{"product_id":"black-star-9780316442596","title":"Black Star","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Coretta Scott King Honor Book\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe thrilling second book in the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi's granddaughter, Charley, who's set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eYou can't protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 12-year old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee's Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e to dream big. She knows he has so many more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn't old enough to know about certain things like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge and why she can never play on the brand-new real deal baseball field on the other side of town. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When Charley challenges a neighborhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. But when the picnic spills over onto their ball field, she makes a fateful decision. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A child cannot protect herself if she does not know her history, and Charley's choice brings consequences she never could have imagined. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this riveting second book of the Door of No Return trilogy, set during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKwame Alexander\u003c\/b\u003e is a poet, educator, publisher, and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of more than 35 books, including the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book \u003ci\u003eThe Undefeated\u003c\/i\u003e, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the Coretta Scott king Illustrator Award-winning picture book \u003ci\u003eAmerican Story\u003c\/i\u003e, the Newbery medal-winning novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Crossover\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBecoming Muhammad Ali\u003c\/i\u003e, co-authored with James Patterson, \u003ci\u003eBooked\u003c\/i\u003e, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, \u003ci\u003eRebound, Solo\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSwing\u003c\/i\u003e. A regular contributor to NPR's \u003ci\u003eMorning Edition\u003c\/i\u003e, Kwame is also the recipient of numerous other awards, including the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. He invites you to visit him at kwamealexander.com on IG and Twitter @kwamealexander.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Little, Brown Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50875087126802,"sku":"9780316442596","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7b32ba3c-32ab-481f-a478-6e3ba83bb8a5.jpg?v=1756798683","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/black-star-9780316442596","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}