Most Popular Books by Virginia Hamilton

Retold Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom, born of the sorrow of the slaves, but passed on in hope--Résumé de l''éditeur.

An American Library Association Notable Book and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year:Twelve-year-old Arilla goes on a quest to discover who she is and where she fits into her family—and the world Arilla Adams is tired of being the moon to her older brother’s sun. Sixteen-year-old Jack has rejected being part of an interracial family and identifies only with his Native American heritage. But Arilla, also part African American and part Native American, isn’t so sure where she belongs. She knows there are people who care about her. Old James False Face tells her stories. Her mom, who’s as beautiful as a queen, wants Arilla to learn to dance. And her classmate Angel Diovalad, the star of the girls’ basketball team, tells her secrets about the boy she loves, whom she meets with on the sly. Arilla also has secrets: She sneaks out to the roller rink to practice figure skating. And she’s afraid of horses. But she’s about to discover her inner courage on a daring rescue mission that will transform her relationship with her family and earn her the name Arilla Sun Down.

Elizabeth and her brother live on a farm for a summer—and learn a whole new way of living and dreaming Elizabeth likes to invent stories. When she travels to her uncle''s farm for a summer, she starts by making up new names for herself and her younger brother: "Geeder" and "Toeboy." As "Geeder" explores the farm on her own and with her brother, she encounters mysteries that capture her imagination, among them a tall, proud woman who looks just like an African queen that Elizabeth has read about in a magazine. Elizabeth spins tales about the people and places around her, but she comes to realize that sometimes the truth is more interesting than make-believe.

A monumental collection by one of America''s greatest authors of children''s literature — and the launch of a new imprint, ReLIT, that republishes lost classics for a modern readership! Virginia Hamilton (1936-2002) was not only one of the most magnificent writers who ever lived — winning honors such as the Newbery Medal, Newbery Honor, National Book Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award for classics like The House of Dies Drear, The People Could Fly, M. C. Higgins the Great, and Her Stories — she was one of the greatest thinkers we ever had on children''s literature. Born to a family of storytellers, she wove into her books and thoughts a deep concern with memory, tradition, and generational legacy, especially as they helped define the lives of African Americans from the days of slavery onward. Hamilton described her work as ''''liberation literature.'''' This landmark book — since fallen out of print and now lovingly restored and repackaged in this gorgeous edition — brings together her essays, speeches, and interviews into one thought-provoking, incisive, inspiring whole. Presented in a high quality flexibound binding, Liberation Literature also features a foreword by Laura Pegram, founder of Kweli; an introduction by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, the "mother of" multicultural children''s literature; and a full-color frontispiece portrait of Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Caldecott Medalists Leo & Diane Dillon. It is a must-have for anyone interested in writing, the history of African American representation, children''s literature, and literature overall.

Hamilton''s classic coming-of-age tale: The National Book Award– and Newbery Award–winning novel about a young man who must choose between supporting his tight-knit family and pursuing his own dreams Mayo Cornelius Higgins perches on top of a homemade forty-foot tower, considering two destinies. Behind him is his family''s beloved house at the foot of a mountain that strip mining has reduced to loose rubble. In front of him, the beautiful Ohio River Valley and the great world beyond. As M.C. weighs whether to stay with the family and home he loves or set off into the world on his own, there appear on the horizon two strangers who will make his decision all the more difficult.

A black family tries to unravel the secrets of their new home which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.

An illustrated collection of twenty-five myths from various parts of the world explaining the creation of the world.

Eleven-year-old Cammy is irritated by her cousin Patty Ann''s seeming perfection until a tragedy forces her to learn about forgiveness and family love.

“THE PEOPLE COULD FLY,” the title story in Virginia Hamilton’s prize-winning American Black folktale collection, is a fantasy tale of the slaves who possessed the ancient magic words that enabled them to literally fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity to “fly” away, who remained slaves with only their imaginations to set them free as they told and retold this tale. Leo and Diane Dillon have created powerful new illustrations in full color for every page of this picture book presentation of Virginia Hamilton’s most beloved tale. The author’s original historical note as well as her previously unpublished notes are included. Awards for The People Could Fly collection: A Coretta Scott King Award A Booklist Children’s Editors’ Choice A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year A Horn Book Fanfare An ALA Notable Book An NCTE Teachers’ Choice A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year

Nineteen stories focus on the magical lore and wondrous imaginings of African American women.

Fourteen-year-old Tree, resentful of her working mother who leaves her in charge of a retarded younger brother, encounters the ghost of her dead uncle and comes to a deeper understanding of her family''s problems.

A collection of stories, featuring sparrows, jays, buzzards, and bats, based on those African American tales originally written down by Martha Young on her father''s plantation in Alabama after the Civil War.

Now in Laurel-Leaf, Virginia Hamilton''s powerful true account of the sensational trial of a fugitive slave. The year is 1854, and Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old Virginia slave, has escaped to Boston. But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement. Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children''s literature, Virginia Hamilton''s important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.

In a gorgeous tale of an unexpected friendship, ten-year-old Dreenie feels both intrigued and frightened when she thinks about the girl nicknamed Bluish, whose leukemia is making her pale and causing her to use a wheelchair.

Already a leader in New York''s underground world of homeless children, Buddy Clark takes on the responsibility of protecting the overweight, emotionally disturbed friend with whom he has been playing hooky from eighth grade all semester.