The Used Marketplace
Every morning, while Sonia (a character who is clearly a young version of Sotomayor herself) eats breakfast, her mother, a nurse, asks “How will you help today?” Sonia, who wants to assist in making her community better and safer, always does her best to have a good answer for Mami. Sonia decides to volunteer to make care packages for American soldiers. She also helps other kids at her school with their various service projects. Readers see how children and adults … Read the rest
After half brothers Sakhan and Neneh engage in a public fight that embarrasses their father, Chief Kheng, the latter finds himself troubled by the perilous state of his Lion tribe. But when Sakhan’s sister Adah is killed by unknown assailants, the chief opts to bring his sons with him as the tribe prepares for an uncertain war. From there, the action-packed novel kicks into gear as the tribe quickly finds members of a rival tribe and engages them in bloody … Read the rest
Charles Fabron of Rouen has a thriving architectural practice and a beautiful young wife, Louisa, pregnant with twins. But it all comes crashing down when Louisa dies in childbirth along with the twin boys. Devastated, Charles reluctantly accepts a position in Paris with the dynamic Baron Haussmann, the emperor’s right-hand man overseeing a complete tearing down and rebuilding of the City of Light. Charles is angry to be named supervisor of demolition, but Haussmann’s legendary charm wins him over, and … Read the rest
Growing up in Providence, Georgia, narrator Analeise Newell and Etta Mae Johnston are childhood friends. Analeise, 11, recalls that their mothers met “packing pickles into jars at the Mayfield Pickle Company, my Mama at the white table, and Etta Mae’s at the colored.” Ever since Etta Mae’s mother died, she’s been raised by her grandmother Miss Wessie, who looks after the two girls when Grace, Analeise’s mother, is at work. As for Claxton, Analeise’s father, he’s usually drunk. It’s the … Read the rest
The African American teen’s unwillingness to give up her seat on a bus to a White person, months before Rosa Parks famously did the same, led to her arrest. Her lawyer, Fred Gray, arranged for Parks to meet with Colvin, and the two became friends. At Parks’ behest, Colvin joined the NAACP and spent evenings at Parks’ home when the group’s youth meetings ran late. Because they considered her a troublemaker, Colvin’s classmates ostracized her. She was one of five … Read the rest
Queen Nahar rules the desert city of Samandal alone, having lost her parents by the time she was 18 years old. This prosperous city resides on crucial trade routes that unite various regions. So Samandal’s Great Council is understandably worried when massive, “semi-human” raiders, the Mrrrg, overtake a neighboring town—a “major nexus” for the trade routes. Despite its efforts, the Samandal army can’t stop the Mrrrg’s mighty Dragon Horde from seizing the city. Paramount chieftain and warlord Timur sets his … Read the rest