Bound for The North Star

Bound for The North Star: True Stories of Fugitive Slaves. By Dennis Brindell Fradin

A compelling book of 12 true stories of fugitive slaves during the 1700’s and 1800’s is an excellent resource for children and teachers. Pictures, etchings and other visuals compliment the stories to help gain greater insights into the lives of the slaves. Include are stories of Harriet Tubman, Henry “Box” Brown, Ellen and William Craft and the role of Oberlin, Ohio. This collection has much to offer the reader: an accurate account of the slave activities of the time, excellent visuals, and stories of courage and perseverance. I highly recommend this book that would also make a good read a loud.

Octavian Nothing

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation. Vol I & II written by M. T. Anderson

"He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the best classical education. Raised by a mysterious group of rational philosophers known only my numbers, the boy and his mother - a princess in exile from a faraway land -- are the only people in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments--and his own chilling role in them" from jacket

Highly recommend this book for grades 10 and up though life.

Would lend itself to a humanities course examining slavery, the Revolutionary War, and Gothic Literature and ethics.

Vol I: The Pox Party - Winner of the National Book Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2007, Michael L. Printz Award - Honor 2007, Horn Book Award - Fiction and Poetry 2007, and Book Sense Book of the Year - Honor Children's Lit 2007

Vol II: The Kingdom on the Waves - Michael L Printz Honor Book

aloha

Lubuto Library Project

"The Lubuto Library Project is an innovative development initiative that, in cooperation with governments, creates opportunities for equitable education and poverty reduction through model library services housed in beautiful, indigenously styled buildings that provide safe havens, literacy skills, and opportunities for educational growth, discovery and joy through reading and enrichment programs for sub-Saharan Africa’s street children, orphans and other vulnerable and out-of-school children by building and stocking open-access libraries hosted and staffed by community-based organizations; and connect North American and European volunteers and students with their African peers through community service."

http://www.lubuto.org/

Watch this YouTube to see what your help to the project can bring.