Discussions

Here is the group of pages for ONLINE book discussion where you can post pictures, stories about the stories and answer book discussion questions about different topics. Feel free to browse around and add insights into these NEW titles. = Chris Crowe- = // Mississippi Trial, 1955 // This historical novel is set around the murder of Emmett Till, a crime which prompted a national outcry in 1955 and served as one of the triggers for the Civil Rights Movement. Told through the eyes of a white teenage boy, this book describes the boy's series of revelations about his family and other people of the town, and he forms a clearer view of the evils of racism, and the values he hopes to live up to. Winner of the 2003 International Reading Association Award for Young Adult Novel. // Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case // Using historical photographs, first-person accounts, and other researched material, this nonfiction tells the story of the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till and of the trial of his killers. It places the event in its proper historical context. Named one of the top 100 books of the decade by the American Library Association.

= Nikki Grimes- = // Bronx Masquerade // Using the structure of a poetry slam, Nikki Grimes' award-winning novel is a powerful exploration of self, an homage to spoken-word poetry, and an intriguing look into the life of eighteen urban teens. This anniversary edition--celebrating ten years of this wonderfully evocative work--will feature discussion questions, testimonials from teachers, and an all new introduction from the author.

// Dark Sons // Alternating between biblical times and contemporary Brooklyn, Grimes masterfully tells the stories of two boys separated by time, geography, and culture in this novel about love and forgiveness, and the comfort brought by faith during difficult times. // Jazmin's Notebook // Jazmin Shelby was "born with clenched fists"-which is okay, since she's got a lot of fighting ahead of her. Her dad died a couple of years back, and now that her mom's in the hospital, it's just her and her big sister, CeCe. But that's fine by Jazmin. She's got her friends, her school, lots of big plans for the future-and a zest for life and laughter that's impossible to resist. = Chris Crutcher- = // King of the Mild Frontier // Whether trying to impress members of the girls' softball team--with disastrous dental results--or enduring the humiliation of his high school athletic club initiation, Crutcher's recollections of the tricky road to adulthood is peppered with hilarious, heartbreaking, and unforgettable events. // Athletic Shorts // These six stories from acclaimed author Chris Crutcher are about athletes, but are not simply sports stories. Here he presents characters from some of his best–loved novels, as well as creating some unforgettable new personalities, in tales of love, death, bigotry, heroism, and coming of age.

// Deadline // At the beginning of his senior year, Ben Wolf discovers he has an aggressive form of leukemia. Ben decides to tell no one; he wants his last year of school to be normal. Only, not telling the truth is the same as lying, and it takes Ben almost a year to figure that out. And what a year it is.

// Angry Management // Welcome to Angry Management. It’s a place for misfits. For stories that will rip out your heart and give you back one better than what you started with. Stories about prejudice, rage, and hope. About surviving it all and showing the world that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. In three novellas, Chris Crutcher brings together some of his most unforgettable characters—among them Sarah Byrnes, Angus Bethune, and Montana West—to bare their souls. No sugarcoating here. Just the truth.

= Sharon Draper- = // Copper Sun // When slave traders invade Amari's village, she is dragged to a slave ship bound for the Carolinas. Bought by a plantation owner, Amari befriends a white indentured servant named Polly and struggles to hold on to her memories in the face of hopelessness and despair. // The Battle of Jericho // The Battle of Jericho is about the power of peer pressure, and making decisions which might affect the rest of one's life. Should Jericho go to the pledge night activities, or go to the tryouts for college? Should he humiliate a friend in a wheelchair or obey the pledge captains? Should he leave the club and lose his girlfriend? Go to its discussion page HERE. // Romiette & Julio // When Romiette Cappelle meets Julio Montague, she feels as though she has met the soul mate who can rescue her from her recurring nightmare about fire and water. But like the Shakespearean characters whose names echo theirs, Romiette and Julio discover that not everyone approves of their budding romance. In their case, it is because Romiette is African-American and Julio is Hispanic, and the Devildogs, a dangerous local gang, violently oppose their interracial relationship.

// Fire from the Rock // Sylvia Patterson is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in September 1957, whether the citizens or governor of Arkansas like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different ways as there are colors in the world. // We Beat the Street // Growing up on the rough streets of Newark, New Jersey, Rameck, George,and Sampson could easily have followed their childhood friends into drug dealing, gangs, and prison. But when a presentation at their school made the three boys aware of the opportunities available to them in the medical and dental professions, they made a pact among themselves that they would become doctors. It took a lot of determination—and a lot of support from one another—but despite all the hardships along the way, the three succeeded. Retold with the help of an award-winning author, this younger adaptation of the adult hit novel //The Pact// is a hard-hitting, powerful, and inspirational book that will speak to young readers everywhere.

Click here for The Unnameables discussion page Click here for the Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie discussion page Click here for The Coming of the Dragon discussion page Click here for The Frog Scientist discussion page Click here for the Soldier's Heart discussion page Click here for the Speak discussion page Click here for the Fever 1793 discussion page
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