Young Mason Steele takes pride in turning his father's excited ramblings about the latest civil rights incidents into handwritten business letters. One day Pa comes home with a gift from his civil rights group: a typewriter. Thrilled with the present, Mason spends all his spare time teaching himself to type. Soon he knows where every letter on the keyboard is located. When the civil rights group wins a school desegregation case, Mason learns that now he will be attending a formerly all-white high school. Despite his fears and injustice from the students and faculty, Mason perseveres. He does well in school—especially in his typing class. And when he competes in the county typing tournament, Mason decides to take a stand, using his skills to triumph over prejudice and break racial barriers.
My Review:
This book is so well done that I am not sure where to begin. This is all about being brave, standing up for what is right, and being yourself!
At first I found it fascinating that the main character believed in his father and the action he was taking with civil rights, that he hand wrote newspapers for the cause. Then he got a typewriter...something so unheard of today, but this helped to further his cause.
What was even better was the fact he used his self-made talents for greater good. I of course cannot tell the reason because that would be a spoiler. The truth is he overcame and I felt myself clapping for him and yet, disgusted at such a horrible time in our history.
The illustrations were done beautifully in mostly darker colors. This book is not meant as a picture book but the illustrations are so excellent that they only added to the book to make it something special.
This book is targeted for 7-12 year old's and I think it should be in every homeschool and classroom study. It touches on the things of civil rights and the message is loud and clear.
This book is a multi-winner of several awards and well deserved. I can give nothing but a 5 star to this one. Go get you a copy now!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for my open and honest review. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
Where to find the author:
Amazon
Goodreads
7 comments:
Nice....... sounds like an interesting book. Personally I'm not into this type of book at all, but I know a few people who are. I'll have to pass the word for you. Great job though!
Great find! This would be great to read this at school.. and yes reading about a typewriter would be especially special!
Thanks for joining us on KidLitBlogHop today!
Just got this one from the library this weekend - really loved it too! Especially liked the message of strength and knowing what you can do. Thanks for sharing!
Boy, a fascinating topic that young readers would like especially when they get to the Typewriter! A good find. Thanks for sharing on the Kid Lit Blog Hop.
Great, great recommendation Naila! This is a real gem! Thanks for sharing it in the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
You have me hooked. I want to read it! Thanks for sharing in the MCCBD linky event!
Thanks for a wonderful review and recommendation, And for celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day with us.
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