12 ROUNDS TO GLORY
Unit 2.3 (1/class)
“An in-depth look at Ali’s life through twelve rhyming poems. . . . Collier’s bold pictures . . . are among the best of his illustrious career.” — Booklist (starred review)
From the moment a fired-up teenager won 1960 Olympic gold to the day when a retired legend, hands shaking from Parkinson’s, returned to raise the Olympic torch, the boxer known as “The Greatest” waged many a fight. Some were in the ring, against opponents like Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier; others were against societal prejudice and a war he refused to support because of his Islamic faith. The rap-inspired verse weaves and bobs and jabs, while bold collage artwork matches every move, capturing the “Louisville loudmouth with the great gift of rhyme” who shed the name Cassius Clay to take on the world as Muhammad Ali. Back matter includes a time line.
ALI AN AMERICAN CHAMPION
Unit 2.3 (1/class)
The impressive life story of Muhammad Ali is interwoven with vital moments in American history in this visually stunning, full-color biography.
The story of famed boxing champion Muhammad Ali is more appealing and accessible than ever before when told as though it’s happening in real time, through photographs and ephemera such as report cards and training regimens, and through newspaper articles, interviews, letters to the editor, and “breaking news” radio and TV transmissions that have been created by the author based on his extensive research.
From the Civil Rights Movement to the Rome Olympics, from joining the Nation of Islam to refusing to fight in Vietnam, Muhammad Ali’s fascinating life is interwoven with historical moments throughout the twentieth century to today.
ASK ME NO QUESTIONS
Unit 3.2 (1/student)
“You forget. You forget you don’t really exist here, that this isn’t your home.”
Since emigrating from Bangladesh, fourteen-year-old Nadira and her family have been living in New York City on expired visas, hoping to realize their dream of becoming legal U.S. citizens. But after 9/11, everything changes. Suddenly being Muslim means you are dangerous — a suspected terrorist.
When Nadira’s father is arrested and detained at the U.S.-Canadian border, Nadira and her older sister, Aisha, are told to carry on as if everything is the same. The teachers at Flushing High don’t ask any questions, but Aisha falls apart. Nothing matters to her anymore — not even college.
It’s up to Nadira to be the strong one and bring her family back together again.
BIG NOTHING
Unit 2.2 (1/student)
When everyone that Justin depends on lets him down, he begins discovering himself with the help of a new friend and some newly found talents.
Alone. That’s how thirteen-year-old Justin feels these days. His older brother Duane has left home, enlisting in the Army, and his father has walked out, maybe for good this time. His mom is too depressed to get out of bed. And if that’s not enough, his best buddy Ben has a new girlfriend and no longer has time to hang out. There’s not much left for Justin to do but to put his brain in neutral and slide into the state he calls “the Big Nothing.”
But slowly Justin discovers he has more resources than he thinks. With the help of his classmate Jemmie and her grandmother, Nana Grace, he learns that underneath all the noisy confusion in his brain lies a talent for music. As he spends time with Jemmie, he begins to understand how simple notes make complex music, and how simple feelings can turn into deep emotions.
Award-winning author Adrian Fogelin once again offers readers an emotionally charged story featuring a sympathetic adolescent trying to make sense of the people and world around him.
BRONX MASQUERADE
Unit 3.3 (1/student)
The beloved and award-winning novel now available in a new format with a great new cover!
When Wesley Boone writes a poem for his high school English class, some of his classmates clamor to read their poems aloud too. Soon they’re having weekly poetry sessions and, one by one, the eighteen students are opening up and taking on the risky challenge of self-revelation. There’s Lupe Alvarin, desperate to have a baby so she will feel loved. Raynard Patterson, hiding a secret behind his silence. Porscha Johnson, needing an outlet for her anger after her mother OD’s. Through the poetry they share and narratives in which they reveal their most intimate thoughts about themselves and one another, their words and lives show what lies beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the masquerade.
CHAMP: THE STORY OF MUHAMMAD ALI
Unit 2.3 (1/class)
An engaging look at life and legacy of Muhammad Ali for readers of all ages
Muhammad Ali was one of the world’s best-known figures, and this incredible biography delves into precisely why. From his unlikely beginnings as a skinny, young Cassius Clay learning to box at a local gym to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world at the famous “Rumble in the Jungle,” where even the skies let loose with rain right after his victory, Ali has captivated the world. Tonya Bolden’s careful research and elegant telling, paired with R. Gregory Christie’s incredible paintings, make this a book that will inform and inspire readers of all ages.
“Bolden’s engaging text has a free-verse structure punctuated with enthusiastic exclamations that is enjoyable to read aloud…. The illustrations are striking.”
—School Library Journal (Starred review)
From the Hardcover edition.
CHAMPION STORY OF MUHHAMMAD ALI
Unit 2.3 (1/pair)
“I am the greatest! I am the king!”
Muhammad Ali was one of the most electrifying, inspiring, and confrontational athletes of his generation. At the height of his boxing career, Ali was as despised as he was adored. Loud and aggressive as well as confident and dedicated, he was the quintessential showman, the undeniable champion of his sport, and one of the most recognizable faces in the world. He was challenged at every turn: faced with racial discrimination in his everyday life, mocked by the sports media as his career began, ridiculed for adopting a new religion, and stripped by the U.S. government of his very livelihood for refusing to go to war.
Muhammad Ali faced the obstacles in his life the way he faced his opponents in the ring, brashly and with all the force at his command. In his private life, he was also deeply spiritual, committed to standing up against social injustice, and steadfast in his beliefs. Featuring stunning illustrations and covering his entire life from childhood through his professional career to his end of life battle with Parkinson’s Syndrome, this is a moving tribute to the legacy of this impressive figure.
FOSTER FAMILIES
Unit 1.2 (1/student)
This book looks at how foster families are made and how they might thrive.
GAME
Unit 3.1 (1/student)
Drew Lawson knows basketball is taking him places. It has to, because his grades certainly aren’t. But lately his plan has run squarely into a pick. Coach’s new offense has made another player a star, and Drew won’t let anyone disrespect his game. Just as his team makes the playoffs, Drew must come up with something big to save his fading college prospects. It’s all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.
GREAT MIGRATION
Unit 3.3 (1/student)
This critically acclaimed picture book suitable for a wide range of readers chronicles the Great Migration—the diaspora of African Americans who headed to the North after WWI—through the iconic paintings and words of renowned artist Jacob Lawrence. The New York Times praised it as “a compassionate and sensitive portrayal of history.”
After World War I, large numbers of African Americans began leaving their homes in the rural South in search of employment, and a better life, in the industrial cities of the North like Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Jacob Lawrence chronicled their journey of hope in his sixty-panel Migration Series, a flowing narrative sequence of paintings that can now be found divided between the Museum of Modern Art and the Phillips Collection.
In this profound picture book, Lawrence brings all those landmark paintings together and pairs them with poetic text that further explores the experience of those enduring this mass exodus. From dealing with poor working conditions and competition for living space to widespread prejudice and racism, this is the story of strength, courage, and hope of the more than six million African Americans who were trying to build better lives for themselves and their families.
This book features an introduction from Lawrence—whose family was part of this great migration—about its personal significance as well as a poem by Newbery Honor author Walter Dean Myers.
- ALA Notable Book
- ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice
- IRA/CBC Teachers’ Choice
- Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
- Carter G. Woodson Outstanding Merit Book
HARLEM STOMP
Unit 3.3 (1/pair)
Celebrate one of the most important periods of American cultural history: the Harlem Renaissance! This package features beautiful illustrations, poetry, and prose.
Determined to make a new start for themselves at the dawn of the twentieth century, many African Americans joined the Great Migration and headed North. For those who landed in Harlem, New York, it was a time of intellectual, artistic, literary, and political blossoming. Influential African American artists and activists took center stage as they captured the attention of the world.
Harlem Stomp! is a breathtaking, in-depth exploration of this fascinating era. Lavishly designed and illustrated, with photographs, historical documents, and full-color paintings, this virtual time capsule is packed with poetry, prose, and political rhetoric that introduce the amazing lives and work of notable figures such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Sargent Johnson, and Marcus Garvey.
Hot Topics: Immigration
Unit 3.2 (1/student)
Accessible yet sophisticated book that discusses the issues of immigration on a global level. Should people who are oppressed or simply want a better life for themselves be able to move to countries that offer more opportunities? Or does immigration to these countries mean less opportunities for the people who already live there? Are current immigration policies working? Are they fair?