Linda Williams Jackson

To start with the cover, I like it a lot even though it gives me a modern vibe that doesn't fit the book. It appears contemporary, but the book's actually set in 1967 in rural Mississippi. In this case, I think a little bait-and-switch is fine. This is a very accessible and enjoyable story that kids shouldn't be scared away from with a traditional historical fiction cover.

11-year-old Ellis Earl lives with his mother, siblings, and cousins in a shack (no electricity, no running water, never enough food). Ellis Earl's teacher goes above and beyond to help his students by driving them to and from school, taking them to church, and giving them books. When Ellis Earl receives [b:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory|6310|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)|Roald Dahl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309211401l/6310._SY75_.jpg|2765786] he identifies strongly with Charlie Bucket. Despite his difficult circumstances, he's full of hope for the future.

This story provides a close-up look at poverty with a sympathetic and relatable hero in Ellis Earl. This kind of story would probably be super depressing if it were written for an adult audience, but we love children's books because they often have happy endings. Ellis Earl and his family are rescued by joining a generous AME church community.

Some dialogue is written in a dialect that may be challenging for some young readers to decode, but it serves to show differences in accents. Ellis Earl has a preoccupation with speaking "properly" and often corrects his siblings' grammar. On the flip side, one of his classmates is teased for speaking "properly" which makes her hesitant to share in class.

This reminded me of [b:Bud, Not Buddy|368468|Bud, Not Buddy|Christopher Paul Curtis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388377422l/368468._SY75_.jpg|358453] (both kids are always hungry and hopeful). But it is also like a version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with very different circumstances, i.e. the chocolate factory is a church and no one gets turned into a blueberry.… (more)

A powerful novel that put me in mind of a more sophisticated [b:Stella by Starlight|22546133|Stella by Starlight|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420938354s/22546133.jpg|42002485]. There are a lot of things to admire about this story: strong characters, vivid historical setting, and a moving premise. Rose faces a central question: Should I stay or should I go? Why stay in the Mississippi Delta when it's so dangerous for black people? Why stay and fight for your rights when you could get killed? How should she judge her relatives that have left Mississippi to go north? And how should she feel about those who seem to accept their lives as second-class citizens?

I would put this on par with [b:Night on Fire|25407290|Night on Fire|Ronald Kidd|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432759913s/25407290.jpg|45161761], which was also a great eye-opener on a subject about which much has already been written. This book is not cliche-ridden. It's not about a perfectly heroic kid overcoming inequality. It's a coming-of-age story about a realistically scared and unsure 13-year-old kid discovering how the world works and trying to decide her place in it.

This is a middle grade book for a relatively mature reader. Someone who can understand how colorism (the privileging of light skin over dark) lives alongside racism. Someone who can understand why the n-word is used both casually and dramatically throughout the book. Someone who can understand how different generations of African American families can feel so differently about white terrorism. It is challenging to read some of the dialect. It is challenging to keep some of the characters straight because they are referred to by different names. It would be helpful to go into this book knowing the story of Emmett Till (so they know it's not fictional). Obviously, there's a lot of violence - not just white terrorism but also domestic violence in Rose's family. It would be a great book club book because there is so much fodder for discussion and analysis.

I took a star off for a few clunky didactic parts that took me out of the story. For example, on page 260, Monty rattles off a pretty long quote from the Emmett Till trial. Later he rattles off the origins of the name Rosa. On page 272 Rose says Monty is a "walking, talking Encyclopedia Britannica." In other words, he's conveniently there to inform the reader. But this is a pretty minor quibble.

I will certainly pick up the sequel and I hope there are many great books to come from Linda Williams Jackson.… (more)