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| Roll of Thunder,Hear My Cry | Seedfolks | Suggested Reading |
One of the books we will read this year is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry , by Mildred D. Taylor. Look below for a review by a student of this wonderful novel.
When I started reading Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, I thought, "Oh great! Another boring book." After a while my interest was aroused and I wanted to finish the book to see what happened. Compared to other books I have read for school, this book is one of my favorites and one that I enjoyed reading. It usual takes me one to two weeks to read a book, but I read Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry in only four days.
The characters were very interesting, especially T.J., a troublesome young boy whom I found myself laughing at from time to time. The setting also helped the story seem real. In the early 1930's, the time the book's story took place, there was a lot of racial tension and this book depicts how such feeling can hurt someone and how awful it was for people to be treated so badly. The theme hits some people like a slap in the face, and, for others, it brings back childhood memories both good and bad.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is so well written that it is hard for many people to find things that they do not like about the book. I, incidentally, am one of those people, yet it makes me mad and sad, at the same time, to see that people were racists and treated others so badly.
I would recommend this book to any one, especially those needing an acceptable book for a book report or other school purposes. This book is a must read for those who like to read about history and those who like to read about how black people were forced to live in the early 1930's. I do not believe I would read this book a third time but possibly a second time. This would be the perfect movie for educational reasons and, just for watching.
Anyone who reads this book acquires a new "appreciation" for the black people's heritage and also feels shame for how people used to think. Also the reader can see how much people have changed by accepting people no matter race, religion, sex, or culture. Anyone who is racist learns, from reading this book, just how much they can hurt someone and why they should not shun anyone because of skin color because deep down everyone is the same.
Review By: Misty Pitts (4-96)
Another book that we will read this year is Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman. Included here is a review from Amazon.com.
Sometimes, even in the middle of ugliness and neglect, a little bit of beauty will bloom. Award-winning writer Paul Fleischman dazzles us with this truth in Seedfolks--a slim novel that bursts with hope. Wasting not a single word, Fleischman unfolds a story of a blighted neighborhood transformed when a young girl plants a few lima beans in an abandoned lot. Slowly, one by one, neighbors are touched and stirred to action as they see tendrils poke through the dirt. Hispanics, Haitians, Koreans, young, and old begin to turn the littered lot into a garden for the whole community. A gift for hearts of all ages, this gentle, timeless story will delight anyone in need of a sprig of inspiration.
In addition to the novels that we will be reading in English class, you will be asked to do outside reading for Reading class with Mrs. Wheeler. You are allowed to choose the books that you want to read for Mrs. Wheeler. Click below for suggestions of wonderful award winning books that you would enjoy.
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