A BAND OF ANGELS: A STORY INSPIRED BY THE JUBILEE SINGERS
by Deborah Hopkinson
illustrated by Raul Colón
Atheneum;ISBN: 0689810628;$16;1999

The Fisk University chorus attempts to save the school from closing by touring to raise money - a doomed effort until they begin to sing traditional spirituals, or jubilee songs. Muted watercolor and pencil art strikes the right chord.

Suggested for ages 7 - 9
Subjects: Historical

THE GATE IN THE WALL
by Ellen Howard
read by Jenny Sterlin
Recorded Books;ISBN: 0788738917;$30;1999

A rich and energetic picture of life along the canals of Victorian England unfolds in this story of a spirited young girl whose chance encounter with the world outside her town brings new meaning and adventure to her formerly drab existence. The fully voiced reading perfectly creates the sense of time and place, expanding the book's experience for young listeners unfamiliar with the sounds of this remarkable community.

Suggested for ages 8 - 12
Subjects: Friendship | Historical | Orphans

DAVE AT NIGHT
by Gail Carson Levine
HarperCollins;ISBN: 0060281537;$15.95;1999

Lively writing and plenty of action reveal the contrasting worlds of irrepressible Dave, who is stuck in an orphanage with a sadistic director and food-stealing bullies by day but escapes at night to join writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

Suggested for ages 9 - 13
Subjects: Historical | Jews | New York (State) | Orphans

TIES THAT BIND, TIES THAT BREAK
by Lensey Namioka
Delacorte;ISBN: 0385326661;$15.95;1999

Refusing to have her feet bound as a child, Ailin catapults her life into a world of isolation from her family and Chinese culture.

Suggested for ages 12 - 16
Subjects: Asian Americans | China | Historical | Strong Women

MY FREEDOM TRIP: A CHILD’S ESCAPE FROM NORTH KOREA
by Frances  Park and Ginger Park
illustrated by Debra Reid Jenkins
Boyds Mills;ISBN: 1563974681;$15.95;1998

Fleeing to freedom in South Korea, a guide leads little Soo and her father across the river, but her mother never escapes. A tale filled with joy and anguish.

Suggested for ages 7 - 10
Subjects: Historical | Refugees | War

JIP: HIS STORY
by Katherine Paterson
Dutton;ISBN: 0525675434;$15.99;1996

Having come as a foundling to a Vermont poor farm in 1847, Jip knows nothing of his background. When a stranger in town reveals the chilling truth about his parentage, Jip finds himself in great danger.

Suggested for ages 11 - 14
Subjects: Historical | Identity | Mental illness | Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award | Slavery

STRUDEL STORIES
by Joanne Rocklin
Delacorte;ISBN: 0385326025;$14.95;1999

Seven generations of a Jewish family hear stories of their family history, all told while making apple strudel.

Suggested for ages 10 - 13
Subjects: Historical | Immigration | Jews

RIDING FREEDOM
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
illustrated by Brian Selznick
ISBN: 059095766X;$15.95;

A lively biographical novel describes the unconventional life of Charlotte Parkhurst, who ran away from an orphanage, disguised herself as a boy, and went out west to become the first woman stagecoach driver.

Suggested for ages 7 - 10
Subjects: Frontier and pioneer life | Historical | Orphans