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The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem's Greatest Bookstore



Last updated Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Date of Publication: 2015
ISBN: 0761339434
Grade Level: 3rd    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Apr. 2025

Synopsis: In the 1930s, Lewis's dad, Lewis Michaux Sr., had an itch he needed to scratch - a book itch. How to scratch it? He started a bookstore in Harlem and named it the National Memorial African Bookstore.

And as far as Lewis Michaux Jr. could tell, his father's bookstore was one of a kind. People from all over came to visit the store, even famous people - Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, and Langston Hughes, to name a few. In his father's bookstore people bought and read books, and they also learned from each other. People swapped and traded ideas and talked about how things could change. They came together here all because of his father's book itch.

Discussion topics: To be posted soon ...

Craft ideas: To be posted soon ...

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!