Reading on your own This is the story of a skinny little boy with a funny name and how he became part of America’s history. In very clear and accessible language, newly independent readers can learn how the lessons and love of Obama’s mother and grandparents shaped him; how the places he lived influenced him; and how he turned his sadness from his childhood—the feeling he didn’t fit in anywhere—into a positive, driving force of finding a place in the world and in the history books. “History and biography are also successful topics for level-three readers. (Random House’s) Step into Reading has the best offerings for the reading level . . . they are high in kid appeal.”— Booklist