The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
Let me just start out by telling you that some literary critics believe that the book The Slave Dancer
Continue reading “Confronting the Horrors of Slavery: Slave Dancer”
Ink on His Fingers
Hans recalled with painful intensity his vow to make the man who had borrowed Father’s money return it all. Here it was – but now he did not want the money, and he knew Mother would not want it either. The printing of the Bible must come first.
When twelve-year-old Hans Dunne’s father dies suddenly, it looks like he will be forced to drop out of the monastery Latin school. As it turns out, his father was in debt, so now his mother cannot pay the tuition for school. Hans feels he should learn a trade in order to help his family. But his secret ambition is to one day make copies of the Bible, and if he doesn’t become a monk, how will he ever be able to achieve his goal? Continue reading “The Boy Who Wanted to Write the Bible: Ink on his Fingers”
Roll of thunder hear my cry
Over the water bye and bye
Ole man comin’ down the line
Whip in hand to beat me down
But I ain’t gonna let him
Turn me ’round.
In her Newbery Award acceptance speech, Taylor said that one of her goals as a writer was to “paint a truer picture of Black people. I wanted to show the endurance of the Black world, with strong fathers and concerned mothers; I wanted to show happy, loved children about whom other children, both black and white, could say, ‘Hey, I really like them! I feel what they feel.’ I wanted to show a Black family united in love and pride, of which the reader would like to be a part.” I think if you read Roll of Thunder, you will agree with me that Ms. Taylor achieved her goal. Continue reading “The Logans: Learning to Overcome Prejudice: Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry”
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Before I talk about the book, let me just clarify something. I know that Jesus was not actually born on December 25, and possibly not even in the month of December. However, the birth of Jesus Christ is not only an historical fact, but arguably the most important event to ever occur in history (besides His crucifixion and resurrection). If people consider the births of other men, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, worthy of recognition (not to mention our own individual birthdays), then it is reasonable to choose a date to commemorate the birth of Christ. And yes, I am also aware that some of the traditions associated with Christmas, like the Christmas tree, have their origins in pagan practices. I see nothing wrong with borrowing practices from other traditions and assigning new meaning to them. So when I refer to the Christmas story, as this book does, I am talking about the birth of Christ as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever 
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park“It’s not my fault you lost your son, not my fault I’m an orphan! Why must it be father to son? If the pot is made well, does it matter whose son made it?”
A Single Shard
I'm All Booked 