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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Having been forced to move with her family to a new town and live under new identities, Evie Thomas no longer has her community, best friend, or grandmother around and finds her world an unbearably lonely and confusing place as even her own family changes before her eyes.
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Well-written, as usual, Jacqueline Woodson is one of the best writers around for YA/children’s books.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When the choices that we make change our lives. This beautiful look at a happy family whose life is changed forever when their father witnesses cops killing an innocent boy. Beautifully written, heartachingly real, and relevant to today's world.
Toswiah and her family are forced to abandon their identities and move after their father witnesses an innocent boy killed by two of his fellow policemen and testifies against them. Now named Evie, she is thrown into the difficulty of making all new friends while trying to cope with her beloved hometown and the separation of her best friend since birth and her grandmother. On top of this, her father becomes severally depressed, attempting suicide, and her mother becomes a devote Jehovah's Witness.
For the majority of the novel, Evie must lie to others that she had a past that never happened. She is stuck without solid ground to place her feet on and drifts without an identity. Her sister and herself keep thinking of the "far, far future" to get them through the uncertainty and alien life they now live. Eventually, Evie joins track and finally begins to connect with a new identity--her own identity--while never forgetting her past.
For the majority of the novel, Evie must lie to others that she had a past that never happened. She is stuck without solid ground to place her feet on and drifts without an identity. Her sister and herself keep thinking of the "far, far future" to get them through the uncertainty and alien life they now live. Eventually, Evie joins track and finally begins to connect with a new identity--her own identity--while never forgetting her past.
reflective
slow-paced
3.5 stars
As usual, Jacqueline Woodson writes elegantly and beautifully in a story tugs the reader along. Woodson again succeeds in developing three-dimensional characters that the reader becomes attached to, which amazes me since her prose always seems so sparse.
As usual, Jacqueline Woodson writes elegantly and beautifully in a story tugs the reader along. Woodson again succeeds in developing three-dimensional characters that the reader becomes attached to, which amazes me since her prose always seems so sparse.
I listened to this one and it certainly kept my attention. It's a quick read but emotionally powerful. Race, prejudice, justice and loyalty are at the core of the story. Recommended for ages 13 and older.
This book was a young adult realist novel about an African-American family who has to join the witness protection program after the main character's father, a cop, testifies in court against two white police officers, his friends, who shot and killed a black teenager for no real reason. The book is thus about Toswiah Green, the protagonist, dealing with leaving their perfect life in Denver, Colorado, having to change her name to Evie, and dealing with their new, less-than-idyllic life in a new city. I like the race issues that this text explored but I also liked that race wasn't the main point of this novel; instead, the text used race and Toswiah having to change her name to explore issues of identity during your teenage years. The Greens having to change their names and their whole lifestyle became a metaphor for the massive upheaval of self-identity that can occur during your teenage years. I thought the novel's conclusion was ultimately hopeful, stating that teens can go through major life changes and come out okay. I think the book's recommended audience was teens in general, though I might recommend it to a younger teen audience, since the main character was pretty young (13 or 14). Older teens would probably still identify with her, though, and could still learn from the challenges she faces and overcomes.