Clements, Andrew.
THE JACKET
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Raders, 2002
IL 3-6, RL 5.9
ISBN 0689825951 

(2 booktalks)

Racism doesn't come with an age limit in this book.  You can find act’s of prejudice anywhere that diversity is present.  When a young white boy, Phil is walking through the halls of school looking for his brother to give him his lunch money, he mistakes another young boy for his brother because he is wearing the same coat.  When he realizes it's not his brother and it is Daniel an African American student he accuses him of stealing the coat. After starting a fight and getting sent to the principal’s office they figured out that the coat was given to Daniels mother for him. Phil starts to feel a sense of guilt and begins to question many beliefs of his own, and his families. Will Phil realize that he accused him because he is black and apologize, or will he think it is okay because of his father beliefs? In this realistic fiction book “The Jacket” Andrew Clements, provides us with an example of prejudice that can happen in any school. Readers will be able to enjoy this book and relate to it because the present world we live in.
(Jenna Clancy, jl-clancy@wiu.edu, college student)

Booktalk #2

As I was walking down my 4th grade hallway, minding my own business, I all of a sudden feel someone yanking my jacket off of me while I came crashing to the ground.  I had no idea what was going on.  Was it because I was black?
As this 6th grader named Phil, who I had never seen before, was sitting next to me in the principal’s office arguing with me, it finally occurs to him who I am and why I had his brother’s jacket on.  While Phil feels horrible for what he did he is trying to escape the thought that he might be racist.  Phil thinks long and hard about what he did and how he can make it up to Daniel.
If you want to find out about the crazy adventure Phil goes on in order to make it up to Daniel, you should read this Realistic Fiction book called “The Jacket” by Andrew Clements.
(Renee Childers, ra-childers@wiu.edu, college student)