Bessie Smith and the Night Riders by Sue Stauffacher

Based on a real incident that happened near Concord, N.C., this story about Bessie Smith will fit well into the 8th grade social studies curriculum as a picture book for older readers. In 1927 Bessie Smith was touring the country by rail. She was performing in a tent outside of Concord when night riders from the Klan showed up and tried to scare her off. She "cussed" them and refused to leave, so they gave up and left her alone. The author embelishes the facts a bit, using a young girl who admires Bessie's singing as the main character and adding some dramatic fictional events around the edges of the true story. Bright, swirling, colorful illustrations will also attract readers.