African American Books for Boys in Grades 2 & 3
Click on each book to find it in the library catalog. For more reading ideas, talk to a children’s librarian. Call 217/403 — 2030 or e-mail librarian@champaign.org.
- The Adventures of Sparrowboy (Picture Books/E/Pin) by Brian Pinkney. He delivers papers. He saves birds. He flies!
- From Slave to Soldier: Based on a True Civil War Story (Juvenile First Chapters/J/Hop) by Deborah Hopkinson. The true story of a runaway slave who became a mule-team driver for the Union Army.
- Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose (Juvenile Fiction/J/Quattlebaum) by Mary Quattlebaum. Uh oh! They took a rose from the cemetery — a cursed rose!
- Major Taylor Champion Cyclist (Juvenile Biographies/J796.62/Taylor) by Lesa Cline-Ransom. No one could beat him. He was the fastest man alive on a bicycle.
- A Million Fish . . . More or Less (Paperback Picture Books/E/M) by Patricia McKissack. Raccoons! Crocodiles! You’d be amazed the trouble that Hugh Thomas runs into when he tries to bring home a million fish . . . more or less.
- More Stories Julian Tells (Juvenile First Chapters/J/Cam) by Ann Cameron. Short stories about Julian’s life, including a bet with his best friend, a secret project, and what happens when his brother decides to be Superboy.
- Perfect Timing: How Isaac Murphy Became one of the World’s Greatest Jockeys (Juvenile Biographies/J798.4/Murphy) by Patsi B. Trollinger. The story of one of history’s greatest athletes.
- Speak to Me (And I Will Listen Between the Lines) (Juvenile Nonfiction/J371/Eng) by Karen English. Through poetry, six third graders tell about their lives and day at school.
- The Stories Huey Tells (Juvenile First Chapters/J/Cam) by Ann Cameron. It isn’t easy being a younger brother but Huey proves that he is not just a little kid. He’s an adventurer, a chef, a tracker, and a scout.
- Wiley and the Hairy Man (Juvenile Nonfiction/J398.20976/Sie) retold by Judy Sierra. The Hairy Man is big, ugly, mean, and really stinky. He’s also out to catch Wiley!
