Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (unabridged audiobook)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2008. Elijah of Buxton. Narrated by Mirron Willis. New York: Listening Library. ISBN 9780739367193

PLOT SUMMARY 
Elijah is 11 years old and was the first person to be free-born in Buxton, Canada - a settlement community for free and escaped slaves.  In this humorous and heart-breaking story, Elijah and the community join together to help each other and anyone else who can escape slavery and make it to the settlement.  Although Elijah and his family consider him "frag'ile" Elijah soon shows how strong he can be when the money Mr. Leroy has saved to purchase his family from slavery is stolen. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Elijah of Buxton won the 2009 Odyssey Honor Award, 2008 Newbery Honor Book, 2008 Coretta Scott King Award, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2009 ALSC Notable Children's Recordings, and the Book of the Year for Children Award from the Canadian Library Association. Although the story starts off slowly, like Elijah's favorite donkey, Christopher Paul Curtis writes with humor, while keeping steady and true to the harsh realities of the heartbreak that is slavery.  

Although the main story is about freedom and slavery, the story also contains themes of injustice, community, friendship and growing up. The sense of community is so strong and beautiful that it often made me cry.  As Elijah and his mother walk to a neighbor's house to inform her of bad news, more and more neighbors join in carrying food to help comfort and support the family. It's while reading the letter, Elijah begins to prove to himself and his family that he's becoming "growed up." Curtis includes real historical facts about Buxton such as the founding of Buxton by the Reverend William King. 

In this unabridged audio version of the book, Mirron Willis does an excellent job of using the language and dialect of the time.  Although this story would also be a fantastic read, listening to the different characters really made each person's back story stand out. On occasion  this reviewer and her son noticed that Willis's accent wavered on the main character of Elijah, but was particularly convincing with his use of a slithery, sleezy voice for the scoundrel preacher.  However, Willis was able to successfully navigate a plethora of characters, from a very young boy to an older female neighbor.  His reading made the story come alive. 


REVIEW EXCERPTS 
Floating up like a bubble through layers of history, buoyed with hope and comic energy...Curtis is a master at balancing the serious and the lighthearted.  His latest book is another natural award candidate and makes an excellent case, in a story positively brimming with both truth and sense, for the ability of historical fiction to bring history to life. --The New York Times

The arresting historical setting and physical comedy signal classic Curtis (Bud, Not Buddy), but while Elijah's boyish voice represents the Newbery Medalist at his finest, the story unspools at so leisurely a pace that kids might easily lose interest. Readers meet Buxton's citizens, people who have known great cruelty and yet are uncommonly polite and welcoming to strangers...Curtis brings the story full-circle, demonstrating how Elijah the "fra-gile" child has become sturdy, capable of stealing across the border in pursuit of the crooked preacher, and strong enough to withstand a confrontation with the horrors of slavery. The powerful ending is violent and unsettling, yet also manages to be uplifting.  --Publishers Weekly

Christopher Paul Curtis knows how to write characters so engaging and believable you want to meet them in person. In fact, after reading his books, you feel like you have. ...another novel with heart and meaning wrapped in rollicking humor. Readers will slip into the story as they, along with eleven-year-old Elijah, assume a life of freedom, but this is the 1850's and slavery still exists in America, alarmingly close to the freed slave community of Buxton, Canada..Elijah's heroism is believable, growing from almost accidental, to faltering, to determined, albeit limited, saving one tiny soul rather than a whole group, which is all that can be expected of a child. Indeed, giving a child the opportunity to learn the horrors of the past but understand the hope of the future is the most we can ask of a character—and of an author. --Children's Literature

...This engrossing tale is read by Mirron Willis who effortlessly varies his rich, textured voice to make each character unique. This story will captivate listeners.--School Library Journal

...This is not a zip-ahead-and-see-what-happens-next novel. It's for settling into and savoring the rich, masterful storytelling, for getting to know Elijah, Cooter and the Preacher, for laughing at stories of hoop snakes, toady-frogs and fish-head chunking and crying when Leroy finally gets money to buy back his wife and children, but has the money stolen. Then Elijah journeys to America and risks his life to do what's right. This is Curtis's best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, "This is one of the best books I have ever read." --Kirkus Reviews


CONNECTIONS
-To get students interested in the book, have them view this short video with the author explaining why he wrote Elijah of Buxton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GdevJ6jjHI

-Before students read the book, have students do research on the Underground Railroad.  What's the definition? Who was involved?  What were the dangers? 

-Buxton is a real city in Ontario, Canada.  Have students view the website for Buxton and review the virtual exhibits and the learning centre for more infomration and educational resources. http://www.buxtonmuseum.com/

- Locate Buxton, Canada, on a map.  In the Underground Railroad, there were "stations" that helped slaves escape.  What would a station look like? What qualities made a good station? How did slaves find stations if they were secret? One family escaped from Arkansas to Buxton. Map out a possible route they took to get to Buxton. 

-Students may also enjoy reading other books Curtis has written. 
     -Bud, not Buddy. ISBN 978-0553494105
     -The Watson's go to Birmingham - 1963. ISBN 978-0440228004
     -The might Miss Malone. ISBN 978-0440422143

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Bibliography
Yelchin, Eugene. 2011. Breaking Stalin's Nose. New York: Holt. ISBN 978-0-8050-9216-5

Plot Summary
Young Sasha's dream is about to come true.  Tomorrow, he will become a Young Soviet Pioneer and receive his red pioneer scarf.  He's known the laws of the Young Pioneers since he was six and has been waiting for the day to become a real Communist like his father.  Then his father is taken away by the Secret Police in the middle of the night.  At school, Sasha accidentally damages a statue of Stalin.  Suddenly, it seems the world has been turned upside down.  Sasha must make a decision and his life will never be the same. 


Critical Analysis 
Breaking Stalin's Nose is Yelchin's debut novel.  It was a 2012 Newbery Honor book and a Horn's Best Fiction book choice for 2011.  In the "Author's Note," Yelchin describes his own experiences growing up in Russia in the Sixties.  Although he didn't grow up under Stalin, Yelchin still felt his influence through the older generation of Russians keeping silent about their past because of their fear.  Yelchin wrote this story to confront that fear.

Yelchin's Sasha has the preadolescent fantasy-oriented view of his world. He knows that everyone who lives in their komunalka respects his State Security father because "they stop talking when my dad comes in" - not realizing that they're terrified of his father. He's sure that Communist Russia is "the most democratic and progressive country in the world" and vows to "always be vigilant, because our capitalist enemies are never asleep." Through traumatic events, Sasha's political awakening begins and he states "I'm here with other unreliables and I can see much better from here." The book contains topics galore which can be used for class discussions, such as bullying, dictatorships, and betrayal.  

Yelchin's graphite illustrations are like film noir on paper.  We're able to feel the paranoia, fear and mistrust in each sublime scene. When Sasha's father is taken away by the Secret Police, all we can see are puffy uniform breeches and shiny, black boots running up stairs reinforcing the fact that the Secret Police were obscure.  Sasha's traitorous neighbor, Stukachov, is reminiscent of a horror comic book character with missing teeth, a long, bony nose and clear, oddly-shaped eyes.   

There aren't many books written for children that deal with Stalinist Russia, so this is a welcome entry.  There is a companion website which contains extensive information to add to Sasha's story, including maps, pictures, information about Sasha's mother, the history of the Young Soviet Pioneers, living life in a komunalka, and much more. 


Review excerpt(s)
“Mr. Yelchin has compressed into two days of events an entire epoch, giving young readers a glimpse of the precariousness of life in a capricious yet ever-watchful totalitarian state.” –Wall Street Journal


Yelchin skillfully combines narrative with dramatic black-and-white illustrations to tell the story of life in the Soviet Union under Stalin...The question of who is a good Communist underlies much of the plot...Yelchin's illustrations are filled with pathos and breathe life into the narrative. Though there are many two-dimensional characters, mostly among the adults, Sasha and Borka are more fully drawn. While the story was obviously created to shed light on the oppression, secrecy, and atrocities under Stalin's regime, Sasha's emotions ring true. This is an absorbing, quick, multilayered read in which predictable and surprising events intertwine. Velchin clearly dramatizes the dangers of blindly believing in anything...—School Library Journal


Yelchin's debut novel does a superb job of depicting the tyranny of the group, whether residents of a communal apartment, kids on the playground, students in the classroom or government officials. It's the readiness of the group to create outsiders—bad ones, "unreliables," "wreckers"—by instilling fear in everyone that chills. Not many books for such a young audience address the Stalinist era, when, between 1923 and 1953, leaving a legacy of fear for future generations...Yelchin's graphite illustrations are an effective complement to his prose, which unfurls in Sasha's steady, first-person voice, and together they tell an important tale. A story just as relevant in our world, "where innocent people face persecution and death for making a choice about what they believe to be right," as that of Yelchin's childhood. --Kirkus Reviews

“A miracle of brevity, this affecting novel zeroes in on two days and one boy to personalize Stalin's killing machine of the '30s. …black-and-white drawings march across the pages to juxtapose hope and fear, truth and tyranny, small moments and historical forces, innocence and evil. This Newbery Honor book offers timeless lessons about dictatorship, disillusionment and personal choice.” —San Francisco Chronicle

 "The cat-and-mouse chase that pits Sasha’s whole world against him will rivet middle-grade readers, but this title will hold special appeal for older students whose grasp of content outstrips their reading proficiency." —BCCB

 “…this brief novel gets at the heart of a society that asks its citizens, even its children, to report on relatives and friends. Appropriately menacing illustrations by first-time novelist Yelchin add a sinister tone.” —Horn Book, starred review

...Set during the heart of Stalin's reign in the Soviet Union, the author brings the scenes, the language and the beliefs of Communism to readers as only one who has lived it could do...the book's illustrations will captivate readers. This is a well-written and accessible work of historical fiction for young readers. --Children's Literature

Connections

-To enhance the readers experience, review vocabulary they will find in the story. Here are examples of words they'll find: communist, capitalist, comrade, Soviet Union, democratic, Young Soviet Pioneers, citizen, communal, patriotic, secret police, spy, informer, Primus stove, Kremlin, traitor, Kolyma, authority, banner, state property, provocateurs, Motherland, proverb, Stalin, enemy, purify, influence, denounce, orphanage, blackmail, confess, interrogate, provinces, unreliable, sacred, executed, secret agent, vigilance, pride, honor, streetcar. 

-Compare posters of the Young Soviet Pioneers to American posters during WWII.  Do they have anything in common?  Have students compare and contrast the posters. 

-The following website has additional resources including an audio excerpt and lesson plans offered by Macmillan. http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=26815&a=1

-Have fiction and non-fiction related books available so students can extend their learning. 
     -Sis, Peter. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. ISBN 978-0374347017 (Caldecott Honor Book) 

    -Schmemann, Serge. When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism.  ISBN 978-0753461532
    -Link, Theodore. Communism: A Primary Source Analysis (Primary Sources of Political Systems). ISBN 978-0823945177

    -Hess, Karl.  Capitalism for Kids: Growing Up to Be Your Own Boss. ISBN 978-0942103038  
    -Haugen, Brenda. Joseph Stalin: Dictator of the Soviet Union (Signature Lives). ISBN 978-0756515973 

Alchemy and Meggy Swan by Karen Cushman

Bibliography
Cushman, Karen. 2010. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. Boston, MA: Clarion Books.  ISBN 978-0-547-23184-6

Plot summary
Meggy Swan, and her only friend, a goose named Louise, have been sent by her mother from their beautiful country village to live with her father in Elizabethan London which looks big, dirty and not very friendly.  Once her alchemist father finds out Meggy is a girl with handicapped legs, he doesn't want her either. Lonely and angry about being made fun of her whole life because of her legs, Meggy soon explores London and discovers that she's stronger than she realized. Before long, she learns how to let go of her anger and to let new friends into her heart.

Critical analysis
Newbery medalist, Karen Cushman has once again written a wondrous tale.  Alchemy and Meggy Swan was nominated for the Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2010, National Council of Teachers of English Notable Book 2011, and School Library Journal Best Books of 2010. Cushman brings the Elizabethan times to life for readers with her descriptive writing and use of easily readable Elizabethan dialect. 

Written in the point of view of Meggy, the reader will feel for her when she's badly treated because of her legs; she's kept inside by her mother so Meggy doesn't ruin business, or people saying she's handicapped because of her sins. It's no wonder that she sings a misery song learned from her grandmother - "I wail in woe, I plunge in pain, with sorrowing eyes I do complain."  After making her first friend that's not an animal, Meggy says "...I feel like the sun is shining inside me." Although the ending was predictable, Cushman has tapped into the emotions a lonely young girl would have as she begins to learn more about herself and to find that her anger is disappearing as she discovers her strengths.

Cushman includes authentic situations, such as the famous "Barge Incident" in which there was an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth I.  Meggy helps stop an assassination attempt on a Duke by singing the details in a ballad she created, which was a common way to spread news during this time period.  Cushman also includes interesting details about alchemy, which is considered the beginning of modern science and chemistry.

There is a bibliography and internet links in the back for readers who would like to learn more about the world in which Meggy lived.
      

Review excerpt(s)
"Writing with admirable economy and a lively ability to re-create the past believably, Cushman creates a memorable portrayal of a troubled, rather mulish girl who begins to use her strong will in positive ways."—Booklist, starred review

...Cushman has the uncanny ability to take a time and place so remote and make it live. Readers can hear and see and smell it all as if they are right beside Meggy. She employs the syntax and vocabulary of the period so easily that it is understood as if it’s the most contemporary modern slang. A gem."—Kirkus , starred review

"Cushman adds another intrepid, resourceful, courageous girl to her repertoire in this tale set in 16th-century London...Her courage and confidence grow with each obstacle overcome. Cushman fans who loved Catherine, Called Birdy (1994) and The Midwife's Apprentice (1995, both Clarion) will not be disappointed"—School Library Journal, starred review


"Cushman's (Catherine, Called Birdy) newest novel has all the elements that have made her earlier books so beloved. With flawless historical prose, Cushman introduces Meggy Swann....There is no unequivocally happy ending for Meggy, but a better life awaits her, and readers will gladly accompany her on the journey."—Publishers Weekly

Connections
-Students can listen to a 7 minutes excerpt of the book at http://www.karencushman.com/av_files/av_files.html

-For students who want more information about the author or about the time period, Karen Cushman has links to videos and podcasts that talk about her books, influences, the Elizabethan era and more. http://www.karencushman.com/av_files/av_files.html

-If you would like to use this book in a reading club, Houghton Mifflin has posted discussion questions. http://hmhtrade.com/bookclubs/discussion-guides/alchemy-and-meggy-swann-by-karen-cushman/

-Meggy had to walk with 2 sticks because of her leg condition.  Often, we don't realize how difficult it is to move around with a disability.  Have a pair of crutches or sticks for students to use so they can gain an understanding of how Meggy walked and to create sympathy for others with disabilities. 

-Meggy is often made fun of and called names like crooked legs, crookleg, freak, and Mistress Duck. Have a discussion with students about bullying and name calling; has it ever happened to them? How did it make them feel? Have they ever called someone else names and why? 

-This book is set in Elizabethan times and there are many other topics that can be researched related to this era.  Have students look up recipes and bring in food from this time period.  In art class, have students research miniature portraits and produce a portrait in the style of Nicholas Hilliard.

The house Baba built by Ed Young

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Young, Ed and Lily Koponen. 2011. The House Baba Built: An Artist's Childhood in China. New York: Little, Brown and Company.  ISBN 978-0-316-07628-9

SUMMARY
Baba is worried that when the war comes to Shanghai, his family will not be safe. So he makes a deal with a landowner to build a big house with a courtyard, gardens and a swimming pool on his expensive land in a safe neighborhood. If the family can live there for 20 years - enough time for the war to end, Baba will leave it all to the landowner. With the war raging outside, other relatives and friends come to stay in the house which is a comfort to all who live there. In this autobiographical storybook, author/illustrator, Ed Young reminisces about his childhood in China during World War II and how safe he felt in "the house Baba built."


CRITICAL ANALYSIS 
The prolific illustrator of more than eighty books, Ed Young pays homage to his father with The House Baba Built.   Young's father, Baba, built a house where friends and family could live and feel safe during WWII.  As a young child, Young and his cousins and friends roller-skated, swam, danced and day-dreamed and "...knew nothing could happen to us within those walls." When his Uncle Sonny is able to draw a cowboy that a frustrated Ed wasn't able to create on paper, he inspires Ed to realize the ideas he "sees so clearly in [his] head." 

Ed, and his sister Fifi, returned to China in 1990 - a trip which "triggered long-forgotten memories" and he put into a journal all the images those memories created. Koponen captures Young's love for his family and home by creating a story with a poetic style of stream of consciousness.  Young repeats the phrase "the house that Baba built" so often, and in such a way, that it tells the reader he knew nothing could go wrong in that house - a beautiful show of faith that the young have in their parents.   

This book is a work of art.  Young uses multimedia such as collage, chalk, photographs, cut paper and watercolors.  Each illustration creates a family picture in which multiple events are occurring at the same time - one can almost see the flood of images Young had going through his mind when creating the book.   It's almost like a scrapbook with each carefully chosen item on the page having meaningful representation. He likens a swarm of black birds to military airplanes flying overhead, while in another illustration, his family's clothes are in the colors of the rainbow while on a happy picnic. 

In the back, there are photographs of Young's daughters standing in front of the gate to the house - the same gate shown on the front of the book.  For Young, walking through those gates were a refuge - for us they are the entry to a book of love and beauty.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
With vibrant collages comprised of drawings, cutouts and manipulated photographs, Young…dreamily reconstructs his childhood…The House Baba Built is as intricately constructed as his father's house, with pages that extend and open to reveal additional detail and memories.—The New York Times Book Review


Flashes of multi-media brilliance illuminate this darkly colored, leisurely paced memoir...The episodic text rambles; some illustrations are casual and chaotic. Others are magnificent... Those wanting historical or cultural background will need supplements. Sophisticated, inventive art invites close viewings for patient readers in this unusual family story. --Kirkus Reviews

Young brings his exquisite sense of design, expressive brushwork, and mastery of a variety of mediums to the story...A note explains how Koponen helped shape the stream-of-consciousness text...This tale of filial devotion provides a fascinating contrast to Allen Say's Drawing from Memory (Scholastic, 2011)...--School Library Journal  

...Young’s creation, shaped with help from author Libby Koponen, is as complex and labyrinthine as Baba’s house, with foldout pages that open to reveal drawings, photos, maps, and memories. Tender portraits of his siblings, torn-paper collages showing tiny figures at play, and old photos of stylish adults intermingle, as if they’d been found forgotten in a drawer. Young’s fans will savor stories of his East-West childhood...It’s history at its most personal. --Publishers Weekly



CONNECTIONS
-Ed Young has created a website for this book. Students may appreciate the "extras" he offers such as information on WWII and China.  http://thehousebababuilt.com/

- The following connections require an account with TeachingBooks.net
  -In this 3 minute video, you'll hear Ed Young talk about the back story for creating The House Baba Built. http://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=7298&a=1
   -Watch an interview with Ed Young. 
http://www.teachingbooks.net/author_collection.cgi?id=51&a=1

-For students who enjoyed Ed Young's book, here are some other beautiful books he's created. 
   -Seven blind mice. ISBN 0698118952
   -Lon Po Po. ISBN 9780698113824
   -Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China. ISBN 9780698113886
   -The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale. ISBN 9780152050238

-For students who would like to explore biographical picture books, here are some popular books. 
    -Say, Allen. Drawing from memory. ISBN 9780545176866
    -Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Snowflake Bentley. ISBN 9780547248295
    -Anholt, Laurence. Picasso and the girl with a ponytail. ISBN 9780764138539

Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice by Phillip Hoose

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hoose, Phillip. 2009.  Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-31322-7



PLOT SUMMARY
Before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin - a young girl who twice stood up for her rights and created the change needed to begin the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56.  Although she was eventually dismissed by her peers, deemed immature and shunned by many of her friends, Claudette didn't back down and decided that "when my moment came, I was ready." Claudette Colvin was a civil rights pioneer and helped destroy the legal basis for racial segregation in the United States. In this in-depth account, Hoose interviews many of the people involved and has created a detailed book to allow an insight into what happened and how it all began in Montgomery, Alabama.  



CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Winner of the 2009 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature, the Robert F. Sibert Award Honor, and a 2010 Newbery Honor book, Hoose's Claudette Colvin is an inspiration to young and old alike. This is a story about how the the actions of Claudette Colvin, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and others brought changes that were going to affect "the whole Southern way of life...." 

Hoose was conducting research for another book when he first heard about a girl who came before Rosa Parks.  He conducted extensive research with Claudette, friends, family and other civil rights activists either by telephone or in person to write this book. These interviews allow us to hear events in a first-person account and to experience how they remember events. Through his prolific use of complimentary informational sidebars, we learn about important people and events leading up to Claudette's stand and the fallout which occurred after. Hoose states that "Claudette lit the fuse to a powder keg of protest." We learn that this was Dr. Martin Luther King's first foray into political life and that Rosa Parks, a secretary of the Montgomery NAACP, helped Claudette Colvin after Claudette was arrested for not moving seats on the bus. 

Included in the book are photos, newspaper articles, letters, and other documents which bring the story to life and to validate the extensive information offered.  He also includes an author's note, bibliography, picture credits, index and a notes section.  

Claudette Colvin's message of "Don't give up. Keep struggling, and don't slide back" is a universal message that all could stand to hear.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
“History might have forgotten Claudette Colvin, or relegated her to footnote status, had writer Phillip Hoose not stumbled upon her name in the course of other research and tracked her down. . . .The photos of the era are riveting and Claudette's eloquent bravery is unforgettable.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin, a teenager who knew her constitutional rights and was willing to be arrested to prove it” –The Washington Post, a Best Book of 2009 selection

“Phil Hoose...has done pioneering work in bringing to our attention the crucial role of young people in social movements...This is a story that if taught in every classroom in the nation, might well inspire a new generation of young activists to join the on-going struggle for social justice.” —Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

“Phil Hoose’s profile of the remarkable Claudette Colvin is MUST reading for anyone still imbued with hope. She is a lighthouse in a stormy sea.” —Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Good War

“Today, thanks to Hoose, a new generation of girls—and boys—can add Claudette Colvin to their list of heroines.” —Christian Science Monitor

“Hoose writes in a fluid, easy style and weaves in many voices of the time. He captures the tension and explosive emotions in the pivotal scenes.” —SacramentoBee

“Hoose’s evenhanded account investigates Colvin’s motives and influences, and carefully establishes the historical context so that readers can appreciate both Colvin’s maturity and bravery and the boycott leadership’s pragmatism.”—Starred, Publishers Weekly

“Hoose encourages teens to empathize with an age peer, once dismissed as too ‘emotional’ to withstand public scrutiny, who later testified in the federal lawsuit that would finally end discrimination on public transportation.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single young person can make.” —Starred, Booklist

“Inspiring.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Outstanding.” —Starred, School Library Journal

“This fresh look at a well-documented period in American history will appeal to readers from young teens to adults.” —VOYA

“... young readers finally get to hear Claudette Colvin’s story in her own words, giving them a detailed look at segregated life in 1950s Montgomery, Alabama, and showing them how one teenager helped change the world.”—Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children’s Defense Fund

Connections
-If students enjoyed this book, they may like Hoose's other book: 
   -We ere there, too!: Young people in U.S. history. ISBN 0374382522

-To add to what they learned in the book, have students choose one sidebar of information offered in Claudette Colvin and research further.  Have students use school-offered online databases, books or magazines, and discourage use of Google or other search engines. 

-Using the information gained in the above project, have students prepare and give a 2-4 minute speech to present to classmates.  They must include in their presentation what online databases, books or magazines they used to find the information. 

-Here is a link to a curriculum guide and book discussion questions offered on Phillip Hoose's website.   http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1824909/Claudette%20Colvin%20TTJ%20Curriculum.pdf

-Watch the book trailer with audio by Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZOpqtdd8nw

- Here is a 6 minute interview with Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose by NPR.   http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist= false&id= 101719889&m =101923672