Zora and Me by Bond and Simon


Zora and Me by Victoria Bond  (Audio Book )
2010 Copyright  2018 Audiobook 


This story depicts a true friendship that is between Zora and her close friend Carrie. This novel is told through Carrie and shows the loyalty they had for each other. Zora is an inquisitive girl who shows her love for anthropology and didn’t mind making things up to sound like the truth. Through the story, Zora told stories of mystery that even herself was scared of sometimes. Zora and Carrie go on a little trip and find themselves in the middle of a death and a ghost. Eatonville their small town is known to be fairly safe. Zora and Carrie go throughout the novel to try and keep their little town safe through wonderful adults who help them like Joe Clarke, the owner of the town general store. It is only a matter of time that the girls found out of the death of a man by the ghost. The imagery and symbolism of the town and its racial issues are very well written in the words of this story. Mr. Hurston, one of the family friends has a meal at his house where Zora decides to ask about the murder and is quickly shut down in even discussing the mystery or reasoning behind the death. 
I would use this as a teaching moment about how racism played a role in all the world at this time in history. I would bring some historical elements in from non-fiction books and use them with this story. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Keeping Up with Roo by Sharlene Green

Image
Keeping up with Roo by Sharlene Green Disablities Award Winner Copyright date: March 30, 2004 This book is on the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award winner's list. It is a story about a girl named Gracie who has an aunt named Roo who has the mind of a small child. Gracie is very close to her Aunt Roo and have been very close for a long time. Even though Roo is mentally challenged, she gives the gift of being thankful for every moment she has and finds the light in everything she does. Gracie grows up and finds herself in the teacher role of everything she has learned in school to share with Roo. The novel displays several important things you can use as teachable moments with teens. You can point out how people are different and how you have to be accepting. It creates a chance for you as a teacher to show that we all can learn something from each other and that we all don't know everything.
Read more

A Book thief?

Image
The Book Thief by Mark Zusak Copyright Date: March 14, 2006 Historical Fiction  Wow! What a great story set back in the times of the Nazis, Hitler and the world in the way it was developing. This historical fiction novel is set in the year of 1939 with the story of a girl named Liesel who grew up in the times of World War II and death all around her. Death narrates this book in a tale of emerging in a deep and dark time of history.  Sitting by her brother’s graveside the story begins where Liesel finds a book hidden in the snow which intrigues her to grab and begin reading what was in the pages of this book. She learns to read through these books that she keeps on stealing. During these times that this book is set in, reading was not something that everyone was given the chance to learn. Liesel’s life after her brother’s death becomes hard as she is put into a foster home with the Hubberman’s family. Liesel becomes close with her foster father but does not mesh...
Read more

A book about struggles and finding yourself

Image
Sara Farizen If You Could Be Mine by Sarah Farizen  Copyright date: August 20, 2013   LGBTQ title  On Page three, this line stuck out throughout the book: " I want to stop loving Nasrin but how do you stop doing something you know you are suppose to be doing". Sahar and Nazrin have been best friends for a very long time. Their feelings change as they fall deeply in love with each other. The hard part is that their Iranian culture does not allow nor condones lesbian love. The story goes through the struggle to win their families and the struggle with their families and making sure no one finds out. Sahar struggles with making the decision of if she should change her body as a man to be able to love Nazrin. One problem is Nazrin is in an arranged marriage to a doctor who she does not love but has been obligated to do so. The struggle of being who you are vs. being who you need to be is written clearly in this story that everyone can relate to with whateve...
Read more