Jimi: Sounds Like A Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix is written by Gary Golio, and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, using mixed media in colors both bright and pastel, on plywood. Hendrix was fascinated with music, sound, art, and color at an early age. As a young boy, he even used a broom as a pretend guitar, playing and singing to an imaginary audience in his bedroom. He listened constantly to blues, jazz, gospel, classical, folk, and rock and roll music, but was also mesmerized by sounds he heard in the street and in nature, and by the colors of things around him. In his mind, according to the author, colors had sounds to them, and he wondered "Could someone paint pictures with sound?"

 Realizing the importance of music to his son, Jimi's father finally bought him an old wooden guitar for $5. Jimi practiced and practiced, and found he could use the guitar to express the colors/sounds he heard in his head. He discovered he had "a rainbow of sound at his fingertips." When he was able to obtain a cheap electric guitar, the rainbow became even louder, and people really noticed the new kind of music he was making. Golio's poetic and vibrant language captures the excitement of Hendrix's unique talent and creativity. In an afterword, Golio also talks about Hendrix's early death, resulting from an accidental drug overdose. In addition to including resources about Hendrix and his music, Golio includes websites (such as https://www.niaaa.nih.gov) and other resources to help young people understand the dangers of drug and alcohol use. This book is in picture book format, and is highly recommended for grades 4-8. Parents who are Jimi Hendrix fans may also wish to share this book with somewhat younger children.

The teenage female protagonists of E. Lockhart's novels are funny, smart, interesting, questioning and underneath it all resilient and strong. They don't always make the best initial choices, but are willing to learn and adjust as they go. These coming-of-age novels feature a romance (or two), but not at the cost of ignoring other similar and frequently troublesome themes of any young life - parents, school, friendships and finding your niche.

The Boyfriend List is the first in the Ruby Oliver series that also includes The Boy Book, The Treasure Map of Boys, and Real Live Boyfriends. In the beginning of the series, Ruby is struggling as a scholarship student at Tate Prep after her boyfriend dumps her for her best friend and a public humiliation that sends her to having anxiety attacks. Ruby is nothing if not a survivor - and through humor (often wonderfully sarcastic humor) figures out (more or less) how to survive.

In Fly on the Wall, Gretchen Yee is having trouble negotiating her arts school, where her comic book style receives mostly criticism. Not only does she not fit in with the rest of the traditional artsy crowd at school, her parents are getting a divorce. When she wishes to be a fly on the wall, she never expects her dream to come true. In the end it is Gretchen's choices after the Kafkaesque event - and not the event itself - that really change her life.

Sadye dreams of life on Broadway. In Dramarama, she and her best friend Demi get the opportunity to attend a prestigious theater summer camp - and of course the drama follows. Demi becomes the star and falls in love, while Sadye finds it difficult to just go with the flow. Sadye challenges the instructors and system after being unhappy at being cast in smaller roles. Despite her stubbornness and strong opinions the ending shows Sadye's true character. Musical references abound and a suggested movie list is included at the end.

Frankie starts dating the most popular senior at her boarding school - but doesn't feel comfortable being the typical sophomore arm candy. She wonders why Matthew's friends become her friends and his activities become her interests, but not the other way around. Her ambition to stir up the school, and it's secret club might not be identifiable to every teenage girl, but how Frankie negotiates her relationship with Matthew and learns a thing or two about her self along the way make for both a fun and thought provoking read. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks might be my favorite Lockhart novel. Frankie is truly one of a kind - in the most hard-headed lovable way. This book was also a finalist for both the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Michael L. Printz Award.

Most of these books have strong language and mature scenes, though usually in appropriate context. I would recommend this for many teen girls who are unsure of their place in the world. While serious issues are discussed, the humor and often blistering dialog make for some serious fun too.
And while you are at it, check out E. Lockhart's blog!

When I got my first car, I couldn't wait to take a road trip of my own. I'd spent plenty of time in the "wayback" of the family station wagon as a kid attempting to read while my Dad switched the radio back and forth from baseball broadcasts to classical music stations. Now I'd be in the driver's seat and could choose what to listen to and when and where to stop for a rest break! The road atlas was my guide as I set off on my own from Chicago to visit my brother in Pennsylvania.

When Ruth and her family set off in the early 1950s on a road trip from Chicago to Alabama, they needed something in addition to a road map to guide their trip. They needed "The Green Book." "The Green Book," author Calvin Alexander Ramsey explains in his picturebook Ruth and the Green Book was developed in 1936 by a postman named Victor H. Green to help black people who were traveling. The book listed by city all the restaurants, hotels, gas stations and businesses that would serve African Americans during the era of "Jim Crow" laws when many establishments, especially in the South, refused to admit blacks.

Softly illustrated in pastel shades by Floyd Cooper, Ruth and the Green Book describes how excited Ruth and her parents are when they start their trip in their new 1952 Buick automobile, and then how discouraged and angry they feel when they are not allowed to use the restroom at a gas station, or stay overnight in a hotel. Finally, a friend advises them to watch for Esso gas stations, among the only stations that sold to African Americans. There they purchased a copy of the pamphlet "The Negro Motorist Green Book" for 75 cents. The remainder of the family's trip, although not without difficulty, was made easier by having "The Green Book" as their guide.

Highly recommended for grades 1-4, Ruth and the Green Book supports lessons on civil rights, providing a gentle way to introduce young children to the great injustices African Americans endured for decades in our country. The last page of the book provides additional facts about "The History of The Negro Motorist Green Book" which was published until 1964, the year that President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill into law.

For additional information about the author and his work, see the New York Times article: The Open Road Wasn't Quite Open to All. The article includes a link to the actual "Green Book" published in pdf format by The University of Michigan -- Dearborn through its website: Automobile in American Life and Society.

* Black History Month Bloomington Style!

* To view more documents and images from African American history, see the Library of Congress website dedicated to African American History Month.

Lafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman tells the fascinating story of a young man who helped our nation gain its independence in the Revolutionary War. Orphaned at twelve, Gilbert de Motier, marquis de Lafayette was one of the wealthiest young aristocrats in France. Married at sixteen, he was already a father by the age of nineteen when he left France to aid the American revolutionaries in their struggle to win freedom from the British king.

Lafayette faced many obstacles on his path to the American Revolution: physical hardships, the disapproval of King Louis XVI and his court, and the young man's lack of experience in battle. He had to use his own personal fortune for all of his travel and supplies. He even bought his own ship to sail from Europe to America! He was wounded in battle and had to fight to prove himself worthy of a commission in the Continental army. Still, he was filled with a passion for the cause of liberty. With his great courage and clever military mind he earned the respect of General George Washington who loved him like a son. By the age of twenty, he was the youngest general in the Continental army. He became a folk hero to the people of France who sang songs about him in the streets of Paris. His successful efforts to secure men, ships, and money from the French court helped the Continental army win some of the most important battles of the revolution.

The author of this book, Russell Freedman, has won numerous awards for his excellent books. Some of my favorites are Out of Darkness: the Story of Louis Braille and Lincoln: a Photobiography . Lafayette and the American Revolution is a 2011 Sibert Honor Award book. Freedman's writing is clear and engaging. Excerpts from the papers of Lafayette and his contemporaries lend authenticity and give a voice to these people from the past. The book is beautifully illustrated with fine works of art, many in full color. Highly recommended for readers in grades 5-8.