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4-6
In 1923, thirteen-year-old Bobby Lee runs away from a New Orleans orphanage to catch a Chicago-bound train, hoping to become a gangster. Instead, he protects beautiful, widowed mother Nanette from criminals (and the cops). Jazz, mobsters, Jim Crow laws, and racial passing are woven into the not-quite-believable mystery surrounding Nanette, but Bobby Lee shines as a detective and a narrator.
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4-6
Elderly suffragist Josie challenges thirteen-year-old Pearl to learn the true story behind the Colorado legend of Silverheels, the "virtuous woman" who nursed miners during the smallpox epidemic. While digging into the past, Pearl learns to see beyond the superficial--in the legend and in her own relationships. Through Pearl's perspective Mobley educates readers on World War I–era prejudices and realities for women.
249 pp.
| McElderry
| August, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4424-3343-4$15.99
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4-6
Thirteen-year-old Bohemian immigrant Katerina longs for her former home as life in early-1900s Colorado proves to be difficult, but she works hard to help her coal-miner father realize his dream of buying a farm. Interlaced with the historical narrative is a fantastical folktale of a magical carp that grants wishes. A touching story of persistence in the face of great hardship.