After reading
Don't Feed The Boy, I decided to read Irene Latham's first novel,
Leaving Gee's Bend. For those of you who don't know, Gee's Bend is a real place in west Alabama. It is an isolated place that is best arrived at by crossing the Alabama River on a ferry. Gee's Bend is a traditionally African American community that is known for its quilts. In fact, a wonderful exhibit called The Quilts of Gee's Bend travels the world. I saw it at the Jule Collins Smith Museum in Auburn several years ago.
This is the fictional story of 10 year-old Ludelphia Bennett. Lu has lived her entire life amoung the safety of family and friends in Gee's Bend and has never crossed the river to see the rest of the world. That, however, is about to change. When her mother becomes deathly ill with pnuemonia, Lu is determined to fetch Doc Nelson to save her. She sets off on a dangerous adventure to leave Gee's Bend. Will Lu like what she sees across the river? Will she ever return to her beloved Gee's Bend? Will her quest to save her mother's life be successful?
If you like reading stories set in your home state of Alabama and written by an Alabama author and if you like historical fiction that is full of adventure, you should read
Leaving Gee's Bend.
Recommended for students 11 and up.
Caution: A birthing scene occurs early in the novel.
By Mrs. Norton
The Universe of Fair is about an 11-year-old boy named Miller and his friend Lewis. More than anything, Miller wants his parents to realize how responsible he has become and allow him to go to the city fair this year alone with Lewis. (In the past his mom and dad have always taken him and his little sister Penny.) What happens when Miller inadvertantly gets his wish makes for an adventure packed book!
It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw is a picture book that tells the story of Bill Traylor, a folk artist from Alabama. Bill lived most of his life in the country working the land. He began life as a slave on an Alabama cotton farm. Once slavery ended, his family became sharecroppers. Late in his life, Bill found himself alone and moved to the city of Montgomery. His transition to city life was not easy, and he became homeless. He spent a lot of time remembering his life in the country and began drawing pictures on cardboard boxes, old signs, and discarded bags. Bill's artwork was discovered by a young artist and later displayed in a museum. Today Bill Traylor is known as one of the most important self-taught folk artists in America. 
Despite her upbringing on a pirate ship, Victricia Malicia Calamity Barrett is not your typical pirate. She cannot stand life at sea and is no good at living the pirate life. Victricia is quite a clutz and causes one mishap after another aboard the Potbellied Pirate. She prefers to spend her time reading and dreaming about life on dry land. After one particularly big blunder aboard ship, Victricia's pirate family agrees to leave her ashore where she is finally able to settle into the life of her dreams.
This picture book is a humorous version of the traditional Princess and the Pea fairy tale. In this version, Prince Henrik is looking to marry a princess who is not overly sensitive and delicate...a princess who is the opposite of a "real" princess! Henrik is determined to find the princess of his dreams so he devises a plan involving a thin camping mattress, an old sleeping bag, and a packet of frozen peas. Does such a princess exist in the kingdom? Read The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas to find out. Recommended for students ages 5-9.