Borders Books & Music in Towson debuts a book club for boys 9 to 12 tomorrow featuring works from the "My Name Is America" series. The books tell the stories of boys 12 to 16 throughout history. For the inaugural club meeting, members will discuss "The Journal of Joshua Loper: A Black Cowboy," by Walter Dean Myers, a five-time Coretta Scott King Author Award winner and two-time Newbery Honor winner).
The year is 1871, and Joshua Loper, the 16-year-old son of a former slave, is on his own and on the range in his first cattle drive, which takes him from Texas to Kansas. He chronicles his experiences in journal form, which puts the reader into Joshua's shoes, era and mind-set. He shares details of the trail boss' bigotry, encounters with rustlers and crew frictions. His stories reveal the difficulty he has in keeping head and heart in the right place through the hardships of the rides.
The book also includes a section of maps, period photos and historical notes.
Borders invites those who've read the book to come and share their thoughts and those who haven't to come and get acquainted with the club. Registration required. 10 a.m., 415 York Road, 410-823-4454.