New Books for New Readers

Newsweek called KHC's New Books level-headed and honest and nothing a young person couldn't stand to know, December 1990

About the Project

Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc.'s award-winning New Books for New Readers is a series of books written at the 4th grade reading level for adult literacy students. The 64-page books are written by scholars with the help of literacy students and their tutors, and cover topics in Kentucky history, literature, and folklore. Some also appeal to elementary school students. The titles are are written with a simplicity of sentence and language but with a complexity of vision. Experienced readers find the topics so interesting that they do not notice that the text is 4th grade level. For a complete story of New Books for New Readers, click here.

NEW! DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

INTO THE WILDERNESS by James Holmberg This book, written at the 4th grade reading level, tells the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the greatest journey of exploration in American history. FIGHTS FOR RIGHTS by Ronald Eades From school prayer to flag burning, Fights for Rights touches on issues that will generate plenty of discussion amoung readers of all ages. Funded by the American Bar Association, this book will be of special value to adults learning English and working to acquire U. S. citizenship. KENTUCKY HOME PLACE by Lee A. Dew Kentucky Home Place tells of eight generations of a Western Kentucky farm family whose story begins in 1799 with a land claim and continues through the present, chronicling changes in both farming and rural lifes. HEARTWOOD by Nikky Finney Beneath our hard exteriors is our heartwood, our true nature. In this touching novel, two young women, Trina Sims and Jenny Bryan, discover how much they are alike despite their different skin colors. KENTUCKY GHOSTS by Lynwood Montell An entertaining collection of "haint" tales passed on through the ages, told by narrators who believe the stories to be true. KENTUCKIANS BEFORE BOONE by A. Gwynn Henderson This book is an account of the lives of one Native American family living in Kentucky in 1585, 150 years before Daniel Boone was born. HOME VOICES edited by Mark Lucas Stories from six of the South's finest writers: James Weldon Johnson, Jesse Stuart, Olive Ann Burns, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and James Still.

THREE KY TRAGEDIES by Richard Taylor Learn about the defeat of a small army of Kentuckians by Indians at Blue Licks in 1782, the murder of a slave by two of Thomas Jefferson's nephews in western Kentucky in 1807, and the bizarre Beauchamp-Sharp murder in Frankfort in 1825. WHY WORK? by Judi Jennings The many meanings of work -- from prehistory to the present, from around the world -- are the focus of this New Book. This selection is the most elementary of the series in terms of reading level. KENTUCKY FOLKLORE by R. Gerald Alvey Learn what folklore and folk culture are and enjoy a generous helping of the sayings, rhymes, songs, tall tales, superstitions, and riddles that make folklore fun. HISTORY MYSTERIES by James C. Klotter Four mysteries from Kentucky's past -- the disappearance of pioneer James Harrod and embezzler "Honest Dick" Tate, the battlefield death of Tecumseh, and the assassination of Gov. William Goebel. WOMEN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE by Carol Crowe-Carraco Short biographies of Kentucky women who had a vision of a better life for themselves and for others and the courage to make their ideas become real. CHOICES by George Ella Lyon Thirteen warm, funny, and sad short stories about people making hard decisions for their families and themselves.