"We know there’s a lot of people out there who think our school is a dead end. And that all the kids inside it are dead ends, too. … But they’ve got it all wrong. Just you wait and see!
James, Rhondell, Sharice, and Marcel are four inner-city students on a quest to build the world’s largest tetrahedron with their math teacher, Mr. Collins. If they
succeed, maybe Rhondell will make new friends, Sharice’s foster mother may start to care, James will discover something he’s good at, and Marcel’s dad will finally
see that there is more to life than barbecue. Maybe they’ll even end up in the Guinness Book of World Records!
Weaving together the stories of the kids, their teacher, and the community that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about math, life, and the importance of friendship."
"When your life suddenly gets all shook up, can it ever really go back to being normal?
The summer he turns thirteen, Josh finds out he has to live with his divorced dad in Chicago for a few months, and he’s not too thrilled with the idea. He figures he’ll just try to blend in at his new
school until he can get back home.
But when Josh meets his dad at the airport, he can hardly believe the change he sees in his boring shoe-salesman father: new jet-black hair, huge sideburns, and a Hawaiian shirt with orange parrots
(parrots!) on it. Then Josh discovers his dad has even more news— after losing his job, he’s now trying to make a living as Elvis. Yes, Elvis. He’s become a hunk-a, hunk-a burning shame who has no clue
he’s about to ruin Josh’s life.
When his dad is invited to perform at a special fifties concert in his new school, Josh is forced to take drastic action—for his own good, for his dad’s good, and for the general good of society. From
award-winning author Shelley Pearsall comes a hilarious novel about a father and son discovering the important (and sometimes painful) difference between who you want to be—and who you really are."
"it is the time when the leaves
are small on the trees
too small
for hiding
—Indian John
The year is 1812. A white trapper is murdered. And a young Chippewa Indian stands accused.
Captured and shackled in leg irons and chains, Indian John awaits his trial in a settler’s loft. All the while, thirteen-year-old Rebecca Carver sleeps and cooks and cleans below, terrified by the captive Indian right in her home.
In a world of crude frontier justice where evidence is often overlooked in favor of vengeance, Indian John struggles to make sense of the white man’s court. His young lawyer faces the wrath of a settlement determined to see the Indian hang. And Rebecca must decide for herself what—and who—is right. At stake is a life.
From the award-winning author of Trouble Don’t Last comes a fast-paced drama told in the alternating voices of Indian John and Rebecca Carver. Crooked River offers a probing look at prejudice, early American justice, and the true meaning of courage.
A Junior Library Guild Selection"
"A shift in perspective can change everything. This brilliant new novel from the author of The Seventh Most Important Thing celebrates kids who see the world a little differently. April is looking for an escape from the sixth-grade lunch hour, which has become a social-scene nightmare, so she signs up to be a 'buddy bench monitor' for the fourth graders' recess. Joey Byrd is a boy on the fringes, who wanders the playground alone, dragging his foot through the dirt. But over time, April realizes that Joey isn't just making random circles. When you look at his designs from above, a story emerges... Joey's 'bird's eye' drawings reveal what he observes and thinks about every day. Told in alternating viewpoints--April's in text and Joey's mostly in art--the story gives the 'whole picture' of what happens as these two outsiders find their rightful places."
"Eleven-year-old Samuel was born as Master Hackler's slave, and working the Kentucky farm is the only life he's ever known-until one dark night in 1859, that is. With no warning, cranky old Harrison, a fellow slave, pulls Samuel from his bed and, together, they run. The journey north seems much more frightening than Master Hackler ever was, and Samuel's not sure what freedom means aside from running, hiding, and starving. But as they move from one refuge to the next on the Underground Railroad, Samuel uncovers the secret of his own past-and future. And old Harrison begins to see past a whole lifetime of hurt to the promise of a new life-and a poignant reunion- in Canada. In a heartbreaking and hopeful first novel, Shelley Pearsall tells a suspenseful, emotionally charged story of freedom and family. Trouble Don't Last includes a historical note and map."
"This “luminescent” (Kirkus Reviews) story of anger and art, loss and redemption will appeal to fans of Lisa Graff’s Lost in the Sun and Vince Vawter’s Paperboy.
Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie forever. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service…working for him.
Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine.…
Inspired by the work of folk artist James Hampton, Shelley Pearsall has crafted an affecting and redemptive novel about discovering what shines within us all, even when life seems full of darkness.
“A moving exploration of how there is often so much more than meets the eye.” —Booklist, starred review
“There are so many things to love about this book. Remarkable.” —The Christian Science Monitor"
"Levi Battle's been left behind all his life. His mother could sing like a bird and she flew away like one, too. His father left him with his grandmother so he could work as a traveling salesman-until Levi's grandmother left this world entirely. Now Levi's staying with his Aunt Odella while his father is serving in the U.S. Army. But it's 1945, and the war is nearly over, and Aunt Odella decides it's time for Levi to do some leaving of his own. Before he can blink, Levi finds himself on a train from Chicago to Fayettville, North Carolina, where his father is currently stationed-last they knew.
So begins an eye-opening, life-changing journey for Levi. First lesson: there are different rules for African Americans in the South than there are in Chicago. And breaking them can have serious consequences. But with the help of some kind strangers, and despite the hindrances of some unkind ones, Levi makes his way across the United States-searching for his father and finding out about himself, his country, and what it truly means to belong.
Shelley Pearsall has created an unforgettable character in Levi and gives readers a remarkable tour of 1945 America through his eyes. Jump into the Sky is a tour de force of historical fiction from a writer at the very top of her game."
