I wanted to share a new children’s book with you called Will’s Race For Me the book is written by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Author). I received a copy of the book for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
If you were to ask me what genre this book is I would says Historical Fiction or it could be classified as a middle grade/YA especially for older students going into High School. Will’s Race For Me should be on every teachers must read list in History Classes.
Wills Race For Me is a story of hardship, determination, and danger that results in success. Will’s father, born into slavery, now farms as a sharecropper in Texas. Almost all he grows goes to the farmer who owns the land, leaving Will’s family in perpetual debt and poverty. Sounds like a lot of families back in the day.
When Will and his father learns about the coming land rush in Oklahoma, George, Will’s father, wants nothing more than to go to Oklahoma and participate in the land rush so his family can own land, beholden to no one.
When George discovers the flyer about the land rush, which turns out to be three weeks before Christmas, and that the land rush will be April 22, 1889. There’s not a moment to lose if Will and his father George are going to try for the land.
George and Will load their provisions into the wagon which Belle, their faithful mule will pull all the way to Oklahoma through dangers the the three can’t even imagine yet. Shortly into the journey, Will wakes up to find Belle threatened by a Snake.
That is when I would have thrown in the towel and returned home but Will kills the Snake, not knowing that’s the first of the dangers he and his father will face. I’m not going to tell you what all the go through but the book does touch on racism. I don’t want to spoil the story for you but Will ends up riding alone. Do they get the land they fight so hard for or not I’m not going to tell you. You will need to pick up a copy of Will’s Race For Me to find out what happens.
About the book:
A New York Times bestseller!
★ “Rhodes deftly captures a unique aspect of this historical event, with a perspective that is often under-represented in historical fiction. A poignant and honest look at the trials of racism that defined the historic land rush; a must-buy.” –School Library Journal, starred review
Bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes goes West in this thrilling adventure story about a son and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush–if they can survive the journey.
It’s 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on Land they don’t get to own.
So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free—if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn’t easy—the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.
And then there’s the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention—and more trouble—than any of them need.
All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home—but is a strong will enough to get them there?
About the author: Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes
Is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and educator for both youth and adults. She is the author of nine books for children including the New York Times bestsellers Ghost Boys and Black Brother, Black Brother, both named Amazon’s Best Children’s Books of the Year.
Her other books include Paradise on Fire, Towers Falling, and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic, and Treasure Island: Runaway Gold, a Junior Library Guild Selection and cited as a 2023 Best Book by both Kirkus and Booklist. Her most recent novel and New York Times Bestseller is Will’s Race for Home.
Jewell is the author of six adult novels: Voodoo Dreams, Magic City, Douglass’ Women, Season, Moon, and Hurricane, as well as the memoir Porch Stories: A Grandmother’s Guide to Happiness, and two writing guides, Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors and The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Non-Fiction.
Jewell has won the American Book Award, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, the Jane Addams Peace Association Book Award, the Walter Award, and the Prix des Libraries du Quebec, among many others.
Jewell is the Founding Artistic Director and Piper Endowed Chair at the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carnegie-Mellon University. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she currently lives in Seattle.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
