The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

After he loses his parents in a tragic accident Alex is somehow able to see into the future.  But when he tries to alter what will happen he quickly learns that he cannot,  whatever was going to happen will happen.  Then when he sees a future vision of his brother,  he has no choice but to take action.  Can Alex save his brother and change the future?  Or is the future an absolute certainty? 

Readers who enjoyed When by Victoria Laurie should be sure to pick this book up too.  — Claudio Leon

Click here for discussion questions from the NEA website plus links to additional teaching resources.

Programming Spotlight: Creative Writing Workshops with Paul Griffin

We're very excited to learn that author Paul Griffin will be visiting Passages Academy's students this week to lead several creative writing workshops.  These sessions were arranged by Karen Keys at Brooklyn Public Library as part of BPL's Teen Writing Contest & Ned Vizzini Teen Writing Prize.  All NYC teens are eligible to enter.  Deadline is this Thursday, March 31st.  Click here to enter.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Y’all Hiring?: The Black Teen’s Guide to Navigating Employment by Albert Phillips Jr.

The title of this slim,  self-published volume tells it all!   Author Phillips deserves our thanks for this greatly necessary and  informative book on a topic not previously addressed.

In clear terms and accessible language,   he offers advice for upper middle and high school readers seeking employment, including tips on how to prepare for an interview, how to dress for success, how to make a good impression, and how to exit gracefully.  Notably, Phillips also discusses how to contend with work-related discrimination.  Highly recommended for all who serve Black teens.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Click here to visit the author’s website where you can download his common-core aligned seven-paged teaching and discussion guide by submitting your email address.

Phillips Jr., Albert.  Y’all Hiring?: The Black Teen’s Guide to Navigating Employment.  Baltimore: self-published, 2020.  Print.

How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000: Earn! Invest! Save! by James McKenna, Jeannine Glista and Matt Fontaine

The title and cover of this book make it hard to keep on our library shelves.   Although  the book lacks cultural  and class-sensitivity,  it is straightforward.  The authors put forth their concept of the “million-dollar mindset (MDM)”  using examples of famous American multi-millionaires, emphasizing how entrepreneurship career choices paid off. 

While providing ideas for suburban adolescents hoping to make money, the authors do not provide detailed, specific information for making the crucial savvy investments required to generate the power of compound interest.  

Nevertheless this book is good for teens of all backgrounds who want to gain financial literacy.

Click here for Daria Plumb’s twenty-page educator guide offered by the publisher.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental Man by Tonya Bolden

Author Tonya Bolden, at the end of her book  writes,  “It is my hope that Facing Frederick will inspire readers to take a good long look at, and think more deeply about, a multi-faceted, monumental man.  A man utterly beyond category.”  In this beautifully-written,  compact biography,  Bolden certainly succeeds.

The author’s brilliant research, her synthesis for younger readers,  and the visual record she includes of this most photographed man of his time make Facing Frederick a must-read for all interested in American history.  

Back matter includes a poem about Douglass by Robert Hayden,  a timeline,  a list of sources, author’s acknowledgements, image credits, and an index.  Click here for the Indiannapolis Public Library’s guide to teaching Frederick Douglass.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Ida B. the Queen: The extraordinary life and legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle Duster, illustrated by Hannah Giorgis.

Did you know that the FBI kept files on activist Ida B.Wells? 

This intriguing biography by the subject’s great granddaughter offers middle and high school readers an introduction to Ida Wells the activist, journalist, publisher, editor, teacher and probation officer.  The first section links Wells to other African-American activists who were also followed by the FBI.

We then learn about her early life,  see a timeline of African American history, and consider  Wells’ legacy and that of other powerful figures and events of her time.   And finally the author discusses contemporary activists including Stacy Adams,  and the Black Lives Matter movement.  

Backmatter contains hyperlinked sources, image credits, and an index.  Highly recommended for proficient readers eager to know more about Black history.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Duster, Michelle and Hannah Giorgis.  Ida B. the Queen: The extraordinary life and legacy of Ida B. Wells. New York: Atria, 2021

Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene, illustrated by Ciara Sana

Did you know that Billy Frank Jr. was arrested for fishing as an act of civil disobedience?  That tattooing has been part of Inuit culture for millennia?  That Lili’uokalani was the first woman to rule Hawai’i and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom before the US illegally overthrew the monarchy?  That baller Kyrie Irving has been “welcomed home” by the Lakota Sioux?  

This book about 50  “notable natives” interweaves historical context with short sections on topics like “settler colonialism 101,”  “whose land are you on?” and  “who belongs?”   

Highly accessible short biographies of 2-4 paragraphs each,  and portraits of the 50 subjects make this book a good choice for readers at middle school level or above.  Students will likely find something to whet their appetite to learn more,  and the index makes topics,  locations,  as well as biographical subjects easy to find.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Keene, Adrienne.  Illustrated by Ciara Sana.  Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2021.  Print.