Special Collections
Grade 6, 7, 8 Common Core Text Exemplars
Description: These books exemplify the level of complexity that Common Core State Standards require students to engage with. While the choices serve to help educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range, this not a required reading list. #teachers
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Harriet Tubman
by Ann PetryA New York Times Outstanding Book: The inspiring true story of a former slave who risked everything to help others escape bondage As a child born into slavery, Harriet Tubman heard tales about an underground railroad that ran from the South to the North, carrying slaves to freedom. She dreamed that she would also escape the slavery of the Southern plantations and live a life of her choosing. When Harriet finally achieved freedom, she knew that she had to help those she'd left behind. So she became a conductor on the Underground Railroad. . . .
This intimate portrait follows Harriet on her journey from childhood to becoming a heroine and a national symbol of courage.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is an American Library Association Notable Book and a New York Times Outstanding Book.
Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat
by Winston Churchill and David CannadineThe collected speeches of the most eloquent and expressive statesman of his time. The only political leader to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Winston Churchill used language as a weapon at a time when he possessed nothing more than an empty armory with which to fight his nation's enemies.
In this major volume, David Cannadine one of the foremost historians of modern Britain selects thirty-three speeches ranging over fifty years, demonstrating how Churchill honed his rhetoric until the day when, in the words of Edward R. Murrow, he mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle. A landmark of political speech making, perfect for the election year, Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat is an essential addition to the library of every Churchill fan.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
by Frederick DouglassThe story of Frederick Douglass is passionate, harrowing, and inspiring. As a former slave, impassioned abolitionist, gifted writer, newspaper editor, and powerful orator, Douglass was an immense, motivational figure. His early life, filled with physical abuse, deprivation, and tragedy, adds up to a heart-wrenching history. However, he was able to overcome everything that bound a slave to his life and become a leading spokesman for his people.In this first of his three autobiographies, Douglass relates graphic descriptions of his childhood, his shocking experiences as a slave, and his thrilling escape from slavery to safety in the North and his pivotal freedom.Originally published in 1845, a date significant for the fact that very few African Americans could read or write at that time, this tale of sadness, danger, and eventual liberation will appeal to readers of all kinds. For those interested in African American history and the life of one of the most daring and heroic champions of civil rights, this page-turner is a perfect library addition.