The dark-thirty : Southern tales of the supernatural

The hour before sunset is called dark-thirty in the south- these haunting tales reflect the horror of living in a time when African Americans lacked any semblance of political power. The stories explore many aspects of the African America experience from slavery and emancipation, to desegregation and the terror generated by the Ku Klux Klan.

McKissack, Pat. (1992). The dark-thirty : Southern tales of the supernatural. New York: Knopf. 122 pages. ISBN: 978-0-679-81863-2.

Ages: 8-12

Rating: Outstanding

Newberry Honor Book 1993

Coretta Scott King Award 1993

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Calpurnia Virginia Tate never knew that her name had such an interesting legacy until she started spending time with her grandfather. She always thought it was just plain unusual, not the name of the last wife of Julius Cesar and especially not the name of a family of plants.

At the turn of the 20th century in a small town just east of Austin, Texas, Calpurnia, Callie Vee to her friends, learns about the natural world and about her place in it. While she's young her interests in the natural world are encouraged by her grandfather- she begins reading Darwin's Evolution of the Species, and making her own observations of the natural world around her. She is inquisitive and notices the connections between the world of the plants and animals with the world of people that she inhabits- plants and animals adapt to their surroundings to ensure their survival. She quickly realizes that for her best friend to marry one of her brothers, one of the Tate boys, it would ensure her survival more so than marrying someone of lesser influence. Even though her family is influential and own hundreds of acres of cotton, Callie is still expected to be a successful girl, and eventually marry. With this realization, she becomes depressed and even more obsessed with the idea of going to the university in Austin and becoming a scientist.

This is a book for inquisitive minds, girls who are interested in science and feel dorky because of it, and for those who love them. Although the novel is long, it is full of fully developed, relatable  characters that tweens will find endearing and entertaining.



Kelly, Jacqueline. (2009). The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. New York: Henry Holt. 340 pages. ISBN: 978-0-805-08841-0.

Ages 10+
Rating: Outstanding
Newberry Honor Book 2010

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

This is the story of an unlikely friendship between a young black girl and an 11 year old white minister's son in Maine, 1912. Turner Buckminster had only lived in Phippsburg Maine for less than 6 hours and he already hated it, that is until he met Lizzie Bright Griffin. She is smart as a whip and teaches Turner how to play baseball the way they do it in Maine and shows him all the natural wonders of the coast. When they learn that the townsfolk intend to force Lizzie's people off of their island (founded by former slaves) to use as a tourist site, Lizzie and Turner band together to save the island's inhabitants.


Schmidt, Gary D. (2008). Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.
New York : Clarion Books. 219 pages. ISBN: 978-0-618-43929-4.

Ages 12-15
Rating: Outstanding
Newberry Honor book 2005
Printz Honor book 2005