New Teachers this Book is Timeless!

I took a Children's Literature class at the University of Central Florida, and Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry was one of the books I studied in class. This book is considered to be a timeless classic that teachers would do well to use in the classroom. The book is considered to be a historical fiction chapter book. When I read it, I was transported back to a time full of fear and prejudice. The book starts out slowly, but in time you won't be able to put it down. You can read this book out loud to students and have discussion as you read the book. Children will have many questions about the content, and you as a teacher will be able to explore many touchy subjects that students still must deal with today. As a future teacher I want to find books that will help me discuss issues that get swept under the carpet and ignored. This book highlights the effects of hatred, prejudice, dishonesty, cowardice, disloyalty, and apathy. The opposites of those negative characteristics are also found in this book. All of those topics would be hard to discuss without some sort of vehicle that students could project themselves on to. The students will be immersed in the story, and they will be able to discuss the issues. This book is good for that reason alone. On top of being a good book that will stimulate discussion from your students, it is a well written masterpiece. You can't really go wrong with using this book in your classroom.

The book centers around the experiences of a black family living in the old south where black and white did not mix. Cassie is the main character, and she is a character full of innocence, strength, and dynamic growth. The whole book is written through her eyes in a first person view. By the second chapter you feel as if you are Cassie, experiencing her life. She is part of a close knit family, and she looks prejudice in the eye along with her family. The book realistically depicts what it was like to grow up black in a white dominated society. There are many important themes that teachers can use to teach about life during the time when blacks were oppressed and violently treated.
Taylor is a master of dialogue. She uses it like no other author. With her dialogue, she pulls her readers into the past. I felt close to Cassie and her family. The story was extremely well written and easy to read. I became emotionally attached to Cassie and her family, just as my classmates did. We discovered themes about family love, racism, perseverance, love, and hate just to name a few. The book would be a good one to read out loud to students in class, because it will spark discussion about history. This book one a Newberry award for being an outstanding work of literature. It is high quality and definately worth looking at. It is considered to be children's book, but adults would enjoy this book also. I recommend it for all ages because the lessons it teaches are valuable to every age group. I am sure every age group would find different things to be important. This book has a wide appeal, so don't pass it up. You can buy it on www.half.com for a cheap price. You can even try finding it on Ebay. I found a set of the books on ebay that sold for $5.00. A retired teacher sold them. So look for a good deal, but no matter what read the book.