Books with author R. Williams-Garcia

In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading—take this book along on a family road trip or enjoy it at home.This moving, funny novel won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the Coretta Scott King Award and was a National Book Award Finalist. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern's story continues in P.S. Be Eleven and Gone Crazy in Alabama.Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming will find much to love in One Crazy Summer. Rita Williams-Garcia's books about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's and Ibram X. Kendi's books.In One Crazy Summer, eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined.While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer.This novel was the first featured title for Marley D’s Reading Party, launched after the success of #1000BlackGirlBooks. Maria Russo, in a New York Times list of "great kids' books with diverse characters," called it "witty and original."This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom."This vibrant and moving award-winning novel has heart to spare," commented Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich in her Brightly article "Knowing Our History to Build a Brighter Future: Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equality."

More than 99 percent of the evidence proves the Shroud of Turin is the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ. Only one test says otherwise—the carbon date performed in 1988. A serial killer with a fetish for fire targets the faithful of Tucson, Arizona. Homicide detective, Pete Johnston, works to catch the killer before more clergy are killed, before more churches are burned. His daughter, Amari, is a criminal justice major at the University of Arizona. When the Shroud is carbon dated at her university, the results reveal that the relic is a 650-year-old forgery. Amari investigates this ancient cold case file for a class project and makes a shocking discovery that could alter the fate of Christianity. She teams up with Dr. Kevin Brenner, a brilliant young experimental physicist, and together they gather evidence so they can plead their case to the Vatican—unless the killer can stop them first. Her father desperately tries to protect her and catch the killer before she becomes his next victim.

With compelling comic-style illustrations, a colossus's worth of facts, and dramatic fold-out spreads, Marcia Williams brings Egyptian myths to life.The stories of the Egyptian pharaohs and their ancient gods are full of mystery and adventure. In this retelling of nine tales of ancient Egypt, Marcia Williams uses her signature comic-strip style to capture the rich mythology and early history of this great civilization. Beginning with powerful Ra rising from the waters of the Nile to create the gods of the earth, sky, and rain, Ancient Egypt takes readers through the curse of King Tut's tomb and the rise of Cleopatra-- with Rami, Ra's beloved cat, highlighting Egypt's many cultural and technological advances along the way. An instantly engaging, accessible introduction to an ancient civilization, this collection of stories is sure to fascinate and inspire young Egyptologists.

[Children's Fiction (Ages 8-12)]In this new novel from award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia, when aspiring bluesman Clayton Byrd loses his beloved grandfather, he must figure out what to do with all his anger and sadness -- and finally learns to play a blues song all his own.Clayton feels most alive when he's playing music with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and the band of Bluesmen -- he can't wait to join them, just as soon as he has a blues song of his own. But then the unthinkable happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies, and Clayton's mother forbids Clayton from playing the blues. And Clayton knows that's no way to live.Armed with his grandfather's brown porkpie hat and his ''blues harp,'' he runs away from home, in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road. But on the journey that takes him through the New York City subways and to Washington Square Park, Clayton learns some things about his family, and himself, that surprise him. Powerful, compelling, and heartbreaking, this book by the award-winning author of One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven, and Gone Crazy in Alabama is a new masterpiece by one of today's most beloved children's book authors.

A UFO cult tries to steal the Shroud of Turin in a preposterous scheme to gain eternal life. Amari Johnston is a feisty private investigator fresh out of college. In 1988, she made the national news after debunking the carbon dating performed on the Shroud of Turin. Her boyfriend, Dr. Kevin Brenner, is a brilliant young physicist with his own theories as to why the carbon dating is wrong. One year later, they find themselves in another dangerous situation, one that could land them in the headlines again—and the obituary section as well. A devout Christian named Ernesto Galliano shares Amari and Kevin’s passion for proving the Shroud is the authentic burial cloth of Christ. As sole heir to his father’s vast fortune, Ernesto is determined to use his inheritance for good. He hires Amari and Kevin to join his own personal A-Team, an organization he formed to right the world’s wrongs, one mission at a time. At first reluctant to join this team, Amari’s father, veteran homicide detective, Pete Johnston, finally agrees to take the job so he can protect his daughter from harm. Amari’s bizarre first mission comes after a UFO cult attempts to steal not only the Shroud of Turin but also the Sudarium of Oviedo. However, in a surprising twist of fate, she and Kevin find themselves captured by the very cult they pursue. Desperate to save Kevin and his daughter, Pete unravels clues previously discovered by Amari in a frantic attempt to rescue them before they fall victim to the cult leader’s suicidal vision. Although this novel is Volume 2 in the Amari Johnston series, it can easily be read as a standalone title.

Seven classic Shakespeare plays are presented in an accessible comic strip format. The Globe Theatre is delighted to announce a new season of Mr. William Shakespeare's plays! Prithee take your place once more for a performance of seven of the Bard's finest tales. See "As You Like It", "Antony and Cleopatra", "Richard III", "Twelfth Night", "King Lear", "The Merchant of Venice" and "Much Ado About Nothing" - each brilliantly presented in dramatic comic-strip form, including Mr Shakespeare's own dialogue and the riotous remarks of the audience. Bravo! Reissued with a new cover look, this brings Marcia Williams' dramatic take on Shakespeare right up-to-date for a modern audience.

Marcia Williams retells nine favorite Chaucerian tales in her witty, engaging comic-strip style.Step back into the Middle Ages for a boisterous, bawdy storytelling session led by the one and only Chaucer. Marcia Williams uses her signature comic-strip format to animate nine Canterbury classics, including "The Clerk's Tale," "The Miller's Tale," and "The Wife of Bath's Tale." Interspersed with her lively narrative and running side-commentary are bits of dialogue from the original Medieval English text, bringing the essence of Chaucer's colorful humor to modern readers in an engaging way.