Ron woke up early one morning with an important job to do! He went to the library to find a book about a kid that looked like him. When he went to check out the books he picked out, when he was reminded that only white people can check out books from the library! Ron was not going to back down! The police were called, but he was determined to make a change! Finally, the librarian, Mrs. Scott, gave him his own library card & from that day on, he was able to check out his own books!

Independent reading level: 1st and up
Awards: none

This is a ctionalized account of how astronaut Ron McNair’s burning desire as a young, African American boy to read books about space, led him to take a stand in 1959 that would integrate his library in South Carolina.

Story based on the life of the child, Ron McNair, from Lake City, South Carolina, who grew up to realize his dreams of flying and became an astronaut. He and the entire crew of space shuttle Challenger were lost when it exploded on January 28,1986. ( )

This book is a historical fiction. I think that this book would be good for 2nd through 4th graders. It handles the topic of inequality in race and this can be hard to grasp for students who are younger.

This book is about a little boy who is African American. He has a dream to become a pilot. He goes to the public library to check out books. He is very nervous because he knows that only white people can check out books at the public library. He shows up and picks out his books all about airplanes. He goes to check them out and the desk clerk ignores him. He stands on the desk and repeats himself. This creates a problem and the police come. They explain that only white people can check out books. He refuses this. The librarian thinks about all of the hours that Ron has come to read books. Ron is her very best customer. She goes to the backroom and writes him a library card. Ron is allowed to check out books for the very first time. He goes home and read the books. Ron ended up being Ron McNair. He became an astronaut.

This book would be good for a read aloud when talking about how dreams can come true. This is good to educate students about discrimination and inequality. I believe that this book is great because it shows obstacles of being black but focuses on overcoming them and not focusing on these hardships. This book talks about how you can reach your goals if you set your mind to it. Ron sets a great example for all students to reach their goals and provides a mirror for African American students. ( )