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CITY OF GRIT AND GOLD

Name: CITY OF GRIT AND GOLD
Author: Maud Macrory Powell
ISBN: 978-0-9967558-5-6

by Maud Macrory Powell ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2017

Despite its flaws, a worthy introduction to an important piece of history.

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Twelve-year-old Addie witnesses the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago.

The labor protests that led to the conflict between workers and police form the backdrop for this story of an immigrant Jewish family. Politics are unavoidable in Addie’s home. Her uncle Chaim supports workers’ right to strike for an eight-hour day, and her father, owner of a hat shop, opposes unions and fears the anarchy that’s likely to disrupt their peaceful life. When Addie’s little cousin becomes gravely ill, she’s sent for the doctor. Out on the streets of Chicago at night for the first time, she sees the marching laborers, including her uncle. Addie’s limited first-person voice fits her growing awareness of the parallels between the life they left behind in Germany and the social strife in America. The past-tense narrative is sprinkled with her inner thoughts: “Where do I fit into this great city of grit and gold, illness and adventure?” Unfortunately, Addie comes across as more of a vehicle for the historical events than a fully fleshed-out character. The rather dry story is sometimes choppy, and Powell’s unsubtle, repeated use of metaphor—quilts, threads, and even an imagined “bright red line marking the path for her to take”—to capture Addie’s efforts to make sense of events feels stilted.

Despite its flaws, a worthy introduction to an important piece of history. (Historical fiction. 9-13)

Pub Date: May 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-9967558-5-6

Page Count: 164

Publisher: Allium Press

Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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GLORY BE

by Augusta Scattergood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2012

Though occasionally heavy-handed, this debut offers a vivid glimpse of the 1960s South through the eyes of a spirited girl...

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The closing of her favorite swimming pool opens 11-year-old Gloriana Hemphill’s eyes to the ugliness of racism in a small Mississippi town in 1964.

Glory can’t believe it… the Hanging Moss Community Pool is closing right before her July Fourth birthday. Not only that, she finds out the closure’s not for the claimed repairs needed, but so Negroes can’t swim there. Tensions have been building since “Freedom Workers” from the North started shaking up status quo, and Glory finds herself embroiled in it when her new, white friend from Ohio boldly drinks from the “Colored Only” fountain. The Hemphills’ African-American maid, Emma, a mother figure to Glory and her sister Jesslyn, tells her, “Don’t be worrying about what you can’t fix, Glory honey.” But Glory does, becoming an activist herself when she writes an indignant letter to the newspaper likening “hateful prejudice” to “dog doo” that makes her preacher papa proud. When she’s not saving the world, reading Nancy Drew or eating Dreamsicles, Glory shares the heartache of being the kid sister of a preoccupied teenager, friendship gone awry and the terrible cost of blabbing people’s secrets… mostly in a humorously sassy first-person voice.

Though occasionally heavy-handed, this debut offers a vivid glimpse of the 1960s South through the eyes of a spirited girl who takes a stand. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-545-33180-7

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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TROUBLEMAKER

by John Cho with Sarah Suk ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2022

Equal parts suspenseful and emotionally insightful.

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Noted actor Cho and co-author Suk share the journey of a Korean American sixth grader struggling with feeling inadequate.

It’s 1992 in Glendale, California, and Jordan’s life is coming apart: He’s been suspended from school for cheating. He’s banned from seeing Mike, his impulsive church friend. Sarah, his adored older sister, is always busy—and so perfect that he looks even more disappointing by comparison. Appa and Umma, burdened with financial worries, are constantly working at their liquor store. Jordan’s family immigrated 9 years earlier, but the bright American future they sacrificed so much for seems questionable. Now people are erupting in protest over the unjust Rodney King verdict and tragic killing of Latasha Harlins by a Korean shop owner. Driven by deep emotional pain and a desire to prove himself to Appa, Jordan sneaks out with Mike—and the gun his father’s forbidden him to touch. As violence spreads toward Koreatown, he tries to deliver it as protection for Appa, who’s boarding up the store. This ill-conceived plan goes awry, and during the fraught evening the boys learn about integrity, bias, and more. The realistically middle-grade voice, strong characterization, and well-paced storyline show the growth of a boy who is moving from limited awareness to a mature perspective on his place in his family and broader community. The novel weaves together large-scale issues of social injustice and interracial barriers with the intimate pain—and joy—of personal relationships.

Equal parts suspenseful and emotionally insightful. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-13)