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Bird Price: $5.99 "Bird, 13, has run away from Cleveland to rural Alabama, trying to find her stepfather, Cecil, and bring him home. Ethan, who turns out to be Cecil's nephew, is adjusting to the freedom that a heart transplant affords him. Jay is grieving for his brother, whose death provided the necessary heart. Bird hides out in a shed on Ethan's family's farm, convinced that Cecil will come because she'd seen Ethan in the man's photographs. She soon gets lonely. Conveniently, Ethan, who has been socially isolated by his illness, is anxious to befriend her. Jay knows about Ethan, but cannot bring himself to approach the younger boy. Persuaded by his best friend to "borrow" an elderly neighbor's car, Jay winds up under house arrest, but sneaks out and encounters Bird himself. The owner of the stolen car, Mrs. Pritchard, offers Bird refuge at her house, providing her comfort through good food and a patient, nonjudgmental ear. Johnson reveals the inner thoughts of these characters, as they move around one another, occasionally touching, but preoccupied with their individual problems. Readers see how small kindnesses can ease the grip of grief and how large gestures–the literal giving of a heart–can redound to the giver's credit." School Library Journal |
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A Cool Moonlight Price: 6.99 "Once in a while a book of prose appears that reads as pure poetry. Such is the case with Johnson's newest novel. Fiercely quiet in its language, this powerful story touches the reader in unexpected ways. It is not the most unusual allergy afflicting the main character Lila that intrigues the audience, so much as it is how Lila uses her imagination to make peace with her condition. In a way that perhaps only the innocent are, Lila comes to a profound and complete acceptance of the situation over which she has no control. Young people and adults alike will be encouraged by the particulars of Lila's story, detailing the enormous harm with which sunlight threatens her. Especially important is how the adults around Lila allow her to grow and come to terms with the dangerous infirmity that would steal her childhood. Although many stories are about love, this one is about the most important love of all-love of self-and for young people, there can be no more important lesson. On the surface, Lila's story measures simple as a song, but straining beneath the unpretentious lyrics, a competing and memorable ensemble of what it means to shine with life reverberates. Courage, hope, and friendship are all found in this little gem of a novel. No library should be without it." VOYA |
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Daddy Calls Me Man Price: $6.95 "Joyously written and illustrated, these four poems reflect the concerns of children." School Library Journal |
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Do Like Kyla Price: $6.99 "'In the morning my big sister Kyla stands at the window, tapping at the birds. I do like Kyla. . . .' So begins a day of follow the leader between a young child and her older sister. . . . A universal story that features a warm and loving black family."-- School Library Journal |
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The First Part Last Price: $15.95 "In this companion novel, Johnson's fans learn just how Bobby, the single father for whom Marley baby-sits in Heaven, landed in that small town in Ohio. Beginning his story when his daughter, Feather, is just 11 days old, 16-year-old Bobby tells his story in chapters that alternate between the present and the bittersweet past that has brought him to the point of single parenthood....But as the past and present threads join in the final chapter, readers will only clamor for more about this memorable father-daughter duo-and an author who so skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain." Publisher's Weekly WINNER OF THE 2004 CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD (WRITING CATEGORY) WINNER OF THE 2004 MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE |
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Heaven Price: $16.95 "Marley thinks her life in Heaven, Ohio, is perfect and secure. But when she learns that her itinerant uncle is really her father and her loving "parents" are her aunt and uncle, she has to come to terms with her feelings of anger, betrayal, and curiosity as to who she really is. Foreshadowing, humor, and well-defined characters work together to create a strong story about belonging and family." The Horn Book |
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I Dream of Trains Price: $17.99 "This powerfully illustrated picture book looks at legendary engineer Casey Jones through the eyes of a fictional black child who toils in a cotton field near the railroad tracks. In low, reverential tones, the text speaks both of the folk hero's mystique and the narrator's eagerness to experience Casey's big world...Johnson's treatment of Casey's tragic, heroic death is particularly respectful and moving. Long's moody acrylic paintings, mainly in subdued tones, are a sterling accompaniment to the book's provocative prose" School Library Journal |
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Julius Price: $6.99 "In this exuberant celebration of love and sharing, Maya is given an Alaskan pig and learns that friendship is a two-way street. Johnson's humorous, upbeat text rings with its own rhythm as it introduces Julius, a pig with a fondness for old movies, trying on clothes (``anything blue and stretchy'') and eating peanut butter ``from the jar, without getting any on the ceiling.''Pilkey's ( When Cats Dream ) illustrations are a felicitous departure for this gifted artist. Painted in blocks of fluorescent color, his paintings zing with the joy of living and perfectly capture the book's infectious carnival spirit.Jubilant and subtly instructive." Publishers Weekly |
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Just like Josh Gibson Price: $16.95 "Peck's strong, evocative pastels with their vintage look are just right for Johnson's home run of a story. A girl tells of her Grandmama's birth and how her dad said his new baby would play just like the great Negro League catcher Josh Gibson. And so she did, practicing her hitting even though girls didn't play baseball in the '50s-except for one Fourth of July, when her cousin Danny's injury leaves an opening on his team. Grandmama hit the ball, caught the ball, and stole home-"just like Josh Gibson.".... Johnson never disappoints; in this one memory, family stories and baseball braid together a sweetly powerful and slyly subversive tale" Kirkus Reviews |
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Lily Brown's Paintings Price: $16.99 When Lily Brown paints, her world starts to change . . . trees wear hats and drink tea, people walk upside down, and apples sing all the way home from the store. It's Lily Brown's world, and it's wondrous. A little paint and a lot of love bring imagination to life in this captivating picture book. Angela Johnson's lyrical writing compliments E. B. Lewis' delightful watercolors. |
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Looking for Red Price: $5.99 "'I think it's like walking barefoot in a room full of broken glass, when someone you love goes away,' notes the bereaved young narrator of Johnson's (Heaven) penetrating novel set in a seaside town on Cape Cod. Mike (short for Michaela) initially tells readers, simply and rather enigmatically, that 'one day my brother, Red, just disappeared from us forever'...While the elegiac pace and impressionistic prose may challenge many readers, those mourning a loss are likely to find Mike's incisive observations familiar and comforting." Publishers Weekly |
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Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street/When Mules Flew on Magnolia Price: $5.50 "When Charlene (aka Charlie) first moves to Magnolia Street, she is apprehensive. There seem to be no kids around, and her brother claims they have all been stolen by the maniac monkeys that inhabit the willow trees on the street. But Charlie, full of spunk, immediately finds a kindred spirit on the block named Billy. Together they discover the secrets and treasures of the neighborhood. . . . In a series of connected stories, Johnson brings Magnolia Street to life through the ever-curious Charlie, who is always open to the small wonders around her. Newly independent readers will enjoy Charlie's escapades as she makes herself at home on her new street." Booklist |
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One of Three Price: $6.99 "Narrated by the youngest child in a black family, this . . . book focuses on the joy of being one of three sisters. . . . Of course, the older sisters don't always want the youngest along, but then she gets to be one of a different kind of three with her mother and father." School Library Journal |
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The Rolling Store Price: $15.95 OUT OF PRINT - Limited Quantity Available "Catalanotto's golden pencil-and-watercolors paintings shimmer with the haze of memory and are dappled with summer sunlight and shadow." Pointer, Kirkus Reviews AN AMERICAN BOOKSELLER KIDS' PICK OF THE LIST |
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Songs of Faith Price: $4.99 (OUT OF STOCK) "It is 1975 in Harvey, Ohio, a town that Doreen's mother says is becoming full of newly divorced women and their kids. Mama Dot claims that kids don't get divorced, but Doreen knows better. With a tart tongue and heart-wrenching lyricism, Doreen narrates this story, watching as her adored younger brother expresses, in a variety of ways, how distraught he is by their father's move to Chicago....Another tender and eloquent book from a gifted writer." Booklist, Starred review. AN AMERICAN BOOKSELLER "PICK OF THE LISTS" |
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Sweet Smell of Roses Price: $17.99 "There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice. Inspired by countless children and young adults who took a stand, two Coretta Scott Kin honorees offer a heart-lifting glimpse of children's roles in the civil rights movement". |
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Violet's Music Price: $16.99 "This is a jazzy story about an African-American girl who loves music. From the time she was a baby banging out rhythms with her rattle or a two-year-old making a horn to toot on or a kindergartner looking for other kids with the same passion, Violet played and sang, and hummed and thought about music all the time..With an upbeat text that uses lots of sound words, this tale celebrates music as much as it applauds being true to what you love. Violet seems perfectly happy to keep on making music and looking for fellow musicians."School Library Journal |
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When I am Old with You Price: $6.95 "A small child imagines a future when he will be old with his Grandaddy. . . . The African-American child and grandfather are distinct individuals, yet also universal figures, recognizable to anyone who has ever shared the bond of family love across generations." School Library Journal, Starred review. |
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Windflyers Price: $16.99 "Three-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long invite readers to ponder a band of undercelebrated World War II heroes -- the Tuskegee Airmen. With fleeting prose and transcendent imagery, this book by the masterful author/artist duo reveals how a boy's love of flight takes him on a journey from the dusty dirt roads of Alabama to the war-torn skies of Europe and into the hearts of those who are only now beginning to understand the part these brave souls played in the history of America" |
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The Aunt in Our House NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Johnson's cryptic tale suggests questions, then leaves it wholly to the reader to answer them. Told by the older of two siblings who live with their white father and African American mother, the story opens on an affectionate note The child tells how The Aunt helps Mama weave blankets and rugs, lets the youngsters play her trumpet and encourages them to splash in puddles barefoot.Intentionally vague, the text leaves readers wondering why and for how long the Aunt has come to stay, and why she is occasionally so sad. Well-matched to the expressiveness of the narrative, Soman's watercolor and pastel illustrations appear to move in and out of focus, depending on the mood of the moment, and effectively convey the characters' changeable emotions." Publishers Weekly |
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Down the Winding Road Price: $15.95 (OUT OF STOCK) "In this tender picture book, Johnson and Evans pay tribute to an enviable treasure: wise and loving family elders. Every summer a girl and her brother and father drive "down the winding road" to the country, for a visit with the Old Ones, the seven aunts and uncles who raised Daddy." Publishers Weekly |
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Gone From Home: Short Takes NO LONGER AVAILABLE "In this companion novel, Johnson's fans learn just how Bobby, the single father for whom Marley baby-sits in Heaven, landed in that small town in Ohio. Beginning his story when his daughter, Feather, is just 11 days old, 16-year-old Bobby tells his story in chapters that alternate between the present and the bittersweet past that has brought him to the point of single parenthood....But as the past and present threads join in the final chapter, readers will only clamor for more about this memorable father-daughter duo-and an author who so skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain." Publisher's Weekly WINNER OF THE 2004 CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD (WRITING CATEGORY) WINNER OF THE 2004 MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE |
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Humming Whispers NO LONGER AVAILABLE This "luminous" novel, said Publishers Weekly in a Starred review, "offers a delicate yet unflinching look at the shadows that spread over families of schizophrenics.... a story of subtle but real hope." |
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On the Fringe NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Gr 7 Up-Kids who are geeks, unathletic, poor, emotionally fragile, loners, or unattractive by current standards form the heart of this collection of exceptional stories by well-known YA authors such as Joan Bauer, Chris Crutcher, and M. E. Kerr. Inspired by the events at Columbine High School, the authors pondered what sorts of heartbreak could cause teens to react so powerfully and violently, and how being isolated and shut out of high school groups could tear down the fragile walls of self-esteem, making vulnerable individuals snap and cause massive destruction...A must-buy for all libraries." School Library Journal |
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The Other Side NO LONGER AVAILABLE "These verses by the versatile African-American writer give readers glimpses at her years growing up in the small town of Shorter, ALShe presents vivid images-mothers stripping their children in the Wash-a-Teria to launder their clothes; houses smelling of "cinnamon and dead flowers;" getting up enough nerve to ask the secret of growing old. She touches on topics such as Vietnam, racism, and the Black Panthers, but also recalls dancing in the woods with a "boom box blasting through the trees." This slim volume just may open up increased awareness and understanding about the way things were-and how they sometimes still are" School Library Journal A CORETTA SCOTT KING HONOR BOOK |
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Running Back to Ludie NO LONGER AVAILABLE "With only the most tenuous memories of her mother, the young narrator of these evocative poems thrives with a loving father and her Aunt Lucille. But when her father says she can visit her mother, Ludie, the narrator's longing surfaces the longing of a daughter, who doesn't 'step/ on/ cracks./ Ever/ .../ More careful than the others/ with/ mothers/ that they take for granted.'...these free verse poems express a young woman's yearning for the presence of a mother and the universal feelings of adolescence." Publishers Weekly |
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Tell Me a Story, Mama NO LONGER AVAILABLE "In this touching picture book, a mother and a preschool-aged daughter talk together as the child is being prepared for bed. . . . Mama's childhood memories, as related by her daughter, are warm slices of life from a previous generation."--School Library Journal, Starred review. |
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Those Building Men NO LONGER AVAILABLE "This poetic tribute praises and remembers the men, "the fathers," who built the bridges, railroads, roads, and buildings in AmericaThe endnote states that oral tradition remembers many cultures at work building and that women who are not mentioned in the text nonetheless labored along with men. It is elegantly and symbolically illustrated with an old man in dress shoes and a suit resting peacefully in a hammock" School Library Journal |
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Toning the Sweep NO LONGER AVAILABLE Publishers Weekly, in a Starred review, praised this ``thoughtfully nuanced and penetrating'' novel about three generations of women from an African American family who must cope with a beloved grandmother's illness. |
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The Wedding NO LONGER AVAILABLE "Through the eyes of young Daisy, readers experience and anticipate the preparations for her sister's weddingThe simple text follows Daisy and her family as they celebrate and then say a tearful good-bye to Sister. the illustrations portray a warm, loving African-American family. The distinguished collage artwork conveys the action and the whole range of emotions that the day entails. Both text and illustrations work together to create a seamless experience that is happy, sad, and tender all at once. A perfect book for preparing for that special day." School Library Journal |
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