Penguin Random House Elementary Education
Elementary Secondary Higher Ed

Elementary Education Inspire Teaching and Learning with Outstanding Books


Guides

Collections

News

Wish List
  • Elementary Education

    Inspire Teaching and Learning with Outstanding Books

    • English Language Arts
        • English Language Arts
        • Fiction
        • Nonfiction
        • Poetry
        • Drama
        • Early Concepts
        • Leveled Reading
        • Writing & Composition
        • ESL / ELL

        • Browse All Subjects and Topics
    • Social Studies, History, & References
        • Social Studies & History
        • Archaeology
        • Communities, Family, & Me
        • Geography
        • Government, Politics & Laws
        • History
        • Holidays & Celebrations
        • Influential People
        • People & Places by Region
        • References
        • References
        • Almanacs
        • Dictionaries
        • Encyclopedias
        • Maps & Atlases
        • Thesauruses

        • Browse All Subjects and Topics
    • Science, Technology, The Arts, & Math
        • Science & Technology
        • Early Concepts
        • Earth & Space
        • Environmental Science & Issues
        • Experiments, Projects, and Makerspace
        • Life & Living Things
        • Physical Science
        • Scientists, Inventors, & Discoveries
        • Technology
        • Transportation
        • The Arts
        • Architecture
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Media Studies
        • Music
        • Performing Arts
        • Math
        • Algebra
        • Arithmetic
        • Early Concepts
        • Fractions
        • Geometry
        • Math in Fiction

        • Browse All Subjects and Topics
    • Spanish and Bilingual Books
        • Spanish & Bilingual Books
        • Bilingual Books
        • Books in Spanish
        • Spanish Language Study

        • Browse All Subjects and Topics
    • Favorite Authors & Series
        • Favorite Authors and Series
        • Favorite Authors
        • Favorite Leveled Readers
        • Favorite Series & Collections

        • Browse All Subjects and Topics
    • More Disciplines
        • Health, Sports, Games, and Crafts
        • Cooking, Diet, & Nutrition
        • Crafts & Makerspace
        • Games & Activities
        • Health & Wellness
        • Sports & Recreation
        • Early Concepts
        • Alphabet
        • Body
        • Colors
        • Counting & Numbers
        • Date & Time
        • Money
        • Opposites
        • Seasons
        • Senses & Sensation
        • Size & Shapes
        • Sounds
        • Words
        • Religious Studies & Spirituality
        • Buddhism
        • Christianity
        • Hindu
        • Islam
        • Judaism
        • Visionary & Metaphysical
        • Education and Professional Learning
        • Child and Adolescent Development
        • Counseling
        • Pedagogy & Methodology
        • Schools & Education
        • Special Education

          • Browse All Subjects and Topics
    • Guides
    • Collections
    • News
    • Other Penguin Random House Education Sites
    • Secondary
    • Higher Ed
Download high-resolution cover

Finding Langston

Part of The Finding Langston Trilogy

Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome On Tour
Paperback
$7.99 US
Holiday House
5.47"W x 8.3"H x 0.3"D  
On sale Jan 07, 2020 | 112 Pages | 978-0-8234-4582-0
Grades 3-7
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
See Additional Formats
  • English Language Arts > Fiction > Historical Fiction: United States > 20th Century
  • English Language Arts > Fiction > People & Places by Group > African American
  • English Language Arts > Fiction > Social Themes > New Experiences
  • About
  • Author
  • Awards
  • Praise
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves.
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves.


It's 1946. Langston's mother has just died, and now they're leaving the rest of his family and friends. He misses everything--Grandma's Sunday suppers, the red dirt roads, and the magnolia trees his mother loved.

In the city, they live in a small apartment surrounded by noise and chaos. It doesn't feel like a new start, or a better life. At home he's lonely, his father always busy at work; at school he's bullied for being a country boy.
But Langston's new home has one fantastic thing. Unlike the whites-only library in Alabama, the Chicago Public Library welcomes everyone. There, hiding out after school, Langston discovers another Langston--a poet whom he learns inspired his mother enough to name her only son after him.

Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book Before She Was Harriet, has crafted a lyrical debut novel about one boy's experiences during the Great Migration. Includes an author's note about the historical context and her research.

Don't miss the companion novel, Leaving Lymon, which centers on one of Langston's classmates and explores grief, resilience, and the circumstances that can drive a boy to become a bully-- and offer a chance at redemption.

A Junior Library Guild selection!
A CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, with 5 Starred Reviews
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2018
Learn more about Lesa Cline-Ransome
  • HONOR | 2019
    Coretta Scott King Author Honor
  • AWARD | 2019
    Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
★ "An engaging, quick, and relatable read that skillfully incorporates themes of race, class, post-war American life in the North and South, and a bit of Langston Hughes' poetry. This is a story that will stay with readers long after they've finished it."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "The impact on the reader could not be more powerful. A memorable debut novel."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "A fascinating work of historical fiction . . . Cline-Ransome at her best."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "Finding Langston is about cultural heritage and personal growth and, at its heart, about finding home wherever you land.”—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

★ "Written in short chapters, this crisply paced book is full of historical details of the Great Migration and the role a historic branch library played in preserving African American literary culture."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

"There aren’t any explosions in this spare story. Nor is there a happy ending. Instead, Langston discovers something more enduring: solace. To quote Langston Hughes: 'My black one / Thou are not beautiful / Yet thou hast / A loveliness / Surpassing beauty.'"—The New York Times

An ILA Teacher's Choice Title
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Winner of the 2019 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
A Junior Library Guild selection

About

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves.
A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves.


It's 1946. Langston's mother has just died, and now they're leaving the rest of his family and friends. He misses everything--Grandma's Sunday suppers, the red dirt roads, and the magnolia trees his mother loved.

In the city, they live in a small apartment surrounded by noise and chaos. It doesn't feel like a new start, or a better life. At home he's lonely, his father always busy at work; at school he's bullied for being a country boy.
But Langston's new home has one fantastic thing. Unlike the whites-only library in Alabama, the Chicago Public Library welcomes everyone. There, hiding out after school, Langston discovers another Langston--a poet whom he learns inspired his mother enough to name her only son after him.

Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book Before She Was Harriet, has crafted a lyrical debut novel about one boy's experiences during the Great Migration. Includes an author's note about the historical context and her research.

Don't miss the companion novel, Leaving Lymon, which centers on one of Langston's classmates and explores grief, resilience, and the circumstances that can drive a boy to become a bully-- and offer a chance at redemption.

A Junior Library Guild selection!
A CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, with 5 Starred Reviews
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2018

Author

Learn more about Lesa Cline-Ransome

Awards

  • HONOR | 2019
    Coretta Scott King Author Honor
  • AWARD | 2019
    Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

Praise

★ "An engaging, quick, and relatable read that skillfully incorporates themes of race, class, post-war American life in the North and South, and a bit of Langston Hughes' poetry. This is a story that will stay with readers long after they've finished it."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "The impact on the reader could not be more powerful. A memorable debut novel."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "A fascinating work of historical fiction . . . Cline-Ransome at her best."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "Finding Langston is about cultural heritage and personal growth and, at its heart, about finding home wherever you land.”—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

★ "Written in short chapters, this crisply paced book is full of historical details of the Great Migration and the role a historic branch library played in preserving African American literary culture."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

"There aren’t any explosions in this spare story. Nor is there a happy ending. Instead, Langston discovers something more enduring: solace. To quote Langston Hughes: 'My black one / Thou are not beautiful / Yet thou hast / A loveliness / Surpassing beauty.'"—The New York Times

An ILA Teacher's Choice Title
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Winner of the 2019 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
A Junior Library Guild selection

Additional formats

  • Finding Langston
    Finding Langston
    Lesa Cline-Ransome
    $16.99 US
    Hardcover
    Aug 14, 2018
  • Finding Langston
    Finding Langston
    Lesa Cline-Ransome
    $16.99 US
    Hardcover
    Aug 14, 2018

Other books in this series

  • Being Clem
    Being Clem
    Lesa Cline-Ransome
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Aug 03, 2021
  • Leaving Lymon
    Leaving Lymon
    Lesa Cline-Ransome
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Jun 01, 2021
  • Being Clem
    Being Clem
    Lesa Cline-Ransome
    $17.99 US
    Hardcover
    Aug 03, 2021
  • Leaving Lymon
    Leaving Lymon
    Lesa Cline-Ransome
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Jun 01, 2021

Other books by this author

  • Overground Railroad
    Overground Railroad
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $18.99 US
    Hardcover
    Jan 07, 2020
  • Before She Was Harriet
    Before She Was Harriet
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Jun 11, 2019
  • Just a Lucky So and So
    Just a Lucky So and So
    The Story of Louis Armstrong
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $16.95 US
    Hardcover
    Feb 27, 2016
  • Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson
    Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson
    Taking the Stage as the First Black-and-White Jazz Band in History
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $16.95 US
    Hardcover
    Feb 01, 2014
  • Overground Railroad
    Overground Railroad
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $18.99 US
    Hardcover
    Jan 07, 2020
  • Before She Was Harriet
    Before She Was Harriet
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $8.99 US
    Paperback
    Jun 11, 2019
  • Just a Lucky So and So
    Just a Lucky So and So
    The Story of Louis Armstrong
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $16.95 US
    Hardcover
    Feb 27, 2016
  • Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson
    Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson
    Taking the Stage as the First Black-and-White Jazz Band in History
    Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
    $16.95 US
    Hardcover
    Feb 01, 2014
Related Articles
Early Concepts English Language Arts General Science & Technology The Arts
November 10 2020

NEW! PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more

NEW! PRH Education Classroom Libraries

Early Concepts English Language Arts General Science & Technology The Arts
November 10 2020
General
February 22 2021

Books for Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Find more on the

Read more

Books for Black History Month

General
February 22 2021
Connect with Us!

Get the latest news on all things Elementary Education. Learn about our books, authors, teacher events, and more!

Friend us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Subscribe on YouTube

See us on Instagram

View us on Pinterest

Our mission is to foster a universal passion for reading by partnering with authors to help create stories and communicate ideas that inform, entertain, and inspire.

Privacy Policy   |   Terms of Use

© 2021 Penguin Random House

About Elementary Education

  • About Us
  • FAQ
  • Conferences
  • Contact your PreK-12 Representative
  • Browse & subscribe to our newsletters

Penguin Random House Education

  • Elementary
  • Secondary
  • Higher Ed
  • Common Reads

Penguin Random House

  • PenguinRandomHouse.com
  • global.PenguinRandomHouse.com
  • Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau

About Elementary Education

  • About Us
  • FAQ
  • Conferences

Penguin Random House Education

  • Elementary
  • Secondary
  • Higher Ed
  • Common Reads
  • Contact your PreK-12 Representative
  • Browse & subscribe to our newsletters

Penguin Random House

  • PenguinRandomHouse.com
  • global.PenguinRandomHouse.com
  • Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau

Privacy Policy   |   Terms of Use

© 2021 Penguin Random House
Back to Top