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Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom

My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March

Illustrated by PJ Loughran
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Ebook
On sale Jan 08, 2015 | 128 Pages | 9780698151338
Age 12 and up | Grade 7 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 780L
A memoir of the Civil Rights Movement from one of its youngest heroes

A Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book
Kirkus 
Best Books of 2015

Booklist Editors' Choice 2015
BCCB Blue Ribbon 2015

As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Albama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today's young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history.

Straightforward and inspiring, this beautifully illustrated memoir brings readers into the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, complementing Common Core classroom learning and bringing history alive for young readers.

  • HONOR | 2016
    Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Book
A Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book
Kirkus
Best Books of 2015
Booklist Editors' Choice 2015
BCCB Blue Ribbon 2015

* "Vivid details and the immediacy of Lowery's voice make this a valuable primary document as well as a pleasure to read."—Kirkus, starred review

* "One of those rare books that is geniunely accessible to a broad audience."—BCCB, starred review

* "This inspiring personal story illuminates pivotal events in America's history."—Booklist, starred review
Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the youngest person to take part in the whole Selma Voting Rights March of 1965, now works as a case manager at a mental health center, and still lives in Selma, Alabama. View titles by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
PJ Loughran is an illustrator, creative director, and musician. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. View titles by PJ Loughran

Educator Guide for Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

A memoir of the Civil Rights Movement from one of its youngest heroes

A Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book
Kirkus 
Best Books of 2015

Booklist Editors' Choice 2015
BCCB Blue Ribbon 2015

As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Albama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today's young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history.

Straightforward and inspiring, this beautifully illustrated memoir brings readers into the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, complementing Common Core classroom learning and bringing history alive for young readers.

Excerpt

Awards

  • HONOR | 2016
    Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor Book

Praise

A Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book
Kirkus
Best Books of 2015
Booklist Editors' Choice 2015
BCCB Blue Ribbon 2015

* "Vivid details and the immediacy of Lowery's voice make this a valuable primary document as well as a pleasure to read."—Kirkus, starred review

* "One of those rare books that is geniunely accessible to a broad audience."—BCCB, starred review

* "This inspiring personal story illuminates pivotal events in America's history."—Booklist, starred review

Author

Lynda Blackmon Lowery, the youngest person to take part in the whole Selma Voting Rights March of 1965, now works as a case manager at a mental health center, and still lives in Selma, Alabama. View titles by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
PJ Loughran is an illustrator, creative director, and musician. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. View titles by PJ Loughran

Guides

Educator Guide for Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

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