Chapter Book 11

Author	Phillip Hoose
Title	Claudette Colvin:  Twice Toward Justice
Illustrator	NA
Readability Score	GLE 6.8 Lexile Measure: 1000
Genre	Nonfiction
Subgenre	Biography
Theme	NA
Primary and Secondary Characters	NA
Award(s) date of publication	2009 Newbery Honor Book Robert F. Sibert Award Honor YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, Honor ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Publishing Company	Melanie Kroupa Books
ISBN Number	0-374-31322-9
Brief Summary	Claudette Colvin was an unsung heroine of the Montgomery County Bus Boycott.  Nine months prior to Rosa Parks’ monumental bus ride, fifteen year old Colvin decided to take a stand and refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman.  Unlike Parks’ refusal, Colvin’s was unplanned and inspired solely by her own bravery.  Also unlike Parks’ refusal, Colvin was dragged off the bus by two police officers and eventually shunned by her classmates and community.  After her arrest, Colvin became involved with the NAACP, where she met and became acquaintances with Parks.  However, the NAACP chose not to use Colvin as the spokesperson for their bus boycott because of fear that she would be viewed as an “emotional and uncontrollable” teenager.  However, she was called upon to testify during the bus boycott lawsuit initiated after Parks made the news for refusing to give up her seat.  Even in light of her testimony, Colvin did not receive the same recognition or historical figure label as Parks.
Picture of book cover
Description of how you would use book with students	I would use this book with high school students as part of a text set for the Civil Rights Movement.  With Colvin being the age of a typical high school freshman, this book will encourage deep discussions about her actions and the impact those actions had on her life.