Eleanora E. Tate

In 1921, thirteen-year-old Celeste leaves North Carolina to stay with her glamorous Aunt Valentina in Harlem, New York, where she discovers the vibrant Harlem Renaissance in full swing, even though her aunt's life is not exactly what she was led to believe

Twelve-year-old Margie and her younger cousin forget their boredom when Margie's father entertains them with stories about people and events in their small Missouri town's past.

Raisin Stackhouse doesn't mind doing odd jobs for old Miss Effie Pfluggins, but when Miss Effie talks her into cleaning up the old church cemetery, she has no idea what trouble she might dig up. Mama says Miss Effie talks much too much, but Raisin loves hearing her remember the old days--especially when one of her stories puts Raisin smack in the middle of real-life mystery. When Raisin is grounded for sneaking a night out, she not only misses her chance to compete in the Miss Ebony Pageant, but her efforts to uncover the famous person buried in the cemetery are brought to a halt, too. Somehow Raisin's got to solve the big mystery no one in town wants to talk about. Will her discovery bring her glory, or is the past better off left buried?

When a disruptive and neglected four-year-old moves in with her family, nine-year-old Margie Carson has great difficulty adjusting.

Presents biographical profiles of African Americans, both legendary and less well-known, who have made significant contributions to music in the United States over the past 200 years.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COMES TO LIFE Discover why young people all over the country are reading the Black Stars biographies of African American heroes. Here is what you want to know about the lives of great black men and women during the fabulous Harlem Renaissance: louis "satchmo" armstrong eubie blake thomas andrew dorsey w. e. b. du bois duke ellington james reese europe jessie redmon fauset marcus garvey w. c. handy fletcher henderson langston hughes zora neale hurston hall johnson henry johnson oscar micheaux philip payton jr. gertrude "ma" rainey paul robeson augusta savage noble sissle bessie smith james van der zee dorothy west carter g. woodson "The books in the Black Stars series are the types of books that would have really captivated me as a kid." -Earl G. Graves, Black Enterprise magazine "Inspiring stories that demonstrate what can happen when ingenuity and tenacity are paired with courage and hard work." -Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books "Haskins has chosen his subjects well . . . catching a sense of the enormous obstacles they had to overcome. . . . Some names are familiar, but most are little-known whom Haskins elevates to their rightful place in history." -Booklist "The broad coverage makes this an unusual resource-a jumping-off point for deeper studies." -Horn Book

Seven stories inspired by and illustrating the folk wisdom of such sayings as: "You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks," "A Hard Head Makes a Soft Behind," and "Big Things Come in Small Packages."

Twelve-year-old Zambia thinks that life with her aunt and uncle in Deacons Neck, South Carolina, is boring and dreams of going to live with her smooth-talking, fast-living father, until she gets to know the darker side of his world.

The children of Gumbo Grove Elementary School discover the contributions of many famous Afro-Americans during Black History Month.

In 1904, twelve-year-old Orphelia follows her dream by running away from home to join an all-black minstrel show headed for the Saint Louis World's Fair, and learns about her family's troubled past in the process.