{"product_id":"maritcha-a-nineteenth-century-american-girl","title":"Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eDiscover the remarkable story of a free Black girl born during the days of slavery in Tonya Bolden’s Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning picture book, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eMaritcha\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“To do the best for myself with the view of making the best of myself,” wrote Maritcha Rémond Lyons (1848–1929) about her childhood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on an unpublished memoir written by Lyons, who was born and raised in New York City, this poignant story tells what it was like to be a Black child born free during the days of slavery. Everyday experiences are interspersed with notable moments, such as a visit to the first world’s fair held in the United States. Also included are the Draft Riots of 1863, during which Maritcha and her siblings fled to Brooklyn while her parents stayed behind to protect their Manhattan home. The book concludes with her fight to attend a whites-only high school in Providence, Rhode Island, and her victory of being the first Black graduate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe evocative text, photographs, and archival material make this book an invaluable cultural and historical resource. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eMaritcha\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e brings to life the story of a very ordinary—yet remarkable—girl of 19th-century America.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eTonya Bolden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e has written more than 20 books for children and adults. Her book \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003ewas named a Best Book of the Year by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Her \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eWake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e received a starred review in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e magazine. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eMaritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALSC 2006 Notable Children’s Book, a NAPPA Gold Award Winner, a CCBC Best Book of the Year, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. She lives in New York City.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eLanguage ‏ : ‎\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnglish\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003ePrint length ‏ : ‎\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e56 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eItem Weight ‏ : ‎\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e11.2 ounces\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eReading age ‏ : ‎\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e8 - 12 years\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eDimensions ‏ : ‎\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e10 x 0.25 x 10 inches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eGrade level ‏ : ‎\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e3 - 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Abrams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50080698794223,"sku":null,"price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0060\/8134\/7702\/files\/Screenshot_2-7-2026_144248_www.amazon.com.jpg?v=1783017824","url":"https:\/\/schomburgshop.com\/products\/maritcha-a-nineteenth-century-american-girl","provider":"The Schomburg Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}