(2) 4-6 Mr. Bro. Wiley, a hundred-year-old former slave, has died surrounded by loved ones, namely the family of twelve-year-old narrator Bean Jones. As preparations for the funeral and "sittin' up" commence, readers are introduced to the rural North Carolina community of Low Meadows. It's a rich tapestry that Moses creates, and the reader always feels wrapped in the community's warmth.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2014

(4) YA This somber sequel to Joseph focuses again on the effects of drugs and violence on the family. When the boyfriend of his drug-addicted mother kills Joseph's beloved cousin Jasmine, the extended family is nearly destroyed. Meanwhile, Joseph continues to struggle with his feelings of abandonment and alienation from his soldier father. The heartfelt story is saddled with an unconvincing feel-good ending.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA Joseph worries that his new friends will discover he's homeless. He also fears that his drug- and alcohol-addicted mother will embarrass him--again. His father, serving in Iraq, wants custody so his son can live a stable life, but Joseph feels torn about abandoning Momma. Moses offers an authentic and heartbreaking view of a determined kid who just needs a break.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) YA Twelve-year-old Leon chronicles the week leading up to his baptism--if he can stay out of trouble. The book's cast of memorable characters includes Leon's brothers Twin Luke and Joe Nasty, their stepfather Filthy Frank, and White Cousin, the son of their mother's white half-brother. Leon's voice swings between rascally and poignant, vividly conveying the essence of his rural North Carolina community.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Niki Daly. It's summertime and the hardest thing for Sallie Gal is the fancy ribbons her cousin always wears. There's no money for luxuries, with Sallie Gal's father serving in Vietnam. When kind Mr. Wallace gives Sallie Gal ribbons, she struggles with the values her proud mother has instilled. Daly's energetic black-and-white drawings help make the story accessible to new readers.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Bonnie Christensen. Former slave Dred Scott recounts, in the dialect of the period, the personal and historical events that eventually led to freedom for him and his family. The story is inspiring, but the telling falls short, with a confusing litany of names, dates, and legal maneuvers. Wood engravings illustrate the text. An afterword, author's note, and chronology complete the book. Bib.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) YA Buddy Bush's family and community unite in response to his racially motivated confrontation with Jim Crow justice and the Klan. Twelve-year-old Pattie Mae relates this fictionalized account of actual events with a conversational intimacy and colorful vernacular that transports the reader to 1940s rural North Carolina. Photos of the characters' real-life counterparts accompany an author's note.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr