Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls

Discover the lives of 16 extraordinary Black Americans in this engaging collection from Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner Tonya Bolden

Untold numbers of Black men and women in America have achieved great things against the odds. In this insightful book, award-winning author Tonya Bolden commemorates the lives of sixteen Black individuals who dared to dream, take risks, and chart courses to success. They were Pathfinders.

In these pages you will meet Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who was instrumental in putting U.S. astronauts on the moon; Venture Smith, an African man who was enslaved in America but later bought his own freedom; Richard Potter, a magician whose methods paved the way for entertainers like Harry Houdini; Sissieretta Jones, an opera singer who captivated audiences all over the world with her enchanting voice; James Forten, a powder boy then prisoner of war during the Revolution who grew up to be one of Philadelphia's leading abolitionists and wealthiest citizens; James McCune Smith, the first Black university-trained physician in the United States; Mary Bowser, a spy during the Civil War; Allen Allensworth, town founder; Clara Brown, one of the first Black women to settle in what would become Colorado; Maggie Lena Walker, the first Black woman to run a bank; Charlie Wiggins, a race car driver; Eugene Bullard, a combat pilot in World War I; Oscar Micheaux, filmmaker; Jackie Ormes, cartoonist; Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, an economist and attorney who fought for civil rights; and Paul R. Williams, architect of luxury homes and many iconic buildings in Los Angeles.

Author: Tonya Bolden
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Published: 01/03/2017
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.90lbs
Size: 10.10h x 8.80w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781419714559
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 8
Point Value: 4
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 189304 / Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 11/01/2016 pg. 120
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2016 pg. 75
Publishers Weekly 11/14/2016
Booklist 12/15/2016 pg. 38
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2017
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2017 pg. 234 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Award-winning author Tonya Bolden's books have garnered much praise and earned countless starred reviews. Her books have been won the James Madison Book Award and have been named the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, YALSA Best Book of the Year, and CCBC Best Book of the Year. Bolden's works were twice nominated for an NAACP award, for her books Searching for Sarah Rector and Beautiful Moon. She won a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American Girl. Bolden's acclaimed works include Capital Days: Michael Shiner's Journal and the Growth of Our Nation's Capital; Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty; 12 Days of New York; George Washington Carver; M.L.K.: Journey Of A King; Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America; and Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists.