Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0545331807
Published January 1,2012
Hardcover, 208 pages
In the summer of 1964, when Glory (Gloriana) will turn twelve, things change. Her older sister, Jesslyn, who is fourteen, is too busy with her new boyfriend and no longer has time for Glory. Frankie, Glory's best friend, is suddenly not of the same opinion when the town starts to get riled up about whether to keep the segregated pool open. Frankie has to put up with a bigot older brother and father, and also deal with Glory's new friendship with Laura, a girl from the North, whose mother is a civil rights worker.
Lots going on in this debut book of a
story that revolves around racial issues, friendships, relationship
between siblings, and standing up for what is right. My daughter and
I really enjoyed reading this novel together because it opened up
many discussions about discrimination, whether racial, religious or
cultural. My daughter says she learned a lot about what it must have
been like when white people were prejudiced against blacks. I like
using books to expose her to history in a way that is enjoyable.
She also liked Glory's character
because she stood up for her friend Laura and also spoke up about how
she felt regarding the pool's closure. It's true that Glory is
opinionated and outspoken and this makes her admirable, but I did
raise my eyebrows when she wrote a letter to the editor of the local
newspaper using disrespectful words, such as stupid, dumb, backward and ignorant, to describe the townspeople . The letter was never
published but it was finally read to her father, who is a preacher,
and he praised Glory. I can certainly understand his pride in her
standing up for what she believes, but as a parent I don't want to convey the message that
it's okay to call people names because they have a wrong viewpoint.
The setting of Mississippi in the
summer of 1964 is rich and the author managed to convey it well with
language and real-life events she experienced growing up in the
South. Expressions such as, “It's so hot I can hardly spit.”
(p.2) or “Last one in's a monkey's uncle.” (p.6) and “Who's
coming to this shindig?” (p.185), had me and my daughter smiling.
My kids love our Community pool and we could therefore relate to the
way Glory was feeling.
This book would make a good choice for a
mother/daughter book club because of all the issues it raises.
Glory is a motherless girl being raised by her father and her
black housekeeper who she loves, and who slowly helps her understand the
changes happening in their small town. It was an insightful book for
my daughter and a good springboard to some deep discussions about
what it means to respect another person: black, white, ignorant or
educated.
Note: This book is rated C = clean read.
Reviewed by Laura
Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole Kritikos from Scholastic for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.
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