Synergy: Black Seminole People

The Black Seminole people are the descendants of Seminole Indians combined with free Blacks and escaped enslaved people of African lineage. Although Florida had been a refuge for freedom-seeking enslaved people, the Black Seminole people ultimately migrated to Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico in the mid 1800s.

Read the recently published biography for youth then learn more at the websites.

A MAN CALLED HORSE by Glennette Tilley Turner tells the true story of a man of Seminole and African descent who lead his people from Florida to a new home in the West during the 19th century. This well-researched biography reflects the many roles of John Horse from counselor and army captain to conductor on the Underground Railroad. Told through short, visually-rich chapters, Turner follows John Horse’s quest while also providing the larger context of the challenges facing the Black Seminole people. The book concludes with the lasting legacy, additional information, timeline, author’s note, notes, and bibliography.

Rebellion: John Horse and the Black Seminoles is an online project telling the story of John Horse and the Black Seminoles.

To visit the website, go to http://www.johnhorse.com/.

Florida’s Underground Railroad: The Black Seminoles is an online article from Florida Memory describing how runaway slaves fled south into Florida during the 18th and early 18th centuries. 

To learn more, go to https://bit.ly/3waqPX8.

Black Seminole Indians by Tracé Etienne-Gray is an online article tracing this ethnic group from Florida to their migration to Oklahoma, Mexico, and Texas.

To read the article, go to https://bit.ly/2Yaxowe.

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for Young Reads, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Book Review: Sunny Side Up

SUNNY SIDE UP by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm is a poignant, yet humorous middle grade graphic novel focusing on family and friendship.

Set in August 1976, Sunny Lewin arrives in Florida to spend a few weeks with her grandfather who lives in a retirement community on a golf course. From searching for lost golf balls and cats to reading comics with a new friend, Sunny has some fun despite being surrounded by “old people”. Flashbacks provide insights into Sunny’s home life back in Pennsylvania revealing family secrets and the real reason she’s staying with her gramps.

Whether referencing the bicentennial celebration or reflecting on the smell of a Polaroid photograph, the authors are effective at immersing readers in the culture of the 1970s. The illustrator’s eye for period details make the story even more endearing.

A note from the authors encourages readers to reach out to family, teachers, and counselors if they find themselves dealing with someone experiencing substance abuse.

Librarians will find that the authentic story will appeal to youth. The authors seamlessly weave important social messages into the heartwarming summer story.

Published by GRAPHIX from Scholastic on August 25, 2015.