Thurgood Marshall - Great Men and Women books for kids

Thurgood Marshall
Easy Readers/Chapter Books

Thurgood Marshall had an amazing career. Born in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland, this grandson of slaves rose to the most prominent position in American Law as a Supreme Court Justice.

As a young man he applied to the Law School at the University of Maryland, but he was denied admission because of his race. After graduating from Howard University, Marshall took his education and won an important legal decision (1933) for another black student against the very university that had denied him entrance. He won that case as he was to win many, many others. Winning, in fact, more cases before the Supreme Court than any other individual in history.

Thurgood Marshall was important to American History because he challenged and changed the way the the United States Constitution was interpreted. Possibly his most important victory was Brown vs The Board of Education.

For a more indepth online biography see:
  1. http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/hill/marshall.htm
  2. http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-Home-Forum/2008/0212/p18s04-hfks.html

For a brief profiles suitable for young children see:
  1. http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=t_marshall
Other pages:
  1. http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/thurgood-marshall-makes-a-difference-lesson-plan/
  2. http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/black-history/thurgood-marshall.html

All of the books below provide an introduction to the life of Justice Marshall -- the the first African American justice on the Supreme Court. We wish there were more review information we could provide, but alas there are no reviews at Amazon and few at GoodReads.



Thurgood Marshall
by Helen Frost
  • Paperback: 24 pages
  • Publisher: Capstone Press (2003)
  • ISBN-10: 0736833773
  • amazon

Technical Stuff

Word Count: 201
Reading Level: 2.5
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  2.5 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 68111


Thurgood Marshall
by Don McLeese

Notes: This book has a two-page format. On one page there is a paragraph of text, and on the facing page is a black-and-white photo.

We suggest this book as a 'library find' or else as a book for the classroom.

Chapter Headings:

"Mr. Civil Rights"
Grandson of a Slave
Great Student
College Protest
"Whites Only"
Civil Rights Law
A Big Case
Famous Lawyer
Supreme Justice

Glossary
Index
Further Reading/Websites to Visit


Sample text:

GREAT STUDENT

Both of his parents believed in a good education. Thurgood made them proud because he was so smart in school. In those days, African Americans usually went to different schools than white students. The law said schools could be "separate but equal". Thurgood knew that if the schools were separate, they weren't really equal.

  • Library Binding: 24 pages
  • Publisher: Rourke Publishing (2002)
  • ISBN-10: 1589523032
  • amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 468
Reading Level: 3.9
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  3.9 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 62172


Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court Justice
by Garnet Jackson
  • Hardcover: 26 pages
  • Publisher: Modern Curriculum (1994)
  • ISBN-10: 0813652375
  • amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 632
Reading Level: 4.0
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  4.0 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 59829



Thurgood Marshall
by Christine Taylor-Butler

GoodReads: 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
  • Paperback: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Children's Press (2006)
  • ISBN-10: 0516270990
  • Look Inside
  • amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 561
Reading Level: 4.3
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  4.3 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 105606



Thurgood Marshall: Civil Rights Champion
by Judy Monroe
  • Library Binding: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Capstone Press (2005)
  • ISBN-10: 0736843493
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Technical Stuff
Word Count: 1,549
Reading Level: 4.5
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  4.5 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 89620



Thurgood Marshall: A Photo-Illustrated Biography
by Karen Bush Gibson
  • Library Binding: 24 pages
  • Publisher: Bridgestone Books (2002)
  • ISBN-10: 0736811133
  • amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 1,135
Reading Level: 4.7
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  4.7 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 56358




A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall (Picture Book Biography)
by David A. Adler

GoodReads: 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings

A Parents' Choice Approval. (Parents' Choice, 1999) -- From Parents' Choice®
  • Paperback: 32 page
  • Publisher: Holiday House (1999)
  • ISBN-10: 0823415066
  • amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 1,391
Reading Level: 5.6
Interest Level: Elementary
Accelerated Reading level:  5.6 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 20902
Lexile: AD860L


For other books on important men and women in the Equal Rights movement, see our Index.