A Guy, a Girl, and a Teen Book Blog

A Guy, a Girl, and a Teen Book Blog

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Revolution by Deborah Wiles

Title: Revolution
Author: Deborah Wiles
Pages: 544
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545106078
Publication Date: May 27, 2014 (I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.)
AR Levels: TBD
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18527498-revolution

In a nutshell: It gets quite steamy in Greenwood, Mississippi in the summertime, and in the summer of 1964, three children break into the city pool for a midnight dip, and they have no idea how that one act will end up entwining their lives for the rest of the summer. Told through the eyes of a white girl and an African-American boy, Revolution is a tale of standing up for what's right, realizing that family and friendship come in many forms, and learning to rise above pain and embrace love.

I'd recommend it to grades: 5 and up (for intense racial situations, violence, and use of the "n" word in context)

I'd recommend it to: American history teachers, historical fiction lovers, and Scout Finch fans ;)

What I liked most about this book: I adored Countdown, so I had very high expectations for this one (especially since we had to wait 4 years for it!), and it still managed to exceed them. The dual narration of Sunny and Raymond is genius (as is the book design - Her pages are white and his are darker.), and it truly helps you see what life is like from the perspective of both races. Just as in Countdown, the author mixes in actual photographs and speeches from 1964 and Freedom Summer, which adds a richness to the story. 

As a Mississippi girl, it's painful for me to read books like this sometimes, but it also makes me glad to see how far we've come. It amazes me that all this takes place a mere 20 years before I was born, and it makes me wonder what I would have done if I'd been alive in those dark days. This is turning out to be one fantastic trilogy and maybe even some of the best historical fiction books for kids I've ever read, and I cannot wait for book three. I predict it'll be about Vietnam.

The biggest compliment I can give this book is that it's like To Kill a Mockingbird for kids.
 


Single favorite moment (without getting spoiler-y): This gem from Sunny's stepmother Annabelle: "I think love is a mystery," says Annabelle. "We never know where it may come from or how it may surprise us or when it may ask us to do the impossible. But we know one thing about love. It is steady. It is brave."

Star rating (where 5 stars is awesome and 0 stars is atrocious): 5 stars

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