Overview
These exciting true stories will inspire teens to believe in themselves and the ability of determined young people to make a difference in the world. As fun to read as fiction, the stories are engaging and accessible—a great way to encourage reluctant readers.
In Kids with Courage, readers meet 18 remarkable kids with the courage to speak out, fight back, come to the rescue, and stand up for their beliefs.
• The student had a loaded gun and a room full of hostages. Police surrounded the school. Then Ruben Ortega got mad...
• Norvell Smith knew there would be gang members in the audience. But she looked right at them and gave them a piece of her mind...
• It was the middle of winter, and the woman had no shoes. Frank Daily looked down at his Nikes and made a decision...
• The house was filled with smoke and flames. And Melinda Clark couldn’t find her little brother...
• Mr. Smith threatened to kill her mother and brother. But Mercedes Jones spoke out anyway—and a sexual abuser went to jail...
• Andrew Holleman had practically grown up on the wetlands. He loved its plants, creatures, and gooey mud. Then he heard about the developer’s plan...
National award-winning author Barbara A. Lewis provides the inspiration to empower young people to make a difference in their communities and in the world.
Relates the stories of kids who made a difference in their neighborhood, community, or the world by helping in such areas as crime, life-saving, and the environment.
Synopsis
These exciting true stories will inspire teens to believe in themselves and the ability of determined young people to make a difference in the world. As fun to read as fiction, the stories are engaging and accessible—a great way to encourage reluctant readers.
In Kids with Courage, readers meet 18 remarkable kids with the courage to speak out, fight back, come to the rescue, and stand up for their beliefs.
• The student had a loaded gun and a room full of hostages. Police surrounded the school. Then Ruben Ortega got mad...
• Norvell Smith knew there would be gang members in the audience. But she looked right at them and gave them a piece of her mind...
• It was the middle of winter, and the woman had no shoes. Frank Daily looked down at his Nikes and made a decision...
• The house was filled with smoke and flames. And Melinda Clark couldn’t find her little brother...
• Mr. Smith threatened to kill her mother and brother. But Mercedes Jones spoke out anyway—and a sexual abuser went to jail...
• Andrew Holleman had practically grown up on the wetlands. He loved its plants, creatures, and gooey mud. Then he heard about the developer’s plan...
National award-winning author Barbara A. Lewis provides the inspiration to empower young people to make a difference in their communities and in the world.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-10-- A companion to the author's well-received Kid's Guide to Social Action (Free Spirit, 1991). Lewis relates the stories of 18 young people who responded resourcefully and heroically to what they perceived as crisis situations. One died after saving his friend from drowning; another kept fighting to cleanse the environment while being treated for a fatal brain tumor. Other subjects include an ex-addict and runaway who counsels younger children against drugs and violence, and a girl who testified against her sexually abusive babysitter. A hearing-disabled youth reaches out to help others, and a boy gives his prized Nikes to a shoeless stranger on a cold night. Another chapter describes the efforts of a boy who defeated the plans of a developer to build on a wetland. The book is divided into four topics: crime, social action, heroism, and the environment. The young people here are of varied ethnic and economic backgrounds and live in many parts of the country. There is some condescension in the author's tone, which seems to be at odds with what is intended to be a serious work addressed to young people concerned about their world and its future. Also, the chapter structure is repetitive. However, the book is sure to provoke thought and discussion. --Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY