A Band of Angels tells the story of Grandma Ella, a character who is inspired by Ella Sheppard Moore who was a pianist for the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. We learn that Grandma Ella was born into slavery and freed at fourteen when the civil war ended. The story details how young Ella worked tirelessly to save money to attend a new school for freed slaves known as Fisk School. After saving her money and arriving at Fisk, Ella continues working so that she can stay in school and also joins the school chorus. In spite of her personal efforts, she still faced the very real possibility of having to leave school because the school itself was experiencing great financial hardship. While school officials had pretty much given up hope of keeping the school open, the school chorus and Professor White, the choir director, believe that they can help save the school by doing concerts throughout the North. The story then chronicles the experiences of the choir which range from jubilant moments to performing in virtually empty concert halls.

A Band of Angels is a book that provides a colorful way to share a proud part of African American heritage with your children. Colon's illustrations add greater depth to the story and will help children better visualize the events that take place. While this is a work of fiction, the story is based on real people who selflessly used their talents to keep Fisk's doors open. The book also provides a good introduction to Negro Spirituals, which were kept alive through the voices of the Jubilee Singers. In addition, readers will see how this brave group of singers would not let racism quiet their talented voices. Above all, the story will help inspire children to hold fast to their dreams in spite of the hurdles or difficulties they may encounter along the way.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

If you have read Andrew Ward's new book about the Jubilee Singers, Dark Midnight When I Rise, you will also be interested in this award-winning book that introduces children to their inspiring history.

When I heard about this book on NPR I wished there were more places to hear about children's books like this one. It seems as though bookstores often carry only light and fluffy or series books. I love to share historical fiction with my children and love books like A BAND OF ANGELS.

Under the Quilt of Night was a wonderful historical fiction story of an adolescent girl's experience with the Underground Railroad. The young girl takes the lead in her family's flight from slavery. She shows strength, courage, and determination. The fluid illustrations give the reader a feeling of urgency. The reader can understand the feelings of the characters through the pictures. Deborah Hopkinson captivates her readers as she takes them through the journey of running, waiting, watching, hiding, traveling, and singing. The main character remains anonymous throughout the book forcing the reader to focus on the journey.

This is a beautiful book by the same author and illustrator of Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. However, this time, the narrator remains anonymous but is not forgotten. Without undue melodrama, she tells how part of her family is about to be sold off; the time is now or never to escape, which she and part of her family does. Though the slaves are fleeing their cruel owners, the book focuses on the good, kind people along the underground railroad who help the runaways find safety in Canada. Noteworthy are the secret codes the fleeing slaves and their protectors used, such as the owl hoot, lantern, and log cabin quilt patterns. The latter idea is drawn from "Hidden in Plain View," an adult book that unlocks much of the secret communication that enabled thousands of slaves find safety and freedom. (I recommend "Hidden in Plain View" highly.) The illustrations are breathtaking; I particularly like the geese flying north when the family reaches a northern US church (flying geese is another quilt code pattern). This book should be read with "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" and "Follow the Drinking Gourd." The story of the Underground Railroad is a story of how conscientious good can overcome evil. "Under the Quilt of Night" is a story that needs to be told and remembered

"I'm young/but my legs are strong./I can run.// I run so fast,/I lead the way;/the ones I love race right behind./Pounding dirt and grass,/jumping rocks and roots,/my feet make drumbeats/on the path..." So begins our young narrator's race for freedom on the Underground Railroad. She and her family travel "under the quilt of night", through the woods and across rivers and streams to a safe house where they receive dry clothes, food and a place to sleep before they're secreted away in a false bottomed wagon to the next stop on their way to Canada and freedom. And always behind them the men and their dogs, tracking this brave band of slaves. It's a harrowing journey. "...We can't turn back - /we would be beaten, sold away,/our chances gone for good./We must go on or die./I hang on tight./Fear is so real, it lies here beside me..." But this is a "ride" that must be taken; the trip to freedom..... Deborah Hopkinson and James Ransome's marvelous sequel to Sweet Clara And The Freedom Quilt is a powerful, tense, and compelling introduction to the Underground Railroad and pre-Civil War history. Ms Hopkinson's stirring text, written in free verse is full of imagery and magic, and enhanced by Mr Ransome's evocative and expressive illustrations, done in dark and ominous tones. Together word and art transport the reader back 150 years to the dark of night for an unforgettable ride, and youngsters will experience both the fear of escape and discovery, and the sheer joy of freedom at journey's end. Perfect for children 7 and older, Under The Quilt Of Night includes an author's note at the end to explain and enrich the story. "Freedom!/I take a deep breath/and when I let go/my voice flies up in a song./My own song/of running in sunshine/and dancing through fields./I'll jump every fence in my way."

This book was named the Golden Kite Award Honor Book for picture text for 2001 by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It was also named a Notable Book in the Language Arts by the National Council of Teachers of English.

My mother loved to garden and this book makes me think of her. It's a beautiful story for children, but also a special book to give to adults who have recently lost someone. The illustrations are just beautiful.

This is a beautifully illustrated and touching story to share with kids - and other adults, too. I'm a teacher and I really appreciated the information about bluebirds that is included.

The first grade classes at our school read MARIA's COMET then went on a field trip to a planetarium. This book really enriched the factual part of the lesson, and helped the students think about all the people in the past who have looked up at the stars in wonder and curiosity. Highly recommended!

I got this book for my daughter, who loves to look at the stars. It's inspiring to read about a girl who pursued her dream of being a scientist at a time when such careers weren't open to women.

This is the kind of book I wish I'd read as a child. The art makes you think you are back in time, and the story reminds me of how important childhood dreams can be.

This book made me smile. I have known Deborah Hopkinson since I was born, and I am now fifteen. I think she is a wonderful writer and comes up with really clever ideas for books. I never knew there was someone that actually took care of the light house, I thought it was just there. She has a way of writing fiction that teaches readers at the same time. I also loved her other book, SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT. When I read her books, I can sort-of hear her reading them aloud, telling the story of Clara or Birdie. She will always be dear to me and I hope that she keeps writing books for a long time to come. --Angela Kieran-Vast

This lovely picture book, whose tall thin shape reflects its subject, is the fictional journal of a lighthouse keeper's daughter in 1855, Birdie's tenth year. Hopkinson, author of the highly acclaimed SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT, returns with evocative prose that captures the roar of the sea, the lonely isolation of lighthouse life, and the terror and exhaustion of managaing the lights alone in a fierce storm. Root's brooding pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations reflect era, setting, and emotion. An author's note reveals the inspiration for Birdie - four heroic lighthouse women and girls, including the Maine herione, Abbie Burgess

Girl Wonder is the winner of a 2003 Parents Choice Gold Award. As a teacher and parent, I rely on the Parents Choice award books. This is a great book to read aloud. If your daughter plays ball, read her this book. The photograph of the real Alta Weiss on the back cover is awesome.

My daughter began playing ball in third grade. She loves this book. The illustrations are fun yet convey a sense of the time period. And the story is great for reading aloud. The best part is seeing a photograph of the real Alta Weiss, the Girl Wonder, on the back cover. That seems to make it real for kids. I am a teacher and I do a unit on women's history every March and will definitely include Girl Wonder on my list of books to read to my students.

My son loves the Prairie Skies series and can't wait for OUR KANSAS HOME. It's a warm family story but full of rich historical details that never overwhelm the plot. My son is in fifth grade but is a reluctant reader, so I'm always on the lookout for books that hold his interest but that aren't too babyish. Highly recommended!

As a teacher and as a parent I've often been frustrated as I try to help my kids study for history tests about the pre-Civil War era. They have to learn about the Kansas-Nebraska Act, but it's just another date to memorize. But in Hopkinson's new chapter book, kids get a look at what life might have been like then. The note says she used letters and manuscripts to research the time period, and it shows. Even though the book is geared for third graders, my fifth grade classroom has enjoyed it too. Highly recommended!

My kids love this series! The story is suspenseful and easy to read at the same time. I'm always looking for good books that will keep my son's attention. As a reluctant reader, my son needs stories with a tight plot and lots of action, and it's sometimes hard to find books he will like. But he really loves the Prairie Skies series. And I know it will help both my kids understand this period of history a lot better.

I liked Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson. It is a book about a girl who likes to quilt and make things. I like to make things myself. I think it's important to learn how to make things that means something to you or to people. This book also takes place during a time in America's history when there were slaves. I would have given this 5 stars, but it was too short of a book. If you like books about quilts and history, I also recommend Lucy and the Liberty Quilt by Victoria London. It also is about a girl who likes to sew things with meaning.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom QuiltThis wonderful book``Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt'' was by Deborah Hopkinson. The Publisher is by Alfred A. Knope. The illustrator is James Ransome. There are 15 pages and the intended audience is 7-11 for kids to read.
Sweet Clara was a very brave girl. She really wants to get back to her mother. Sometimes I like to make quilts just like Clara. I like it when Clara starts making the freedom quilt.But I do not like it when Young Jack escapes too see Sweet Clara.
I did like the book ,because it was freeing the slaves.

Sweet Clara's aunt teachers her how to sew and she makes a quilt. She and young Jack leave because they were slaves, but you are going to have to find out if they make it to freedom or not. I liked this book. It was very interesting and I learned about history. I think you will like it too.

Hopkinson has written a clever picture book incorporating tasty recipes, but take the details of Fannie Farmer's life with a grain of salt. Hopkinson has altered the facts to serve her story.

Farmer's first cookbook was an update of a cookbook, written by one of her predecessors at the Boston Cooking School, which already incorporated precise measurement using standard measuring cups and spoons. Farmer's contribution was "level" measurement (as suggested by Marcia) and kitchen-testing of all the recipes by the school's students and faculty.

Read "Fannie in the Kitchen" to your child as an introduction to Fannie Farmer. Then read "Perfection Salad" by Laura Shapiro to learn the true story.

I am an educator who likes to use historical fiction with elementary students. Students love the story of FANNIE IN THE KITCHEN, and we have also used the book to talk about how cooking has changed over the years. I bring in old kitchen utensils from antique stores to show them. (Many kids can't identify a sifter, to say nothing of a butter mold! And when was the last time you saw a doughnut cutter??) We also use the book as a jumping off point to talk about math and measurements.

Although this is clearly a humourous, fictionalized take-off on a footnote to history, students and I also enjoy talking about how young Marcia must adjust to change, as her mother has a new baby. The way the illustrator depicts the developing relationship between Marcia and Fannie is delightful.

As the author note states, Fannie Farmer was one of the first to recommend precise measurements in cooking. What a fun way for kids to be introduced to this 19th century figure

Kids might have seen the Fannie Farmer Cookbook in the kitchen but never known that Fannie Farmer was a real person. This is an obviously fictionalized story, but it does include some actual quotes from Farmer's early cookbook. Nancy Carpenter's illustrations combine Victorian clip art with her own drawings. Not a biography, but a fun introduction to the name of Fannie Farmer and a story about how a young girl gains confidence in the kitchen.