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    Main Street

    A Community Story About Redlining

    Author Britt Hawthorne, Tiffany Jewell
    Read by Imani Parks
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    Audio | Listening Library
    On sale Jan 27, 2026 | 16 Minutes | 9798217280827
    Grades 2-5
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    A girl learns how the history of redlining has affected her neighborhood in this intergenerational audiobook about racism, community action, and resilience by two New York Times bestselling authors.

    Olivia can’t wait to invite her friends to the 62nd annual Main Street Block Party. But when she does, Alison says that Main Street isn’t safe. Olivia’s eyes fill with tears, and she begins to wish that she didn’t live on Main Street at all.

    Then, Olivia learns what happened when her neighbor Ms. Effie was about her age: Ms. Effie's family was also told that Main Street wasn’t good enough. The bank wouldn’t give them a loan to buy their house based on where it fell on a color-coded map: Mostly Black people lived near Main Street, so the neighborhood was colored red on the map. To fight back against this practice called redlining, Ms. Effie’s family became friends with their neighbors and got organized.

    With engaging text by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell, Main Street celebrates what might happen when neighbors come together for a common goal and everybody pitches in.

    Features backmatter with an author's note about the full history of redlining and ideas for further engagement with your community!
    Britt Hawthorne is an award-winning author and teacher. She grew up in Rockford, IL, where she gobbled up thin-crust pizza and Swedish pancakes. She now lives with her family in Houston, Texas, delighting in coffee, sweet treats, and naps. 
    Website: BrittHawthorne.com   Instagram: @BrittHawthorne

    Tiffany Jewell is a mama, educator, and bestselling author. She grew up in Syracuse, NY and currently lives in Western Massachusetts with her young storytellers, her partner, a little dog with a big bark, and a turtle she’s had since she was nine! Tiffany spends her days baking bread, searching for the most delicious chai lattes, and dreaming of a world that is truly fair and just.
    Website: TiffanymJewell.com    Instagram: @TiffanymJewell

    David Wilkerson is an American illustrator who was born in Denver, CO, and is currently based in Maryland. David developed a love for illustration during his time at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He believes that creation itself is what we live in, and he’s spent the last 20+ years creating the most authentic version of himself as possible.
    Website: theartofdlw.com    Instagram: @godleehaze
    Britt Hawthorne View titles by Britt Hawthorne
    Tiffany Jewell View titles by Tiffany Jewell
    Praise for Main Street: A Community Story About Redlining by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell; Illustrated by David Wilkerson:

    ★ “Hawthorne and Jewell make the complexity of redlining easy to understand in this warm, accessible picture book…this will be especially useful for those wanting to launch discussions about what it means to be in community.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

    “Accurate and valuable historical context … bighearted and tender.” —Kirkus Reviews

    “Hawthorne and Jewell introduce the concept of redlining in this digestible first-person story of community care.” — Publishers Weekly

    About

    A girl learns how the history of redlining has affected her neighborhood in this intergenerational audiobook about racism, community action, and resilience by two New York Times bestselling authors.

    Olivia can’t wait to invite her friends to the 62nd annual Main Street Block Party. But when she does, Alison says that Main Street isn’t safe. Olivia’s eyes fill with tears, and she begins to wish that she didn’t live on Main Street at all.

    Then, Olivia learns what happened when her neighbor Ms. Effie was about her age: Ms. Effie's family was also told that Main Street wasn’t good enough. The bank wouldn’t give them a loan to buy their house based on where it fell on a color-coded map: Mostly Black people lived near Main Street, so the neighborhood was colored red on the map. To fight back against this practice called redlining, Ms. Effie’s family became friends with their neighbors and got organized.

    With engaging text by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell, Main Street celebrates what might happen when neighbors come together for a common goal and everybody pitches in.

    Features backmatter with an author's note about the full history of redlining and ideas for further engagement with your community!

    Author

    Britt Hawthorne is an award-winning author and teacher. She grew up in Rockford, IL, where she gobbled up thin-crust pizza and Swedish pancakes. She now lives with her family in Houston, Texas, delighting in coffee, sweet treats, and naps. 
    Website: BrittHawthorne.com   Instagram: @BrittHawthorne

    Tiffany Jewell is a mama, educator, and bestselling author. She grew up in Syracuse, NY and currently lives in Western Massachusetts with her young storytellers, her partner, a little dog with a big bark, and a turtle she’s had since she was nine! Tiffany spends her days baking bread, searching for the most delicious chai lattes, and dreaming of a world that is truly fair and just.
    Website: TiffanymJewell.com    Instagram: @TiffanymJewell

    David Wilkerson is an American illustrator who was born in Denver, CO, and is currently based in Maryland. David developed a love for illustration during his time at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He believes that creation itself is what we live in, and he’s spent the last 20+ years creating the most authentic version of himself as possible.
    Website: theartofdlw.com    Instagram: @godleehaze
    Britt Hawthorne View titles by Britt Hawthorne
    Tiffany Jewell View titles by Tiffany Jewell

    Praise

    Praise for Main Street: A Community Story About Redlining by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell; Illustrated by David Wilkerson:

    ★ “Hawthorne and Jewell make the complexity of redlining easy to understand in this warm, accessible picture book…this will be especially useful for those wanting to launch discussions about what it means to be in community.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

    “Accurate and valuable historical context … bighearted and tender.” —Kirkus Reviews

    “Hawthorne and Jewell introduce the concept of redlining in this digestible first-person story of community care.” — Publishers Weekly

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