Iron River


Book Description

2019 Paterson Prize winner Skipping Stones Book Award Kirkus Reviews' Best YA Historical Fiction of 2018 A river runs through young Manny Maldonado Jr.’s life, heart and imagination. Sometimes at night it even shoots through his brain like a bullet. But this river isn’t water, it’s iron—the tracks and trains of the Southern Pacific railroad that pass along his tight-knit neighborhood in the San Gabriel valley just ten miles east of L.A. The iron river is everything to Man-on-Fire, Man for short to his friends, Little Man to his uncles and cousins. He watches it, he waits for it, he plays nears its tracks, he listens for the weight of its currents (strong currents flowing east pulling two hundred boxcars, light current going west with less than fifty cars), he whiles away long summer days throwing rocks and bricks at it with his friends Danny, Marco and Little. They line up cans and bottles in mock battles to try to throw it off track. But nothing derails the iron river, and nothing stops the stinking cop Turk from trying to pin a hobo’s murder on the four young boys.




Someday Is Now


Book Description

"Not only does this book highlight an important civil rights activist, it can serve as an introduction to child activism as well as the movement itself. Valuable." — Kirkus Reviews starred review "Relatable and meaningful ... A top addition to nonfiction collections." — School Library Journal starred review More than a year before the Greensboro sit-ins, a teacher named Clara Luper led a group of young people to protest the segregated Katz drugstore by sitting at its lunch counter. With simple, elegant art, Someday Is Now tells the inspirational story of this unsung hero of the Civil Rights movement. As a child, Clara Luper saw how segregation affected her life. When she grew up, Clara led the movement to desegregate Oklahoma stores and restaurants that were closed to African Americans. With courage and conviction, she led young people to “do what had to be done.” Perfect for early elementary age kids in encouraging them to do what is right and stand up for what is right, even at great cost, this is a powerful story about the power of nonviolent activism. Someday Is Now challenges young people to ask how they will stand up against something they know is wrong. Kids are inspired to follow the lessons of bravery taught by civil rights pioneers like Clara Luper. This moving title includes additional information on Clara Luper’s extraordinary life, her lessons of nonviolent resistance, and a glossary of key civil rights people and terms.




The Mystery on the California Mission Trail


Book Description

A series of clues in Spanish lead four real kids down California's famous Old Mission Trail in search of a solution to a mystery of history and hilarity! LOOK what's in this mystery - people, places, history, and more! Definition of missions, and their functions in the past and present Š Mission architecture and design Š Missions and the California Gold Rush Š Why missions were founded, and the hardships involved Š IndiansŠ reactions to the missions, and the effects of the missions on the Indians Š Father Junipero Serra's work with the missions and his burial Š Important facts about each mission the group visits, including information on architecture, present-day status of the mission, the bells in each mission, circumstances surrounding the missionsŠ foundings, and other distinctive trivia Š foundings, and other distinctive trivia Š Secularization Š El Camino Real Š Ojo de Dios craft Š Mission La PurŠsima Š Concepci-n, Lompoc Š Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Š Mission Santa Solvang Š Mission Snaventura, San Buenaventura Š Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano Š Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, San Gabriel Š Mission San Fernando Rey de Espa-a, Mission Hills Š Mission San Antonio de Padua, Jolon Š Mission Nuestra Se-ora de la Soledad, Soledad Š Mission San Francisco de As's (or Mission Dolores), San Francisco. This book was nominated for the prestigious 2004 Beatty Award! Like all of Carole Marsh Mysteries, this mystery incorporates history, geography, culture and cliffhanger chapters that will keep kids begging for more! This mystery includes SAT words, educational facts, fun and humor, built-in book club and activities. Below is the Reading Levels Guide for this book: Grade Levels: 3-6 Accelerated Reader Reading Level: 5.7 Accelerated Reader Points: 3 Accelerated Reader Quiz Number: 74565 Lexile Measure: 870 Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level: Q Developmental Assessment Level: 40




Mission San Gabriel Arcángel


Book Description

The story of the missions is a compelling human drama that is a vital piece not only of California history, but also of American history. Indeed, many keys to California's past lie in the stories of the 20 missions that stretch along the state's west coast from San Diego to San Francisco. This vital series is compatible with the mission-based curriculum used in fourth-grade California classrooms. It resonates equally with all social studies programs that explore the defunct notion of colonialism and its controversial role in the history of the United States, and with curricula that seek to explore the interaction of different cultures and the rights and voices of indigenous peoples.







Baldwin Park


Book Description

Known as the "Hub of the San Gabriel Valley" due to its location as the geographic center of the valley, Baldwin Park formerly consisted of cattle-grazing lands for the San Gabriel Mission. Known as Vineland by 1880, and renamed after legendary investor and landowner Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin in 1906, the city incorporated in 1956. Baldwin Park evolved as a diverse community along the San Gabriel River, where Ramona Boulevard and Maine Avenue became major thoroughfares. One of the city's thriving businesses was the very first of the famous In-N-Out Burger stands, opened by Harry and Esther Snyder in 1948, southwest of where Francisquito Avenue passes under Interstate 10. From the area's first schoolhouse at what became North Maine and Los Angeles Avenues through the award-winning adult school of the Baldwin Park Unified School District, pride in education has remained a Baldwin Park constant.




The California Padres and Their Missions


Book Description

History and description of the California missions.