New Diverse Historical Middle Grade Book Series

We all know there was an underground railroad that ran north, but not many children know about slaves fleeing south to Spanish Florida.

Five Things About Dragonflies, the first book of the Children of the Glades series, releases this summer. Readers will get a glimpse into the life of a young warrior: A Black Seminole, or Seminole Maroon, named Talula.

Image of Black Seminole descendants by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis

Talula is the ten year old daughter of a runaway slave and Seminole Indian.

This is the first I've talked about this series. I think it's the most difficult novel I've written. I'm not a historian, but the information is incredibly interesting, especially because I am part Creek Indian. Seminole's were made up of several tribes of Indians, including Creeks.

Image from Floridamemory.com

Mixing history into an adventure story isn't easy. But it's not the hardest part. That would be not letting my emotions get the best of me. There is a lot I cannot put in books for children, but I will do my best to tell an authentic story of Black Seminoles and Seminole Indians of the 1800s.

Helpful books:

The Black Seminoles, History of a Freedom-seeking People by Kenneth W. Porter

Black Indians, A Hidden Heritage, by William Loren Katz

What We Have Endured, A Novel of the Seminole Wars, by John & Mary Lou Missal and Willie Johns

Helpful research:

Dr. Rosalyn Howard, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida.

Dr. Howard is also a member of a public anthropology research project entitled “Looking for Angola” currently compiling archaeological, cultural, and archival evidence of an early 19th century Florida maroon community, formerly located near present-day Sarasota, Florida, which has a direct connection to Red Bays.

As we get closer to the launch date, I'll reveal more about the story, characters, and the book cover of Five Things About Dragonflies. Actually, the first two covers of the series are already illustrated.

I'm so excited to share this new project with you.

Blessings,

LB

#blackseminoles #chlidrenshistoricalbooks #diversebooks