No Crystal Stair in Mock Newbery 2026

May 14, 2012 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-award-possibilities

Almost a five-star and maybe it ought to be. This is a compelling book and a challenging one; it is black literature through and through, reminding me of books from what I vaguely think of as a heyday for black-focused children's literature in the seventies, when four of the ten Newbery winners (plus some scattered Honors) had African American authors and/or themes and/or characters, when I met far more black characters in the pages of my school readers than I did in real life in southeast Portl ...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Monica Edinger rated it it was amazing

Outstanding. To say this is the story of a Harlem bookseller is true, but not only was Michaux and his bookstore clearly hugely influential, but through him the author gives readers a riveting history of the time in which he lived. Fictionalized, but closely and carefully researched, this is an amazing work. Highly, highly recommended. My blog review. ...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, tbl-mock-newbery-2013

"And the books. The books. They're still here but, without you, when I open them, the pages seem blank."

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Aug 13, 2012 Dest rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography-memoir, teen, bipoc

My mock Newbery thoughts:

I'm about halfway through and so far I think this is a very distinguished contribution to American literature for young adults. Not children, though. (I'm willing to concede that it may just hit the very end of the Newbery age range, which goes up to 14, but I do so grudgingly because, in my humble opinion, the spirit of the award is to recognize a book written primarily for children--being able to imagine one bright 14-year-old for whom this book will work technically My mock Newbery thoughts:

I'm about halfway through and so far I think this is a very distinguished contribution to American literature for young adults. Not children, though. (I'm willing to concede that it may just hit the very end of the Newbery age range, which goes up to 14, but I do so grudgingly because, in my humble opinion, the spirit of the award is to recognize a book written primarily for children--being able to imagine one bright 14-year-old for whom this book will work technically makes it eligible, but that doesn't mean the book has "excellence of presentation for a child audience"). Though it starts when the main character is just a boy, NCS is primarily about adults and adult issues. It also takes for granted a good deal of American history is known by the reader (for example, the state of race relations in 20th century America, and who Malcom X was). I can't help comparing NCS to We've Got a Job which is much better suited for a child audience.

Let's get specific. The first part of the book is about how young Lewis was a troublemaker and everyone thought his brother Lightfoot was the golden child. This is great stuff because we know the book is about how Lewis is going to make history. However, I feel like this is the high point in terms of child appeal. Lewis Michaux is an adult and running gambling rings by page 19 (that's 19 pages out of 165).

I see a lot of potential for confusion when a child dives into a narrative like this without knowing the historical context. There are so many things in NCS that pass without explanation. Why would Lightfoot want to marry somebody because she's light skinned? Why do so many characters keep saying black people don't read? The ideal reader for this book has knowledge of the history of racism in the United States, from slavery up through the 1960s. This is why I see this as an excellent novel for young adults. Nelson herself said in an interview that she set out to write a biography for teens.

But in the same interview she also said, "[Don't] underestimate what kids can handle. They’re smart and beg to be challenged. I hope my writing stretches them." I want to take that to heart. I'll write more when I finish the book. ...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Brandy rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, civil-rights

Another excellent non-fiction book. If all kids are introduced to quality non-fiction like this early in life, maybe they won't avoid it all their life like I did.

This one is a little harder for me to review. I liked it, I really did. I think the hard thing is that I sometimes get my feathers ruffled when I read books set during the civil rights movement. I still get so appalled by the way people thought. And I feel that way about both sides. But, it is good for me to read about that time. A tim Another excellent non-fiction book. If all kids are introduced to quality non-fiction like this early in life, maybe they won't avoid it all their life like I did.

This one is a little harder for me to review. I liked it, I really did. I think the hard thing is that I sometimes get my feathers ruffled when I read books set during the civil rights movement. I still get so appalled by the way people thought. And I feel that way about both sides. But, it is good for me to read about that time. A time that wasn't so long ago. A time that still influences the way a lot of people think today. It is good to understand our history. So as much as my feathers get ruffled, I am glad for understanding.

I loved the theme in this book about making something of yourself. Life isn't easy. Don't let that be a reason to quit trying. Lewis started out rough and even though some wouldn't see past that rough beginning, I feel that he was able to make a huge difference in people's lives.

I felt myself wanting every young adult to read this book as they make decisions about the road they will take in life. Sometimes it is easier to take advise from people who aren't perfect and struggle with similar things but who turned out ok in the end.

Another part of the story that resonated with me was that he was the owner of a bookstore. Not just any bookstore, but one that made a huge difference. It was a place to come and gain knowledge, share ideas and learn who you really were. It made me so sad that brick and mortar bookstores are quickly becoming a thing of the past, mostly because I have secretly longed to own my own bookstore. This book rekindled that flame, a flame that I will have to direct on a different path.

It was neat for me to see that the author was Lewis' niece. I didn't feel that she wrote with a bias and was really impressed with the way she was able to represent all the characters, even her own father.

Lastly I say, go read this book. Make non-fiction a part of your normal repertoire of reading! ...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Kristine rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, mock-newbery, political-biz-econ-ish, young-adult, civil-rights-slavery

SLJ Battle of the Books

This project started as a family history project as a youth services librarian in New Mexico started researching the life of her Great Uncle, Lewis Michaux. What a story it tells! Lewis started a bookshop in the ghetto of ghettos in Harlem after the depression. His belief is that if you get black men to (1) read and (2) know the history of their own people, they will be responsible for their futures and succeed. His bookshop is integral in the development of Malcolm X (the ...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Mary rated it liked it

Shelves: teen-novel, civil-rights, historical-fiction

Historical novel that seems to be more fact than fiction. The author's note explains that a lot of it is fact, but that she filled in the blanks in her research with "informed speculation", which made it a work of fiction. The format of the book is unusual too, as it is told by a lot of different point of views. The book alternates between family members, bookstore customers, and FBI files to tell the whole story of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller. The format works well and does make the book g ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 vanessa rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, physically-from-the-library, 2017, ya-fiction

I kind of wish this didn't have any "novel" to it and stuck to the documentary - the short entries and multiple characters detached me from the story at times. But the man, Lewis Michaux, and his view of the world was an important history for me to learn. ...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Shawn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bio

This is a great example of young adult nonfiction at its best! It is the story of how one man influenced many from his bookstore in Harlem. I sure wish I had met Lewis Michaux!

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Mar 15, 2013 Karen Gibson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography, 2013-113-book-project

This Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller, was fascinating.

Horn Book Recommendation

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Oct 29, 2012 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-pub, kids, corettascottkinghonor, 2012reads, youngadult, historicalfiction, hornbookwinner, heavymedalshortlist2013, sljbob2013

I think this is a shoo-in for the Coretta Scott King award this year - at least for an honor, if not the winner. It was fascinating to read about Michaux and his bookstore - an institution I had never heard of, but that clearly was an important part of history. Since this is an unusual format, it's a challenge to evaluate, but Michaux's forceful personality comes through clearly. ...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Kris Springer rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013-newbery-reads

Fascinating approach to historical fiction, with a great story about a pioneer in bookstores & African-American history & culture. Lewis Michaux owned and ran the National Memorial African Bookstore (I'm probably getting the order of the words in its name wrong) for almost 40 years in Harlem. He was friends with Malcolm X and helped lots of African-Americans learn about the history of the United States, as well as the history of the slave trade and different parts of Africa. Against all odds, Le ...more

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