Miami Makes The Play

The Miami series grew out of a real need that Pat McKissack saw in children’s books: There weren’t many books about middle-class African American kids. “We are professional people,” Pat said about herself and her husband, Fred, in The Dallas Morning News. “Our kids never knew a hungry day. They lived a normal, middle-class life on a street that was very diverse. It’s not that the other kind of stories aren’t important. But I got tired of African American children showing up in literature a day late and a dollar short.”
These three books show Miami Jackson’s third-going-on-fourth-grade life—getting through the last few days of school before summer vacation, finding his place in summer baseball camp, and dealing with a no-nonsense new teacher—with humor and irrepressible attitude.
Patricia McKissack and Fredrick McKissack have written tons of wonderful books for children, such as several Coretta Scott King Award–winning books, including Black Hands, White Sails; and Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? Pat has also been honored with the Virginia Hamilton Award. The authors live in St. Louis, MO.