Starred ReviewStarred Review The Book Itch
Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, ALA Notable Children’s Book, CCBC Best Children’s Book of the Year, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, Kirkus Best Children’s Books, NCTE Notable
In the 1930s, Lewis’s dad, Lewis Michaux Sr., had an itch he needed to scratch—a book itch. How to scratch it? He started a bookstore in Harlem and named it the National Memorial African Bookstore.
And as far as Lewis Michaux Jr. could tell, his father’s bookstore was one of a kind. People from all over came to visit the store, even famous people—Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, and Langston Hughes, to name a few. In his father’s bookstore people bought and read books, and they also learned from each other. People swapped and traded ideas and talked about how things could change. They came together here all because of his father’s book itch. Read the story of how Lewis Michaux Sr. and his bookstore fostered new ideas and helped people stand up for what they believed in.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
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978-0-7613-3943-4
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$14.24 | |
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978-1-4677-9047-5
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$23.99 |
Awards
- Notable AwardNotable Award NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
- Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- William Allen White Children's Book Awards Master List
- Notable AwardNotable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
- Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Awards Honor
- ACL Distinguished Book
- Notable AwardNotable Award Kirkus Best Children's Books
- Notable AwardNotable Award Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor
- Notable AwardNotable Award ALA Notable Children's Books
Reviews
The Horn Book Magazine
“Studded with Michaux’s aphorisms . . . the book successfully conveys the vibrancy of the bookstore and its habitués. . . . R. Gregory Christie . . . is here allowed full pages drenched with expressionistic color to convey the spirit of the place, time, and people.”—The Horn Book Magazine
Starred ReviewStarred Review Booklist
“This companion to No Crystal Stair (2012) introduces younger readers to Nelson’s great uncle, Lewis Michaux Sr., owner of Harlem’s National Memorial African Bookstore. . . . [T]his moving tribute should be a welcome addition to almost any collection.”—starred, Booklist
Publishers Weekly
“Writing in the voice of Michaux’s admiring son, Nelson illuminates Lewis’s generosity . . . and his fervent belief in the power of words and books to change lives. . . . It’s an emotive tribute to Michaux’s personal and professional legacy.”—Publishers Weekly
Starred ReviewStarred Review Kirkus Reviews
“From the author’s heart to America’s readers: a tribute to a man who believed in and lived black pride.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
“A strong endorsement of the power of books and reading, an excellent choice for history and biography collections, and a strong choice for educators emphasizing the importance of community.”—School Library Journal