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1969

Editor's Note: Many of the books are out of print. The header information will be as complete as I can make it.

The High King by Alexander Lloyd (Henry Holt, $18.95, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0805061355.	The Medalist   This is the fifth and final book of the Prydain Chronicles. The final battle is fought and all the magic people head for the hills. This series is the moron's version of Lord of the Rings. Kids may like it but it is boring stuff. Has a mild element of excitement in the battle scenes.
To Be A Slave by Julius Lester (Dial Books, $20, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0803723474	Honor Book The author uses passages from historical documents and the oral histories recorded by the Federal Writers' Project of the New Deal to recreate in vivid detail the life and experiences of slaves. If kids weren't clued in enough already to the horrors of slavery, this book will knock out any complacency they feel. The words written or dictated by the slaves describe horrific treatment and a roiling resentment that finally exploded during the Civil Rights movement of the '60s. This is a powerful book, useful in elementary, middle and high school. It would work well with The Railroad to Freedom, a 1933 Newbery Honor book.
When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer (Farrar Straus Giroux, $13.95, fourth-grade level). ISBN: 0374383162.	Honor Book A collection of stories, some by Singer and others from Jewish folklore, about villagers in Poland. For the most part, the characters are stupid people. And for the most part, this stuff is incredibly unfunny and will be hard to sell to kids. Some humor doesn't age well and this is a prime example.

Copyright David Ross 2003