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Children's reading lists

13 wonderful children’s books by Black authors and illustrators

Clouds Over California

"Nourishes the spirit and fills the soul." - Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Operation Sisterhood 
 
"Touching and inspiring." - Lisa Moore Ramée, author of A Good Kind of Trouble 
 
"A taste of history with the thrills of mystery and brims with family secrets." - Alicia D. Williams, award-winning author of Genesis Begins Again 
 
Judy Blume meets Jacqueline Woodson in this powerful and sweetly emotional coming-of-age story about finding your place in the world, from the author of How High the Moon. 
 
This was supposed to be the best year ever for eleven-year-old Stevie Morrison. But instead, her life seems determined to turn itself upside down. 
 
First of all, her parents can't stop fighting - and they decide to move the family to a totally new apartment, in a totally new part of town, which means a totally new middle school for Stevie. On top of that, her best friend, Jennifer, is acting weird. She won't return Stevie's phone calls, and apparently her new best friends are a bunch of mean girls. 
 
The final straw comes with the arrival of Stevie's teenage cousin Naomi - sent down in disgrace from Boston (though no one will tell Stevie why). But with Naomi comes an exciting glimpse of a world Stevie hasn't paid much attention to before: one of Cleopatra Jones movies, women's liberation and an intriguing-sounding group called the Black Panthers. 
 
It might not be the year Stevie anticipated. But it will be the one that changes her life forever. 
 
Praise for How High the Moon: 
 
"Essential reading, full of voices that must be heard. One of the best stories I've read in a long while" - Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse 
 
"An impressive debut" - Mail on Sunday

My heart! Clouds over California is one of those stories that nourishes the spirit and fills the soul. Deeply moving and refreshing, Stevie's story surprised me in every good and meaningful way. I tore through it in one sitting and then wanted to sit with it, like a new but already dear friend.

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Operation Sisterhood

Set against the dreamy backdrop of 1970s Santa Monica, Clouds over California is a touching story about the difficulties of accepting change and the importance of being true to yourself. I absolutely loved spending time in Stevie's world.

Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of The Only Black Girls in Town

Clouds over California is a taste of history with the thrills of mystery and brims with family secrets. Karyn Parsons created a sweet, heartfelt story filled with curiosity and hope.

Alicia D. Williams, award-winning author of Genesis Begins Again

One of the best stories I've read in a long while

Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse

Karyn Parsons is perhaps best known for her role as Will Smith's ditsy cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn went on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films. Karyn lives and works in New York.

This was supposed to be the best year ever for eleven-year-old Stevie Morrison. But instead, her life seems determined to turn itself upside down. 
 
First of all, her parents can't stop fighting - and they decide to move the family to a totally new apartment, in a totally new part of town, which means a totally new middle school for Stevie. On top of that, her best friend, Jennifer, is acting weird. She won't return Stevie's phone calls, and apparently her new best friends are a bunch of mean girls. The final straw comes with the arrival of Stevie's teenage cousin Naomi - sent down in disgrace from Boston (though no one will tell Stevie why). But with Naomi comes an exciting glimpse of a world Stevie hasn't paid much attention to before: one of Cleopatra Jones movies, women's liberation and an intriguing-sounding group called the Black Panthers. 
 
It might not be the year Stevie anticipated. But it will be the one that changes her life forever.

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 4: How High The Moon (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
How High the Moon, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Ella lives in a small, Southern town in the 1940s. In the USA at this time, black people are treated badly by white people. Ella's mother lives in Boston, but Ella does not know who her father is. When Ella visits her mother, she learns more about herself and the world. 
 
Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

Karyn Parsons is perhaps best known for her role as Will Smith's ditsy cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn went on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films, to share stories about unsung black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah and Chris Rock. The serie has been screened on HBO and Netflix, and is enjoyed by schools and libraries across the USA. How High The Moon is Karyn's self-authored debut middle grade novel. She lives and works in New York.

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
How High the Moon, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Ella lives in a small, Southern town in the 1940s. In the USA at this time, black people are treated badly by white people. Ella's mother lives in Boston, but Ella does not know who her father is. When Ella visits her mother, she learns more about herself and the world.

How High The Moon

_____ 
 
Boston was nothing like South Carolina. Up there, colored folks could go anywhere they wanted. Folks didn't wait for church to dress in their fancy clothes. Fancy was just life. Mama was a city girl . . . and now I was going to be one too. 
 
It's 1944, and in a small, Southern, segregated town, eleven-year-old Ella spends her summers running wild with her cousins and friends. 
 
But life isn't always so sunny. 
 
The deep racial tension that simmers beneath their town's peaceful facade never quite goes away, and Ella misses her mama - a beautiful jazz singer, who lives in Boston. 
 
So when an invitation arrives to come to Boston for a visit Ella is ecstatic - and the trip proves life-changing in more ways than one. For the first time, Ella sees what life outside of segregation is like, and begins to dream of a very different future. 
 
But her happiness is shattered when she returns home to the news that her classmate has been arrested for the murder of two white girls - and nothing will ever be the same again. 
 
 A beautifully written and deeply moving story about finding and fighting for your place in the world.

So many things about this book were brilliant. A beautiful, funny, dangerous tale of growing up in Jazz Age America, How High The Moon is essential reading, full of voices that must be heard. One of the best stories I've read in a long while

Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse and Secrets of a Sun King

Parson's sparkling debut grabs us by the heart and leads us by the hand into a painful past filled with revelations, hope, and homecoming. Absolutely glorious!

Rita Williams Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

Parsons is great at unfurling the pleasures of the freer northern states through biracial Ella's eyes, but also adept at handling the subtleties of layered storytelling.

A talented, engaging new voice. A brave, compassionate, and lovable heroine

Jewell Parker Rhodes, author of Ghost Boys

As compelling as Brown Girl Dreaming, as character-driven as One Crazy Summer, and as historically illuminating as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry... A riveting read, this novel masterfully presents Southern and Northern conflicts through the perspective of a no-nonsense kid who is trying to find her place in the world. Ella's realistic voice and passionate responses to injustices make her a credible, flawed, and likable character who sees the truth in front of her but often doesn't recognize it. A captivating novel that sheds new light on black childhood

In How High the Moon, Karyn Parson brings the same verve, timing, and emotive brilliance that she brought to the screen. Equal parts mystery, historical fiction, and coming-of-age, this is a story full of warmth and light and drama that will captivate you. That will haunt you. And that will ultimately enlighten you

A tender and compelling story about loving and belonging. Parsons masterfully takes us on a journey where the political is personal, where the most heartbreaking moments are also profound and beautiful. Ella is a character readers will care about, cry with, and cheer for. How High the Moon is a stunning debut that promises to have readers wanting more and more from Parsons

Renée Watson, author of Piecing Me Together

A stirring, emotionally resonant debut, How High the Moon opens a fresh and sensitive window on a terrifying time, even as it introduces us to a lovable new heroine

Tony Abbott, author of Firegirl and The Great Jeff

Karyn Parsons is perhaps best known for her role as Will Smith's ditsy cousin Hilary Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Karyn has gone on to found Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning foundation which shares stories about unsung black heroes in history, and How High The Moon is Karyn's self-authored debut novel. She lives and works in New York.

It's 1944, and in a small Southern town, eleven-year-old Ella spends her summers running wild with her cousins and friends. But life isn't always so sunny. The deep racial tension that simmers beneath their town's peaceful facade never quite goes away, and Ella misses her mama - a beautiful jazz singer, who lives in Boston. 
 
So when an invitation arrives to come to visit Boston Ella is ecstatic - and for the first time, Ella sees what life outside of segregation is like, and begins to dream of a very different future. But her happiness is shattered when she returns home to the news that her classmate has been arrested for the murder of two white girls - and nothing will ever be the same again.

Karyn Parsons

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Clouds Over California, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Clouds over California is a story about an eleven-year-old girl called Stevie, and the changes that happen in her life when her older cousin comes to stay. It is also about life in the 1970s and important events that changed things in the United States of America for women and Black people.

Karyn Parsons

Books by Karyn Parsons

Articles featuring Karyn Parsons

13 wonderful children’s books by Black authors and illustrators

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