Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
2011 Coretta Scott King Author Award
2010 National Book Award Finalist
Exceptionally great book in my opinion. This is a great literal example of the saying "don't judge a book by it's cover"; I never would have picked this up off the library shelf if I wasn't on this mission to read all the Coretta Scott King award books. It's called Lockdown. It has a photo of handcuffs on the cover. It just didn't look like my kind of book. I loved it.
Walter Dean Myers knows what he is doing. He has won Coretta Scott King awards or honors 9 times, the Newbery honors twice and the Caldecott honors once, The Jane Adams Award twice, and the Christopher award once. Walter Dean Myers knows what he is talking about: he grew up in Harlem, dropped out of school, and started writing seriously at night after working all day as a construction worker. He tends to write about African American teenagers dealing with inner city issues, and this book is no exception.
The story is told in the voice of a fourteen year old boy named Reese who is in a juvenile detention facility. You meet the other kids serving their time at "Progress Center" and a few of the staff as well. The story is gritty and I would recommend it for teens and not for younger children. The author does a stunning job of showing Resses' perspective on all that happens. You actually understand why he repeatedly gets in fights, you experience the view from the detention cell, you feel a little relieved when the facility goes on "lockdown" because as Reese points out, "When I first got to Progress, it freaked me out to be locked in a room and unable to get out. But after a while, when you got to thinking about it, you knew nobody could get in, either."
One of the threads that I found most compelling was Reese's agony over whether or not to plead guilty for something he never did because the detectives presented it as an "opportunity" to get less time, and he wasn't confident that he'd get a fair trial.
Reese gets selected to participate in a trial work release program where he is taken three times a week to a senior care facility and helps out. He spends time caring for an elderly white man who is pretty prickly and gruff, but Reese listens to his stories, put's up with the old man calling him a criminal, and over time they build a friendship.
The story follows Reese to a year after his release. Never downplaying the precariousness of his situation even with all he's learned and been through, but definitely ending on a hopeful note.
I've now read all the 2011 Coretta Scott King books, and it's an impressive batch of books over all.
One Crazy Summer, Dave the Potter: Artis, Poet, Slave, Zora and Me, Lockdown, Ninth Ward, Yummy: The Last Days of a South Side Shorty, Jimi Sounds Like Rainbow: A Story of Young Jimi Hendrix. Go read them!
You'll enjoy a visit to Walter Dean Myer's website:
Walter Dean Myers Biography
And to this site Walter Dean Myers' Second Chance Initiative | Resources for Parents and Educators of Kids in Grades 4 - 12 | All About Adolescent Literacy | AdLit.org where you can learn more about his books and more about The Second Chance Initiative, a project the author started to reach out to teens and help them make better decisions. I love any successful person who then works to extend their success to others.
Here is also an interview with the author from the National Book Award site: Walter Dean Myers, Lockdown - 2010 National Book Award YPL Finalist, The National Book Foundation
I'm looking forward to reading more of his books!
Showing posts with label Coretta Scott King Honor book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coretta Scott King Honor book. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Ninth Ward
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
2011 Corretta Scott King Honor
Lenesha is 12 and lives in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and this is her story. And the story of the 9 days stretching from the Sunday before Hurricane Katrina to the Tuesday after the storm hit. It's also the story of Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife, seer, and healer that has raised Lanesha since birth; a boy named TaShon and his dog Spot. Lanesha shares the gift of sight with her Mama Ya-Ya, so the story includes the ghosts that visit her.
This story is beautifully written and conceived. The author says in her acknowledgements "Books were my lifeline during a difficult childhood. For my entire writing life, I've been waiting to grow up enough to write what I hoped would be a good book for young audiences." I think she's achieved that.
First of all, you will love Mama Ya-Ya and Lanesha. They are both fascinating and likable people. Mama Ya-Ya is wise and loving. Lanesha is smart and sweet and determined. They are complex characters with their share of hard times, but the love between them is sure and strong.
What I admire most about this book is the balance between the devastation, terror, and drama of the hurricane and the levees breaking---- and the love between the characters (both living and dead), the will to survive and the coming of age that comes of that effort, and the hope remaining intact in the midst of all the destruction and chaos.
It describes the intensity of the storm from the mayor announcing the mandatory evacuation. . . "Mama Ya-Ya bites her lip, shakes her head muttering, 'How can it be mandatory if I don't have a way to go?'"
To the earth shaking force of the hurricane passing over. . . "The house shakes, teetering, in the wind and rain's violent game. Dodgeball. Tug-of-war. Shakes Sways and I swear, it's going to fall. . . fall. . . fall over. Down. The bed is rattling, creeping across the floor like it grew feet."
To the water rising . . . " I sit and count, 'One, one thousand, two, one thousand, three, one thousand. . .' I count until my mouth cracks dry. I watch the black liquid crawling up the steps. Sixty-one one thousands equals a minute. I count six hundred minutes. That's ten minute for the water to rise halfway up a step. Another ten to cover a new step. Twenty minutes for each whole step. There are twelve steps to the attic floor.
Twenty minutes times twelve. We've got two hours left.
Survive."
But through out all that intensity is a cord of loving wisdom and fortitude that is like a torch passed from Mama Ya-Ya to Lanesha. "As time slips by, as the water rises, I try to think about what's next, about what Mama Ya-Ya would want me to do.
8 + 4 = 12. Spiritual strength. Real strength, Lanesha. Like butterflies."
I very much enjoyed this book and can recommend it!
2011 Corretta Scott King Honor
Lenesha is 12 and lives in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and this is her story. And the story of the 9 days stretching from the Sunday before Hurricane Katrina to the Tuesday after the storm hit. It's also the story of Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife, seer, and healer that has raised Lanesha since birth; a boy named TaShon and his dog Spot. Lanesha shares the gift of sight with her Mama Ya-Ya, so the story includes the ghosts that visit her.
This story is beautifully written and conceived. The author says in her acknowledgements "Books were my lifeline during a difficult childhood. For my entire writing life, I've been waiting to grow up enough to write what I hoped would be a good book for young audiences." I think she's achieved that.
First of all, you will love Mama Ya-Ya and Lanesha. They are both fascinating and likable people. Mama Ya-Ya is wise and loving. Lanesha is smart and sweet and determined. They are complex characters with their share of hard times, but the love between them is sure and strong.
What I admire most about this book is the balance between the devastation, terror, and drama of the hurricane and the levees breaking---- and the love between the characters (both living and dead), the will to survive and the coming of age that comes of that effort, and the hope remaining intact in the midst of all the destruction and chaos.
It describes the intensity of the storm from the mayor announcing the mandatory evacuation. . . "Mama Ya-Ya bites her lip, shakes her head muttering, 'How can it be mandatory if I don't have a way to go?'"
To the earth shaking force of the hurricane passing over. . . "The house shakes, teetering, in the wind and rain's violent game. Dodgeball. Tug-of-war. Shakes Sways and I swear, it's going to fall. . . fall. . . fall over. Down. The bed is rattling, creeping across the floor like it grew feet."
To the water rising . . . " I sit and count, 'One, one thousand, two, one thousand, three, one thousand. . .' I count until my mouth cracks dry. I watch the black liquid crawling up the steps. Sixty-one one thousands equals a minute. I count six hundred minutes. That's ten minute for the water to rise halfway up a step. Another ten to cover a new step. Twenty minutes for each whole step. There are twelve steps to the attic floor.
Twenty minutes times twelve. We've got two hours left.
Survive."
But through out all that intensity is a cord of loving wisdom and fortitude that is like a torch passed from Mama Ya-Ya to Lanesha. "As time slips by, as the water rises, I try to think about what's next, about what Mama Ya-Ya would want me to do.
8 + 4 = 12. Spiritual strength. Real strength, Lanesha. Like butterflies."
I very much enjoyed this book and can recommend it!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Yummy the Last Days of a Southside Shorty
Yummy the Last Days of a Southside Shorty
by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke
Coretta Scott King 2011 Honor book
This is a comic book style telling of a true story of a 1994 gang violence incident in Chicago's Southside. I was not aware of the news story when it happened. It is a tragic story of a young kids involvement in gangs and a particular boy nick named Yummy, a member of the Black Disciples gang, who murdered a girl when he was 11 years old. He was on the run for some days after that. Then he called home and was considering turning himself in, when he was was picked up by some Black Disciples and murdered by his own gang members. Very scary and sad to know about. Very important message to circulate.
I'd recommend the book. Obviously not for young kids. But I would share it with Jabu age 10, with plenty of parent-kid discussion to go along.
Love, Louise
PS--- I found I couldn't stop thinking about this story as I went about my day yesterday. And not just because it was disturbing. It's a powerful important story, well told. I'm glad this book exists and I hope a lot of young people read it and take the lessons to heart.
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