| Booktalk
#1
Ten-year-old Belle Teal eagerly
enters the fifth grade in the rural Southern community of Coker Creek because
she will have the beloved Miss Casey as a teacher. Her excitement
is overshadowed by the recent desegregation plan that brings three black
students and great turmoil to her school. Belle Teal befriends her
new black classmate, Darryl, but in doing so puts her friend Little Boss
in danger. As she struggles with the taunting of the new rich girl,
Vanessa, and with the prejudice views of many of the students and parents,
Belle Teal finds strength in her loving mother and grandmother. (New
Hampshire Great Stone Face Committee)
Booktalk #2
Here is a book that will ring
so true with your students they will feel like they have lived through
the integration of their school. They will feel the fear that Darryl experiences
and the anger Little Boss expresses. They will also see that having a loving
home, strong values and good friends can prepare you for some of the difficult
experiences of life and give you hope for a better tomorrow. In this book
Ann Martin really shows her ability to speak in a child’s voice and tell
a story that can touch everyone deeply. (Marcia Russo, South
Carolina Book Awards, 2006) |
