Shiloh

It's a classic tale of a boy and his dog. Who could resist rescuing that cute little beagle?

Maniac Magee

He's a kid on the run. This orphan-turned-miracle-worker leaves no life untouched, especially the racially divided community in small town America. I like the way Publishers Weekly reviewed it:

Publishers Weekly

In this modern-day tall tale, Spinelli ( Dump Days ; Jason and Marceline ) presents a humorous yet poignant look at the issue of race relations, a rare topic for a work aimed at middle readers. Orphaned as an infant, Jerry Magee is reared by his feuding aunt and uncle until he runs away at age eight. He finds his way to Two Mills, Pa., where the legend of ``Maniac'' Magee begins after he scores major upsets against Brian Denehy, the star high school football player, and Little League tough guy, John McNab. In racially divided Two Mills, the Beales, a black family, take Maniac in, but despite his local fame, community pressure forces him out and he returns to living at the zoo. Park groundskeeper Grayson next cares for the boy, but the old man dies and Maniac moves into the squalid home of the McNabs, who are convinced a race war is imminent. After a showdown with his nemesis, Mars Bar, Maniac bridges the gap between the two sides of town and finally finds a home. Full of snappy street-talk cadences, this off-the-wall yarn will give readers of all colors plenty of food for thought. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

Reading Level from Lexile: 0820L

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry is the Newbery Medal-winning first installment. Readers become acquainted with the main characters: protagonist Cassie, her three brothers and their mischievous friends, Mama – a school teacher, and Papa – an itenerant worker who is often away from home. Taylor paints a picture of segregation's inequalities from the first chapter. Readers feel the humiliation of the Logans as a bus full of white children splatters Cassie and siblings with mud the first day of school. The intensity of race relations culminates in a family friend – a Black youth's trial for murder of a white man.  

The Roll of Thunder Gift Set

My parents gave me the Mildred D. Taylor series gift set as birthday present. I must have been ten or eleven. The timing couldn't have been better. I sensed commonality with Taylor's life-like characters, immersing myself in the Depression era Deep South. The protagonist, Cassie Logan, is the daughter of Black land-owners who have over come generations of adversity and injustice. Their land-ownership sets them apart from the majority of their community who are share-croppers. This young girl is n o exception; Taylor follows Cassie as she experiences the cruelty and senselessness of prejudice first hand. The stomach churning accounts of hatred and lyrical prose will engage readers mind, body and soul.