I had this book in my hand last week with the intent to take it home and read over spring break. A student commented that it looked like a "zombie" book. The characters in the cover of the book do look pretty tattered and Gothic. The story is also about a dark historical time period. The setting is Richmond, Virginia after the Civil War. Much of the city had been burned down and people are having difficulty finding jobs and getting back to normal. The Yankee soldiers were also still patrolling the town which added tension to the community.
The main character is a young preteen boy named Shadrach or Shad for short. Secretly, he wants to learn to read and because of his dyslexic reading condition has failed. He finds a secret black school where a young African American teenager is willing to teach him as she teaches her other students. In exchange he teaches the children how to sew which is what he knows from his grandfather's business as a tailor.
"The Brotherhood" is the Ku Klux Klan which was started to support the men after the war...like a fraternity. But the issues of time causes the Klan to become a organization which is a terrorist group going after anyone who they don't like. African Americans are a primary target. Shad unfortunately get recruited and loves the camaraderie but is uncomfortable with the acts of bullying.
This is a great historical fiction book about a time and place that I haven't really ever read in children's literature. It is has a middle school audience for grades 5 and up. It would make a great book club for Civil War studies. I rate it a 3.5 out of 4. There is some profanity and violence in the book.
This is Westrick's first novel and I was very impressed with her writing. I also am recommending it as a nominee for Maud Hart Lovelace Book awards. It will go on my short list.
- Age Range: 10 - 14 years
- Grade Level: 5 and up
- Lexile Measure: 720
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Puffin Books; Reprint edition (June 12, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0142422371
- ISBN-13: 978-0142422373
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