Advance copy ( )

Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin is a wonderful book about a fantastic girl. Belle stands up for what she believes in and tries to make the world a better place. It is a super book for people of all ages and I think kids in fourth through seventh grade will especially relate to Belle. The book touches on issues in history, social problems, and emotional problems. Watching the family struggle through the granmother's illness is hard and touching. I found myself totally engrossed in the lives of the people in the story. This is a book that is easy to relate to and the characters come alive. I really like Belle and think she has many qualities that make me want to be friends with her. Without a doubt, this is a story that made me want to make a difference in the world! If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. It just may remind you to be extra kind to those around you. ( )

Belle Teal is a poor 5th grade girl in a rural school at the dawn of integration. Three black students are starting at her school this year, and the community is in an uproar.
Belle doesn't understand the fuss, and what begins as sympathy for the terrified black boy in her class grows to a strong friendship between them, along with Belle's long time friend Clarice. But not everyone in the school is so welcoming. Little Boss, a boy who is abused by his single father, as well as a few other boys show their meanness, as does a new girl in class, who Belle frequently refers to as HRH (Her Royal Highness) because she is most uppity person Belle has ever encountered.
And along with these issues at school, Belle's mother is rarely home, working and going to school most of the time, and her grandmother is showing the first signs of senility.
Although the story meandered about through several more or less unrelated plot lines, it worked here, as it does in life, where we all have more than one thing on our plates at all times. ( )

This is another great book for our 7th grade Civil Rights unit. The setting is a little different from the others we have used ( The Lions of Little Rock , Warriors Don't Cry , The Help ...), in that it is set in the rural South instead of in a big city. The small town of Coker Creek, in an undetermined state in the South, is experiencing it's first year of integration in the elementary school. I really enjoyed this different look at that period of time. But this book is not just about integration, it is about family, friends, standing up for what you believe in, and taking care of those you love. When I first started reading the book, I was afraid that the mother in the story was going to be kind of a dead-beat, but I was wrong. She is hard-working, loving, supportive, and teaches her daughter important things. They are a strong family unit that takes care of each other. I really appreciated that. This was a good, uplifting book about a period of time when hate and anger were widespread, but there were good people who overcame those things and stayed true to themselves ( )

A really nice, moving story. I really enjoyed it. This is one I would want my daughter to read, definitely holding on to it. ( )