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“Without losing the source text’s emotional heft, Edinger and Younge’s visceral poems respectfully provide an effective entry point into the seminal work.” – Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
“The lyrical and poetic approach to this story allows it to be easily accessible to many readers. In addition to Olaudah’s story, there are also several bits of important information included to help the reader understand context and history during this time period. Great for teaching primary sources, slavery, history and analysis of text. We believe every teen should have access to this wonderful, yet heart wrenching story.” – CYBILS 2023
- Children’s Africana Book Award Best Book 2024
- YALSA Finalist for Excellence in Nonfiction 2023
- CYBILS Finalist for High School Nonfiction
- NCTE 2024 Notable Novel in Verse
- California Reading Association Eureka Award for Nonfiction
- School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Middle to High School 2023
- Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2023
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
- Starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness
Audiobook now available!
Educator Guide now available!
Millions of Africans were enslaved during the transatlantic slave trade, but few recorded their personal experiences. Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano is perhaps the most well known of the autobiographies that exist. Using this narrative as a primary source text, authors Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge share Equiano’s life story in found verse, supplemented with annotations to give readers historical context. This poetic approach provides interesting analysis and synthesis, helping readers to better understand the original text. Follow Equiano from his life in Africa as a child to his enslavement at a young age, his travels across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, his liberation, and his life as a free man.
Everyone in the neighborhood knows Allen is the fastest kid around. As soon as school lets out, he’s racing through the park, past the library, and down the sidewalks. They call him A-Train because he’s practically faster than the subway. ZOOM! But where is Allen off to every afternoon? Got somewhere to be! Got somewhere to be! he calls. Race through the city with A-Train and discover what finally gets him to slow down. An Own Voices, Own Stories Grand Prize winner.
“Younge’s bouncy text makes dynamic use of color, font, and vocabulary for a tale of vitality and verve. A sweet tale worth slowing down to read.” – Kirkus
Teacher Lesley 