on the course of history.

Age Range: 9 to 14

Recognitions:

            School Library Journal (May 2001)

            School Library Journal (August 2001)

Yancey, D. (2001). The Way People Live- Life on the Pony Express (1 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent Books.

The Barbarossa Brothers and the Pirates of the Mediterranean

Is there anyone who hasn’t dreamed what it would be like to be a pirate?  Do tweens know much about piracy at all?  Well this fun book will promote information about a group of pirates that many American’s know nothing about.   Pirates exist and have existed throughout the world since sailing began but the Barbarossa Brothers present a new look at the unique needs and goals of the Mediterranean pirates of the 16^th and 17^th centuries. 

Long before engines were used for running ships, some companies used sails while others used human rowers.  Rather than pay these rowers, the Barbary pirates prefered to capture ships with a lot of men and enslave them.  This way, with little cost, there was a constant flow of available labor to help the pirates continue their quests for more loot and more slaves.  Even women and children were enslaved although they were usually sold when the pirates pulled into port. 

Religion plays a part in some acts of piracy and the Barbarossa Brothers were no different.  They had very set beliefs and held to them.  To find out what they did, how they became famous and who they really were, hit the library and grab this exciting book.

Standards: Louisiana H-1C-M9: Tracing the expansion of major religions and cultural traditions and examining the impact on civilizations in Europe, Africa and Asia.  H-1A-M2: Demonstrating historical perspective on political, social and economic context through which an event or idea occurred. H-1A-M3: Analyzing the impact that specific individuals, events or ideas had on the course of history.

Age Range: 9 to 13 years

Malam, J. (2008). The Barbarossa Brothers and the Pirates of the Mediterranean. United States: Qed Publishing, A Division Of Quarto Publishing Plc.

WE ARE THE SHIP

The story of Negro League Baseball

by Kadir Nelson

Summary: Baseball has been a national pastime for over a century but it has not always been as diverse as we see it today.   Artist and author Kadir Nelson writes an informative book on the history of the Negro league during the segregation of baseball. 

Originally baseball started with mixed race teams but by the early 1900’s team owners had dropped their Negro players creating a Caucasian league.  In the early days of baseball during the late 19^th Century, any good player could join a team.   Then as baseball became more organized, team owners got together and the Negros were pushed out of the leagues.

But the Negro players were not to be denied and this book explores the history of the Negro league, its founders and great players.   A wonderful supplement to African-American History, a sports unit for any class or as additional credit, this narrative will delight readers with the stories, facts and illustrations.

Standards: Louisiana H-1A-M2: Demonstrating historical perspective on political, social and economic context through which an event or idea occurred.  H-1A-M3: Analyzing the impact that specific individuals, events or ideas had on the course of history. H-1B-M18: Discussing issues and developments in contemporary US History.

Awards:    ALA Notable Children’s Book

                  Coretta Scott King Award

Reviews:  Booklist [starred] (January 2009)

                 Kirkus [starred]  (January 2009)

Age Range: 9 to adult

Lincoln: A Photobiography

Lincoln: A Photobiography. By Russell Freedman. Clarion Books, 1987. ISBN: 0899193803

Summary: Lincoln: A Photobiography, is an excellent source of information and images regarding Abraham Lincoln. Its wealth of pictures tell much about this secretive man who rarely shared his innermost thoughts and feelings. This book and its contents are based on Freedman's exceptional compilation of photographs, letters, and drawings concerning Lincoln's life and times. Each image is woven into an eloquent account of Abraham Lincoln's world and the issues surrounding him. This book has so many wonderful pictures and other images both common and rare regarding Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

Standard(s): Utah Social Studies Core Curriculum U.S. History I Standard 9: Students will understand the significance of the Civil War Era to the United States.

Suggested Age Range: 8-12

Annotation: Lincoln: A Photobiography is a concise biography which gives valuable insight into the life of Abraham Lincoln from his childhood through his assassination at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. Russell Freedman begins with a lively account of his childhood, his career as a county lawyer, and his courtship and marriage to Mary Todd. Then it moves on to the presidential years (1861-1865), skillfully explaining the many complex issues he grappled with as he led a deeply divided nation through the Civil War. The author has a way of making history reader-friendly to the point that the reader doesn’t realize just how much history and information they have read until they’re done and are looking for more. Included in the end of the book is a section that lists some of his more well known quotes and their origins.

Subjects/Themes: American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, biography

Awards:
· Newbery Medal (1988)
· Jefferson Cup Award (1988)
· Golden Kite Honor Book Award (1987)
· School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Reviews:
· Publisher Weekly (October, 1989)
· School Library Journal (April 1, 2009)
· Booklist (6 separate reviews)

High Interest Annotation: A concise history of the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln through text and images.

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights

The voice that challenged a nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights. By Russell Freedman. Clarion Books, 2004. ISBN: 0618159752

Summary: This insightful account of the great African American vocalist, Marian Anderson, considers her life and musical career in the context of the history of civil rights in the United States. Drawing on Anderson's own writings and other contemporary accounts, author Russell Freedman shows readers a singer pursuing her art despite the social constraints that limited the careers of black performers in the 1920s and 1930s. Though not a crusader or a spokesperson by nature, Marian Anderson came to stand for all black artists-and for all Americans of color-when, with the help of such prominent figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, she gave her landmark 1939 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which signaled the end of segregation in the arts.

Standard(s): Utah Social Studies Core Curriculum U.S. History II Standard 9: Students will understand the emergence and development of the human rights and culture in the modern era.

Suggested Age Range: 9-12

Annotation: Marian Anderson loved singing. Her life revolved around singing and she thrilled audiences the world over from the time she was young. She performed for European royalty, the White House, and millions of adoring fans, but was denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall because of her skin color. Though she was not a crusader by nature, her response to this injustice threw her into the center of the civil rights movement of the time. She became an emblem for all black American artists as well as for all Americans of color. Her performance, helped along by prominent figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial broke racial barriers and hastened the end of segregation in the world of the arts. An insightful and captivating read, by award-winning author, Russell Freedman that will leave the reader energized and interested.

Subject/Themes: American Civil Rights movement, Marian Anderson, U.S. History, biography, segregation

Awards:
· ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2005)
· Newbery Honor Book (2005)
· The Robert F. Sibert Medal (2005)

Reviews:
· School Library Journal (2004)
· Booklist (2004)
· Publishers Weekly (2004)
· Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (2004)
· Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB) (2004)

High Interest Annotation: The dramatic and inspiring story of the life and musical career of American vocalist, and unexpected civil rights crusader, Marian Anderson.