Kids Book Index
Elizabeth Partridge
This picture book recounts the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge across a hazardous strait in San Francisco. Engineers and builders undertake the project during the Great Depression, despite widespread doubt that it can be done. Work begins in 1933, and the bridge opens on May 27, 1937. The account centers on the people and effort behind the landmark’s creation.
This book appears on 1 reading list across 1 edition.
Onyx & BeyondAmber McBrideIn 1970, twelve-year-old Onyx dreams about space and astronauts while trying to protect his mother, who has dementia. He is also trying to stay safe and keep attention away from his home, fearing that Child Protective Services could place him in foster care. Set as the Civil Rights Movement is gaining momentum, the free-verse story follows Onyx as he manages responsibilities at home and learns to accept help from other people.Nine to TwelveOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
One Big Open SkyLesa Cline-Ransome, map by Allira TreeTold in verse through the voices of Lettie, her mother Sylvia, and Philomena, this novel follows Black pioneers heading west in 1879. Lettie’s father, Thomas, wants to leave Mississippi, where racism and the legacy of slavery limit the family’s possibilities, for Nebraska, which welcomes homesteaders regardless of race. Sylvia is reluctant to leave extended family, but the group sets out with other Black homesteaders. Philomena joins them in Missouri, paying to travel with the family because a teaching job awaits her in Nebraska. The journey brings uncertainty, tension, and changing family bonds.All readersOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Johnny, the Sea, and MeMelba EscobarPedro has long wanted to see the ocean. His mother brings him to a small Caribbean island, but troubles from home remain with him: classmates have bullied him, and his father is absent. Overwhelmed during the trip, Pedro runs away along the beach, hoping distance will leave those worries behind. There he meets Johnny, an island resident with pirate ancestry. The story also includes a mysterious dog connected to the sea.Middle ReadersOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details