Black Pathers. Oakland. Poetry. Golden Gate Bridge.
As a teacher in San Francisco, I always enjoy a book that takes place in the Bay Area because it's an instant connection to the students' lives. This has a bonus in that it is historical fiction as its based in Oakland during the 60s and the Civil Rights movement specifically the Black Panther movement. I can't think of any other books that deal with this issue for kids, though I'm sure there probably are some out there. This book was also a Newbery Medal honor book for this past year.
Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are sent to visit their mother in Oakland after she left them in Brooklyn with their father as babies. Cecile, their mother, now goes by Nzila and definitely acts as though she does not want them there. The girls spend their days out of her hair hanging out at the Blank Panther Peace center to learn about the movement and get a free breakfast in the morning. Delphine begins to realize that this is a dangerous place for them to be in, but the longer she stays with their mother, the more she wants to get to know about her and why she abandoned them. Rather than call her father and go home, the girls stick out their summer in Oakland and learn what it means to take a stand for something and take pride in themselves.
Told in short chapters, with a clear voice that is specific to Delphine, this is an engaging and quick read full of history and a new perspective on an era. Because of language that is specific to the time, there definitely needs to be a discussion about why certain words are used and why that is okay for this novel.
Intended reading level: Grades 5-8 Interest level: Grade 5
Genre: historical fiction
Comparable titles: Al Capone Does my Shirts, Ninth Ward, Bud not Buddy
Book Connections: Blank Panther history, Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, Oakland history, poetry, self-publishing (printing press), egg rolls
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