Door of No Return Sarah Mussi
Starred Review. Grade 8 Up—Lost gold treasure, African royal ancestors, and
betrayal are the foundation of family legends that Zac Baxter has been told
repeatedly by his beloved grandfather. Zac loves the man but is skeptical
about his stories until Sam Baxter's brutal murder convinces him otherwise.
He promises himself to finish what his grandfather started no matter what
the outcome. Zac is depicted as a regular British teen of African descent.
He is likable, resourceful, and often terrified as his life is threatened
at every turn. The British government clearly wants him out of the way. The
characters he meets on his quest, both friends and villains, are unique and
fully developed. This exciting narrative takes place in England and Africa;
in jungles, dark caves, and on the sea. The Gold Coast slave trade comes
alive with Zac's every historical discovery, while the parallel story told
of the harrowing experiences of his ancestors puts a personal touch on the
inhumanity of slavery. Zac begins his journey wanting vindication for his
grandfather and personal gain for himself. However, he ends it with respect
and pride in his heritage, confidence in his abilities, and finally with a
sense that his grandfather would be proud and at peace with his
accomplishments. Overall, this is a complex, masterful story for confident
readers.—*Margaret Auguste, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, NJ*
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On Wed, Jan 9, 2019 at 5:53 PM Cassy Lee <c_lee@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all,
I'm stumped and wanted to ask for some help.
Our Social Studies teacher does a unit with 7th graders on the medieval
world, not just Europe but what was happening around the world in the
"Middle Ages", specifically in feudal Japan, the Mongol Empire, Mesoamerica
and the West African Kingdoms in Ghana, Mali and Songhai.
This year, our English teacher would like to tie in his historical fiction
unit with her project and asked me for fiction recs appropriate for 7th
grade. I found plenty for all of those except West Africa. The only one
that came close was a picture book called Mansa Musa: the Lion of Mali.
Anyone know of any others?
Thanks!
Cassy
p.s. Hope to see you all at the POCIS Librarian Roundtable
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pocisbaisl-roundtable-librarians-and-diversity-tickets-53396487331>
next Tuesday 1/15!
--
Cassy Lee
Learning Center Coordinator
415-349-7201
c_lee@xxxxxxxx
CAIS - Chinese American International School | www.cais.org
Middle School (6-8) | 888 Turk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
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