New Releases by Kim L. Siegelson

On a Louisiana sugar plantation, a young slave girl struggles with the magical powers that have been passed down from her grandmother and mother to her, unsure of the responsibilities and consequences that accompany this power.

Ben and his family escape from their slave-owner and go to Florida, where they join other black families who are living with the Seminole Indians and help them fight to keep their lands.

Hamp doesn''t much care who wins the War Between the States. Out in the swamp they live by their own rules, and no one he knows is rich enough to own slaves anyhow. He hates the Union army for taking his Pap''s leg though &150 and not only his leg, but a big chunk of his soul. Pap used to take Hamp hunting all the time, but now he just sits on the porch and cries. So when Hamp hears about a no-good runaway slave boy named Duff who killed his own master and is now on the loose in the swamp, he figures that bounty is his by rights &150 someone has to provide for the family now that Pap can''t. But when he finally does meet up with Duff, Hamp gradually begins to realize that right and wrong might not be as black and white as he thought they were.

This picture book honors the longstanding ring shout tradition from West Africa and the American South, depicting a thankful young boy learning to rejoice with all his heart. Full color.

Mentu, an American-born slave boy, watches his beloved grandmother, Twi, lead the insurrection at Teakettle Creek of Ibo people arriving from Africa on a slave ship.

When Oree''s grandmother asks him to represent the family at the local storytelling gathering on Sapelo Island, Oree worries that he doesn''t have his grandfather''s gift for spinning a tale. He decides to tell an old favorite that has been passed down in their family, and as Oree practices telling his story, he explores the personal meaning of his heritage in this coming-of-age story.