(3) 4-6 Very Important People series. Illustrated by Daniel Duncan. In seven chapters geared toward third and fourth graders, Patrick discusses engineer and inventor Latimer's life and work. Born in 1848 to fugitive slaves in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Latimer's remarkable career included work for Alexander Graham Bell and (indirectly) Thomas Edison. Inviting illustrations in blue and gray tones help break up the readable text. Frequent sidebars elaborate on topics in the main text (patents, the Industrial Revolution) and introduce Lewis's contemporaries (Booker T. Washington; "Other Nineteenth-Century Inventors"). The book ends with a list of Lewis's patents, a timeline, brief bios of four modern-day African American inventors, and an extensive bibliography.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Plenty of local texture adds to the veracity of this story about the Boone Family, who waits out Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, is rescued, and begins a new life in New Jersey. The narrative focuses on thirteen-year-old Reesie Boone, who dreams of fashion school, through the turmoil. Patrick's novel is a true-to-life portrait of one family's post-disaster recovery.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(2) YA Seven stories in this collection draw on the black experience in America, taking readers into the Deep South during slavery days through the Civil War and Jim Crow laws. The eighth (titular) story introduces a Spanish merchant who acknowledges his part in the African slave trade. While the prose in these compelling narratives is sometimes pedestrian, the complexity of each moment marks its power.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(4) K-3 Time for Kids Biographies series. Using period photos and illustrated sidebars, this easy-to-read biography is a good introduction to Robinson's life and career. The text informs readers about complex issues, such as segregation, while remaining accessible. The busily designed book concludes with a brief interview with Robinson's daughter. Timeline.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Childhood of Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Rodney S. Pate. In this entry in a series that fictionalizes a childhood incident that affects the subject's future life, young Martin loses his best friend when Bobby's father says "colored and white can't mix." But while Martin's dad says "friendship has no color," and Martin vows to change people's minds. The story is unsentimentally told in a clearly written text; the realistic illustrations, appropriately somber, convey much emotion.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 The protagonist of The Adventures of Midnight Sun, a runaway slave turned cowboy, plans to reunite with his family now that the Civil War is over. He is joined on his journey home by a fellow cowboy and two orphaned young people of mixed Arapaho Indian-African American heritage. Midnight Sun is a strong character in a well-paced novel that leaves room for yet another sequel.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta