Virginia Hamilton

"The well-known author retells 24 black American folk tales in sure storytelling voice: animal tales, supernatural tales, fanciful and cautionary tales, and slave tales of freedom. All are beautifully readable. With the added attraction of 40 wonderfully expressive paintings by the Dillons, this collection should be snapped up."--(starred) School Library Journal. This book has been selected as a Common Core State Standards text Exemplar (Grade 6-8, Stories) in Appendix B.

Mayo Cornelius Higgins sits on his gleaming, forty-foot steel pole, towering over his home on Sarah's Mountain. Stretched before him are rolling hills and shady valleys. But behind him lie the wounds of strip mining, including a mountain of rubble that may one day fall and bury his home. M.C. dreams of escape for himself and his family. And, one day, atop his pole, he thinks he sees it—two strangers are making their way toward Sarah's Mountain. One has the ability to make M.C.'s mother famous. And the other has the kind of freedom that M.C. has never even considered.

A family tries to unravel the secrets of their new home which was once a stop on the Underground Railroad in this Edgar Award–winning book from Virginia Hamilton.The house held secrets, Thomas knew, even before he first saw it looming gray and massive on its ledge of rock. It had a century-old legend—two fugitive slaves had been killed by bounty hunters after leaving its passageways, and Dies Drear himself, the abolitionist who had made the house into a station on the Underground Railroad, had been murdered there. The ghosts of the three were said to walk its rooms…

Quashiba, a peasant girl, is about to be made queen because the king believes that she can spin and weave golden things. A tiny creature comes to save her under the condition that she has three chances to guess his name right.West Indian

“THE PEOPLE COULD FLY,” the title story in Virginia Hamilton’s prize-winning American Black folktale collection, is a fantasy tale of the slaves who possessed the ancient magic words that enabled them to literally fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity to “fly” away, who remained slaves with only their imaginations to set them free as they told and retold this tale.Leo and Diane Dillon have created powerful new illustrations in full color for every page of this picture book presentation of Virginia Hamilton’s most beloved tale. The author’s original historical note as well as her previously unpublished notes are included.Awards for The People Could Fly A Coretta Scott King AwardA Booklist Children’s Editors’ ChoiceA School Library Journal Best Books of the YearA Horn Book FanfareAn ALA Notable BookAn NCTE Teachers’ ChoiceA New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year

Why had he come to her, with his dark secrets from a long-ago past? What was the purpose of their strange, haunting journeys back into her own childhood? Was it to help Dab, her retarded older brother, wracked with mysterious pain who sometimes took more care and love than Tree had to give? Was it for her mother, Vy, who loved them the best she knew how, but wasn't home enough to ease the terrible longing?Whatever secrets his whispered message held, Tree knew she must follow. She must follow Brother Rush through the magic mirror, and find out the truth. About all of them.

Junior Brown, an overprotected three-hundred pound musical prodigy who's prone to having fantasies, and Buddy Clark, a loner who lives by his wits because he has no family whatsoever, have been on the hook from their eighth-grade classroom all semester. Most of the time they have been in the school building -- in a secret cellar room behind a false wall, where Mr. Pool, the janitor, has made a model of the solar system. They have been pressing their luck for months...and then they are caught. As society -- in the form of a zealous assistant principal -- closes in on them, Junior's fantasies become more desperate, and Buddy draws on all his resources to ensure his friend's well-being.

In the tradition of Hamilton's The People Could Fly and In the Beginning, a dramatic new collection of 25 compelling tales from the female African American storytelling tradition. Each story focuses on the role of women--both real and fantastic--and their particular strengths, joys and sorrows. Full-color illustrations.

In this powerful novel researched in NYC schools, Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton documents the struggle young people face as they simultaneously assert their independence and yearn for guidance.Friendship isn't always easy. Natalie is different from the other girls in Dreenie's fifth-grade class. She comes to school in a wheelchair, always wearing a knitted hat. The kids call her "Bluish" because her skin is tinted blue from chemotherapy. Dreenie is fascinated by Bluish -- and a little scared of her, too. She watches Bluish and writes her observations in her journal. Slowly, the two girls become good friends. But Dreenie still struggles with Bluish's illness. Bluish is weak and frail, but she also wants to be independent and respected. How do you act around a girl like that?

The story of eleven-year-old Cammy, who must come to grips with the sudden death of her cousin and rival, Patty Ann. "Another wise, beautifully written book from this well-established master."--KirkusBeing cousins doesn't mean you'll be friends....Cammy loves her family -- except for her cousin Patty Ann. Though she knows she shouldn't feel this way, she can't help it. Patty Ann is too perfect to like, too perfect to be a friend.Then one day something terrible happens, something that can't be changed. That's when Cammy learns the truth about Patty Ann, and about family love -- and forgiveness.

Two young siblings reinvent themselves and the world around them during a summer on their uncle’s farm in this lively middle grade novel.“We'll spend the whole summer on the farm with Uncle Ross. I ought to make up something special just because we’ve never ever gone alone like this!”Elizabeth gives herself and her younger brother, John, new names—Geeder and Toeboy—for their summer away from home and looks forward to months of making up new stories.The farm is special, with its pump house, pond, and especially the prize razorback hogs that belong to Nat Tayber and his daughter, Zeely. Zeely Tayber is tall and dignified, unlike anyone else in the small town. Geeder is fascinated. And when she finds a picture of a Watutsi queen who looks like she could be Zeely’s twin, Geeder knows she is in the presence of royalty.But could the truth be even more interesting than make-believe?

An African-American family living in the house of the long-dead abolitionist Dies Drear must decide what to do with his vast treasure, hidden for one hundred years in a cavern near their house. Reissue.

Esteemed author Virginia Hamilton retells the classic trickster tale of Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby in her own distinctive, playful vernacular with paintings by acclaimed artist James Ransome.Bruh Rabbit may indeed have met his match when he comes across a tar baby in the middle of the road. The baby's deaf, dumb and blind attitude infuriates the plucky trickster, just as Wolf planned! When Bruh Rabbit gets entangled in the tar baby's sticky embrace, has he finally been foiled by his long-time enemy? Certainly not, if Wolf falls for Bruh Rabbit's clever reverse-psychology and flings the wily rabbit into the briar patch!Spun in Virginia Hamilton's unique vernacular, this will be a delight to those familiar with Bruh Rabbit's games, and a unforgettable introduction for newcomers!

An eleven-year-old and her older twin brothers struggle to understand their supersensory powers.

Unavailable for several years, Virginia Hamilton’s award-winning companion to The People Could Fly traces the history of slavery in America in the voices and stories of those who lived it. Leo and Diane Dillon’s brilliant black-and-white illustrations echo the stories’ subtlety and power, making this book as stunning to look at as it is to read.“There is probably no better way to convey the meaning of the institution of slavery as it existed in the United States to young readers than by using, as a text to share and discuss, Many Thousand Gone .”— The New York Times Book Review

Now in Laurel-Leaf, Virginia Hamilton's powerful true account of the sensational trial of a fugitive slave.The year is 1854, and Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old Virginia slave, has escaped to Boston. But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement.Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children's literature, Virginia Hamilton's important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.

One of the finest novels from one of the most remarkable storytellers of our time.Going forward without a past is not easy to do. But Buhlaine Sims has been doing it for as long as she can remember. Then her father returns to town, and Buhlaire's world is turned upside down.

1990 Coretta Scott King Honor BookTwelve-year-old Jason Bell waits impatiently for Christmas 1890. Set against the carefully researched background life of a middle-class black family in Ohio a century ago, “Hamilton’s story moves along at an elegant pace, giving readers time to savor the holiday preparations.”-- School Library Journal

The last book from Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton, this autobiographical novella brings together the slave past and multi-generational present life of a young girl in Ohio.A quietly beautiful coming-of-age story from a master storyteller. Eleven-year-old Valena lives in both the present and the past as she struggles with racism in her daily life and listens to and learns from her mother’s tales of her family's proud history. Moving backward and forward in time, these pieces of Valena's life blend to form an extraordinary portrait of the ties that bind her family together over generations.Virginia Hamilton has deftly woven together moments in one family's history into a seamless and poignant masterpiece.

Collects tales from three rich traditions of storytelling, following the migration of stories via the slave trade during the Plantation Era and highlighting such characters as Bruh Fox, Anansi Spider, and Cunnie Rabbit.

Bound together by their extrasensory powers, Thomas, Dorian, Justice, and Levi journey to a future land where three-legged, humanlike creatures desperately seek water and a way out of their barren world. Reprint.

One long time ago, Pretty Pearl god child lived high on a mountaintop in Africa with all other gods. Curious about mankind and itching to show off her powers, she came down off the mountain with her brother, know-all best god John de Conquer, and sailed on a slave ship for America. There she saw the suffering of the black people, and felt their sorrow right behind her eyes . Pretty Pearl knew now was her time to act.Brother John gave her a magical necklace, a set of rules to follow, and a warning to be careful. "Them human bein's be awful tricky," he said."they has most winnin' ways." Drawing upon her fabulous storehouse of black legend, myth, and folklore, Virginia Hamilton has ventured into new ways of exploring the human spirit in this extrodinary fantasy filled with mysteries, beauty, and hope.

The friendship of twelveyearold cousins Cammy and Elodie is threatened when the family reunion includes two other cousins near their age and Elodie is tempted to drop Cammy for a new companion. Reprint.

In the vein of her distinctive African American folktales from collections like HER STORIES comes a thrillingly creepy witch tale from award-winning author Virginia Hamilton, with art by Barry Moser.Virginia Hamilton draws upon her extensive knowledge of folktales in this "scare tale," in which young James Lee discovers his Uncle Big Anthony has been cursed by a Wee Winnie Witch, who rides him like a broom across the night sky! When the witch captures James Lee and takes him along, Mamma Granny knows just what to do. She fills the Wee Winnie Witch's skin, which the Wee Winnie removes before her ride, with hot pepper. When it's back in place, Wee Winnie's burnt to a crisp! Full of Virginia Hamilton's poetic vernacular and authentic details, this is a perfect thrill for any spooky night.

In the third book of The Justice Cycle by an award-winning author, four youths with special powers battle an evil force known as Mal as they lead the Slakers out of the Dustland and into a high-tech city of domes. Reprint.

272 pp. Pub: 10/95. *****Twelve-year-old Arilla Adams has walked in her brother Jack's shadow for as long as she can remember. He knows who he is. Arilla understands that she is Aerind (part African American, part Native American), but she cannot identify with just one race like Jack, who identifies with being Native American. Only after saving her brother's life, can she discover her true identity.

Lindy and her family are suffering through a long drought. Then the mystical Drylongso teaches them the secrets of finding water hidden in the earth. “Drylongso is a hypnotic, joyful story from a distinguished writer--one that, with the help of Jerry Pinkney’s beautiful watercolor and pastel pictures, depicts well the dry land, the swirling wind and earth, and an African-American family planting in hope with the help of a wondrous, dusty, divining stickfella.”--The New York Times Book Review

Based on African-American folktales told in the South during the plantation era, a collection of stories originally gathered by journalist Martha Young pays tribute to the human spirit in the face of terrible hardship.

As her all-black high school becomes more racially mixed, Talley Barbour befriends a white girl who shares her passion for running and she becomes romantically involved with a handsome white classmate who is a drug dealer. Reprint.