The Westing Game (1979)

This was a fun book.  Samuel Westing throws 16 people together who in some way have touched his life.  Many of them feel they have been wronged by him somehow, and he seems to want to put things right but without them knowing it directly.  They have to really work for it.

Mr. Westing "dies" and his will includes a series of clues for the "players" (heirs) to follow to try to find out who killed him.  The implication being that it was one of them.  He has them work in pairs and the way he puts the teams together really helps each individual to realize their strengths and develop their potential.  Even the grown-ups in the game find they have a lot to learn, maybe even more than the children.

The game is cleverly developed and the writing is good.  I don't want to give anything away, as it is a who-dun-it, but I would definitely recommend this book.

Raskin, Ellen.  The Westing Game.  E.P. Dutton, 1978.

Bridge to Terabithia (1978)

One of my favorites! I remember when I read this book as a kid.  I was about 11 years old and I was riding the bus home from school.  I cried so hard--right there on the bus.  My bus driver, Miss Nora, saw me and was so concerned, probably since it had not been that long since my parents had died.  The thing of it is, I think I cried just as hard reading it this time as I did then.  :)  I admit, I cry easily.  But really this is silly.  I'm crying now just thinking about writing this blog.  Maybe since the book deals with the loss of a loved one, I was at a time in my life that it powerfully hit me and I am reverting to that time in my life as I revisit this book. (Took a break and under control now.)

Jess Aarons lives in a small, rural town not too far from Washington, D.C. He loves to draw, but gets no encouragement to develop his talent.  His great desire is to win the race held every day at recess between the boys at school.  On the first day of fifth grade, he is ready! But much to his chagrin, he, and all of the boys, are beaten by the new girl, Leslie, who moved in near Jess.

Leslie is definitely different from anyone Jess has ever known.  They become friends and his understanding of how people can interact and love and build a relationship grows and changes.  Lelsie's parents have moved there to get away from the materialism of the big city. As Leslie puts it, "They decided they were too hooked on money and success, so they bought that old farm and they're going to farm it and think about what's important." (p. 47)  Leslie hates it until she and Jess become friends and she opens him up to a world of possibility.

They create a secret, imaginary kingdom of Terabithia, where Jess is king and Leslie is queen.  To get to Terabithia, they use a tree rope to swing over the creek.  Jess is fearful of doing this.  In his own words, "Lord, it would be better to be born without an arm than to go through life with no guts." (p. 140)

Spoiler Alert (This paragraph contains a spoiler)Disaster strikes on the perfect day.  It had been a week full of rain before Jess's music teacher invites him to Washington to see the art at the Smithsonian.  He is in love with Miss Edmunds, so wants to savor the time with her.  When he returns home, he is met with the news that Leslie died when the rope broke as she swung over the swollen creek.

He is devastated and in denial.  The outpouring of love from his family, especially his dad with whom he had a rocky relationship, and friends and teachers is very tender.

Excellent book that would be a good springboard to a discussion about dealing with death of a loved one.  I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the knowledge of resurrection and hope for a future together, but as mortals, we still have the feelings of grief and anger and loss to deal with before we can start healing when we lose someone we love. 

Some good quotes:

Leslie after attending church with Jess's family. "You have to believe it, but you hate it.  I don't have to believe it, and I think it's beautiful." (p. 127)

After Leslie's death.  "Now it occurred to him that perhaps Terabithia was like a castle where you came to be knighted.  After you stayed for a while and grew strong you had to move on. For hadn't Leslie, even in Terabithia, tried to push back the walls of his mind and make him see beyond to the shining world--huge and terrible and beautiful and very fragile?...It was up to him to pay back to the world in beauty and caring what Leslie had loaned him in vision and strength." (p. 188)

Paterson, Katherine.  Bridge to Terabithia. HarperCollins, 1977.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1977)

Wow! This is a powerful story of despair and hate, hope and resilience, of the desire for acceptance and equality and love and friendship.  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry takes place in 1933 Mississippi.  It is the story of the Logan family and their struggles against the hate and racism that pervaded the South at this time.  The Logans are the only black family who own land in their small town, more of a corner store than a town, and they are determined to keep the land despite the odds. 

The narrator, 9-year-old Cassie Logan, seems to see and hear everything and doesn't always understand what is happening.  She doesn't understand why the white children get to ride a bus while the black children have to walk to school.  Why the books they are given in school are only given to them when the white teachers think they are no longer fit for their students. Why she is forced off the sidewalk and into the road by a rude, uncouth, ignorant white girl and the girl's father.  The list goes on, but Cassie grows up fast in the year the book covers and begins to understand the hate and unfairness of life. 

Cassie also learns of hope and love as her family pulls together, along with other members of the black community, to pitch in to help each other and try to hold on to the tenuous existence that life in the deep South meant for people of color at that time.

Very well written. Very serious themes.  The "N-word" is used frequently, which fits with the setting of the book.

Some favorite quotes:
Mama comforting Cassie after the sidewalk incident.  "White people may demand our respect, but what we give them is not respect but fear...Baby, we have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor.  What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here. And I pray to God you'll make the best of yours." (p. 129)

Uncle Hammer (their father's brother) to Stacey (Cassie's older brother). "It's tough out there, boy, and as long as there are people, there's gonna be somebody trying to take what you got and trying to drag you down.  It's up to you whether you let them or not." (p. 143)

Cassie's father to her.  "There are things you can't back down on, things you gotta take a stand on.  But it's up to you to decide what them things are.  You have to demand respect in this world, ain't nobody just gonna hand it to you.  How you carry yourself, what you stand for--that's how you gain respect.  But, little, one, ain't nobody's respect worth more than your own." (p. 176)

Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Dial Books, 1976.