Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Children and the Civil Rights Movement


Cover art for WE'VE GOT A JOB
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 2012

"A moving record of young people rising at a pivotal historical moment, based on original interviews and archival research as well as published sources. (photos, timeline, endnotes, multimedia resource lists) (Nonfiction. 11-15)"
Triumph and tragedy in 1963 "Bombingham," as children and teens pick up the flagging civil rights movement and give it a swift kick in the pants. Read full book review >
Cover art for BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 20, 2010

"A standout book for its thorough research and comprehensive look at the incident that led to the 1964 passage of civil-rights legislation. (further reading, author's note, source notes, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
Brimner focuses on the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and successfully illuminates in chronological order the events, social tensions and political reverberations of that terror-filled time. Read full book review >
Cover art for CHILD OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 22, 2009
by Paula Young Shelton, illustrated by Raúl Colón

"Essential. (bibliography) (Picture book/memoir. 4-9)"
Civil rights can be a difficult topic, even for adults, so finding simple language to explain the complexity of injustice and oppression to children is challenging. Read full book review >
Cover art for MARCHING FOR FREEDOM
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2009

"This well-designed and impeccably documented volume is a good match with Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (2009). (author's note, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
With this photo-essay on the 54-mile civil-rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Partridge proves once again that nonfiction can be every bit as dramatic as the best fiction. Read full book review >
Cover art for CLAUDETTE COLVIN
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 2, 2009

"Her commitment to combating injustice, however, was unaffected, and she remains an inspiring figure whom contemporary readers will be pleased to discover. (notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 & up)"
Claudette Colvin's story will be new to most readers. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE ROCK AND THE RIVER
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 6, 2009

"She offers readers a perspective that is rarely explored, showing that racial prejudices were not confined to the South and that the Civil Rights Movement was a truly national struggle. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)"
This compelling debut novel set in 1968 Chicago vividly depicts how one African-American family is torn between two opposiing approaches to the Civil Rights Movement. Read full book review >