Mildred Taylor Books

Teaching the Selected Works of Mildred D. Taylor (Young Adult Novels in the Classroom) is an excellent tool for using Mildred Taylor books in your classroom. I used 5 different books to do literature circles in my social studies class and this book helped tremendously in preparing questions and activities. Mildred Taylor books are an excellent way to teach about racial injustice, and using Teaching the Selected Works of Mildred D. Taylor (Young Adult Novels in the Classroom) made the unit even more of a success. Excellent, ready to use, teacher friendly resource!

Taylor has been a leading writer of young adult literature and the appearance of a literary and biographical sketch of the author provides an important critical analysis of her works, especially suitable for young adults providing reviews of author contributions. Presenting Mildred D. Taylor surveys the themes, history and background of all her novels and provides important insights.

This book was great. I read it for my class assignment . It is realistic because everyone knows how Blacks were tortured, and mistreated in those days. I admire the ways the characters use their brains to solve their problems and go on with their lives. Some kid said it made whites look mean. It is not the book that does that it is just true history. I think we kids should more history and sstuff instead of just reading about fantasy.
anjie UK

This was a book I was assigned to read for school. When I first saw it, I was demolished because I thought the book would be boring, because normally I like fantasy novels with wars between dragons and wizards and such. But when I finished this book, I was amazed at how intruiging it was. The plot is all carefully and well melded together, starting from the incident to... well maybe you should read the book. The only I put 4 is because this book seems to discriminate white people, or make them look mean, like how the white people did to the black people in the book. But this is just my opinion. You should read the book, and see for yourself.

This was a book I was assigned to read for school. When I first saw it, I was demolished because I thought the book would be boring, because normally I like fantasy novels with wars between dragons and wizards and such. But when I finished this book, I was amazed at how intruiging it was. The plot is all carefully and well melded together, starting from the incident to... well maybe you should read the book. The only I put 4 is because this book seems to discriminate white people, or make them look mean, like how the white people did to the black people in the book. But this is just my opinion. You should read the book, and see for yourself.

I would recommend this book because it speaks the truth and it doesn't hold anything back. I think that people who came from this background would like the story because it's our nature. It's easier for people who came from a similar background; it would be easier to understand. Some are used to hearing real southern slang 24/7. They can get into depth as I did, and relate to the story. They can read," in between the lines", the message is more clearly sent. This book was so real and you felt like you were there. I personally think that it wasn't hard to concentrate on the story because it was such a page-turner. Something was always exciting or causing anxiety. I learned a lot of things by reading this book. The message that was mainly focused was that racism wasn't a joke. For some people, the details got too emotional. The Road to Memphis was a terrific book.

Is there a sequel? What happens to Moe? Do Moe and Cassie ever get married? What does Soloman do next? Does Moe ever come back?

This book is a multi cultuer book about how the white people owned the color people.When the none color people owned the color folks they put them into hard slavery.The theme of the book is about a slave owner child who feels bad for his slave.The setting is on a farm where it's a dirty barn house and in the real house the rooms are small.The conflict is that the people besides the boy hit the slave many of times.One specifics about the book is that most of the people in the state love to own the slaves so the white people won't have to all the hard work around the bulding plus so the slaves have to do all the heavy lifting to make a brick wall for the house.I disliked the book cause I did not like the part when the people forced the slaves to do the hard labor.

i bought this book for my thirteen year old daughter. She hardly put it down until she had read it all from cover to cover. She really enjoyed the book and cannot wait to get her hands on more Mildred D Taylor books.
She gave it the four star rating and said it was a beautiful read.

I really loved this book. If you enjoyed the others in this series you will fall in love with "The Land." The story moves along pretty quickly and is really quite interesting.

I really liked the way this book seems is so honest potraying life a long time ago, and you get such a good image in your mind. There are a lot of similies and metaphors in the book to help you understand more about the setting. Everything in the book gives a very good idea of what would go on between African Americans and Whites in the 1800's. You really get to know the characters in the book, too. This books gives a good display of the struggle for equality. This was overall a really good book.

I agree with many people that the Land is a very interesting and factual story about a boy in the 1860's who was the son of a rich and wealthy landowner, who married an african american after the Civil War was over. It tells how Paul had a great life and was not discriminated when he was young. But when he and his half brother are seperated his half brother turns his back on him and Paul learns that the world is not fair and not everyone is equal. Paul has no friends because when he was with the african americans they think he is too white and when he is with the white people they think he is too dark.

This book was a very good book, i think the book could be a little bit longer, but it was a good book.
The well has some bad language so i would not recomend this book for youngsters. It isbetter for older kids.

This book is realy good but not good for young ages. It has violence and bad language. It shows how black people weretreated by whites, and it makes you angry but you keep turning the pages. If you get this book you will like it.

This book is good if you want to know more about how black people were treated. It has some bad language and it will make you mad but you keep reading.

i thought this book was great! it had a lot of action in it. I would not recomend this book for people that are young, beause it has a lot of bad language in it. But i would recomnend it for people 11 and older. Their is a fight between a black and white kid. And if you would like to learn about what they did in the olden days to colored people then this would be a good book to read. the fight was started when Hammer and David come across a white kid. And the white kid knocks David down, and if you want to know the rest of the story you will have to read the book. =P

I thought it was a great book, it had a lot of action in it. I would recomend it for anybody but it has a lot of bad language in it so be carefull. There is a fight between a couple of black kids and a couple of white kids, in the end brains win over fists. The fight starts when a couple of white people think they are better than all black people, are they right or wrong? Read the book to find out. :)

This book is about the old south, a place of deep-seated segregation and racial bias. It is told through the eyes and voice of a lightly educated white boy named Jeremy whose father despises blacks. Yet, the boy clearly has not had the race hatred deeply ingrained into his persona, as he tries to be friendly and feels bad when the whites mistreat a black man (Josias) for simply stating that he has a job. His father beats Jeremy for simply talking kindly to Josias. The time context is that of the 1930's when unemployment was high, so the whites despise the black man for "taking a job away from a white man."
It is raining hard and the store is also a bus stop. When an elderly black woman arrives to get on the bus, she is accompanied by several of her grandchildren. They are forced to go to the back of the bus and then, when additional whites want to take the bus, the driver forces all the black people off the bus. Josias is physically thrown off into the mud.
However, when the bus slides off a bridge into the swollen creek, it is Jeremy and Josias who are the first responders, Josias doing all he can to save the very people who treated him so badly.
At a time when the Democratic party has nominated a black man as their candidate for President of the United States, it is good to keep reminding ourselves of the significance of this event. Only a few decades ago, blacks were treated in a manner depicted in this book and some were even killed for standing up for themselves. This book should be read by all elementary students as a reminder of the way things were.

The genre of `Mississippi Bridge' is realistic fiction. In Mississippi during the 1930's whites were given special treatment over the other people who were `of color'. The theme is hope because it does get better for everyone at the end. In the story the conflict is that blacks are mistreated and that whites have more `power' over what happens; also that when more people who were white came on the bus Josias, Stacey and their grandmother off the bus in order to make more room. We did like the ending and how the town comes toghter. Though, what we did not like was how the Josias, Stacey and their grandmother had to get off just to make more room for other people who were not in the same `social class' as them. This book was very good and had many exciting parts in the story; all kids would love reading this book.

the book in,nt the best the best book I have read but the book is good .I like the part when the bus falls in the river and they have to rescew the people out of the water and take care of grandma. this is the part that almost made me saub!!!!!!!!!

The main characters in this story are Jeremy Simms, Josias, and Stacey, Cassie, Christopher-John, and Little-Man. It was a hard rainy day by the Wallace's General Store when Stacey, Cassie, Christopher-John, and Little-Man were watching their grandmother off on a trip on the weekly bus. Then Jeremy Simms' friend Josias is taking the bus to find his new job. But in Mississippi in the 1930's, black people can't ride the bus if there is not enough room for the white people. Then when other white passengers arrive at the last minute, the driver sends off Josias, and Stacey's grandmother. Then when the bus slides off the bridge into the Rosa Lee creek, a terryfiying thing happens. The bus floods, flips over and most everyone dies.

Mississippi Bridge is about Stacy Logan, her brothers and sisters, and Josias Williams. Josias Williams is taking the bus to a new job because a flood coming through the town ruined his last job. In the 1930s black people were not treated equally because of their skin color. But then Stacy Logan, her brothers and sisters, and Josias Williams and Stacey's grandmother get on the bus but something happens and the town has a horrifying nightmare that will change the townspeople's lives forever.
The book takes place in Mississippi in the 1930s during the time of the great depression.
The problem is really about how Jeremy Simms always watches as the weekly bus comes from Jackson and goes through his town. But one day on the way from the stop the bus goes over a bridge and a flash flood sweeps the bus into the rivers. The bus ride becomes more than just a daily routine, it becomes a situation between life and death.
The theme of the story is about four kids always being told you can't try this on unless you are going to buy it because they are black. But one day they get on the bus and their friend Josias and Stacy's grandmother get kicked off the bus and the four kids are left alone. The bus driver doesn't know that a flash flood has occurred. Something happens that changes their lives forever.
The main characters are Josias Williams, Stacy Logan, her brothers and sisters, and Jeremy Simms who is trying to find a job.
The mood of the story is very adventurous and can be at some times mad, scary, and sad at one time.
The grade and age group for this book is for 5th grade and from 11-13 years old students/kids.

By Josh

I think this book was great. I read this book for my book report. I enjoyed the whole plot of it all. I enjoyed it being told from a 9-year-olds point of view. I like that Ms. Taylor didn't let everything just pop out. Like Cassie's parents just didn't tell her everything. She found out most of the stuff either by sneaking around or by asking Stacey her older brother. Some of the parts were confusing. And others were a little boring, well I shouldn't say that I guess slow going is the word. Overall I think this book was very exciting and you should buy it why you can. I promise you YOU WON'T BE SORRY!

The problem with a historical fiction book based on first-hand accounts is that the reader never knows what's true and what isn't. The general depiction of segregation in the Depression era South is accurate, but some specifics are questionable: for instance, Mr. Morrison's parents being from "bred stock." The author, a member of the Black Power movement, clearly had an agenda, and we can't be sure that she wasn't about to let the facts stand in the way of a good story. Thus we are reluctant to recommend the book when there are others, written as non-fiction, which don't require the reader to guess which parts are true and which are totally made up. Books like Black Boy and Black Like Me come to mind. Or I might mention the Jean Fritz books, with a section in the back carefully giving the historical basis for claims made in the text.

There are also some weaknesses in the plot. First of all, Cassie never accounts for how her grandfather, a former slave, was able to buy 200 acres on credit, nor how he was able to get credit to buy another 200 acres a few years later. Also, it's a bit hard to believe that a smart girl like Cassie could reach the age of nine without realizing what segregation was all about. It may be for the benefit of the reader to have it spelled out for her, but Cassie would have long since known.

I gave this book a 4. I thought it was a great book. I enjoyed reading it.The reason I gave it a 4 and not a 5 is beause there were some parts of the story that I got confused and didnt understand what was going on.It took me a while to understand some of the stuff they were talking about.Some parts I thought were slow and kind of boring.I would have liked it if they showed T.J. having the conversation with the Wallaces about Mrs.Logan.
The Characters in this story were very realistic.The book was very well written with detail and as I was reading it I could picture what was going on.I liked how the book was written through the eyes of a young girl whose name was Cassey.Cassey was very brave and willing to do anything for her family.I think she takes after her Uncle Hammer.This book reminds me of the book Watsons Go To Birmingham.When I was in seventh grade I read the prequil to roll of Thunder called"the Land" and now that I have read Roll of Thunder I understand better what is going on with the family.
I thought this book was excellent and it helped me understand what black families went through.I liked the overall purpose of the book and the subject of it.The Logans are trying to get all their bills payed so that their land doesn't get taken away from them.It is uniquely written because the kids dont't know what is going on and how the white families treat black people out side of their town.You can deffinately tell that the don't know what prejudice people act like to them when they take the trip to Strawberry.

THIS IS THE GREATEST BOOK I EVER READ!!!!!! I Would recomend this to anyone with good taste it has a lot of detail and meaning I give it a 5 cause of the great storyline

I think this book is great. All children should read it sooner or later.It shows all the racail and economic problems during the Greatr Depression. Please read this book. It is a good learning operatunaty and a great source of entertainment. This book is full of drama and has aq suprise around every corner.

I read the book "Song of the Trees." I really enjoyedit. It was also kind of sad.
One of my favorite character is Little Man. I lke him because he always dressed like he was going to meet the president. Another charater I like is Cassie because she stuck up for her brothers. And she seemed pitty nice and kind. A last one is Mr.andersen. I like him because he was mean and Cassie and her two brothers beat up on him. But I don't like cause hes mean.He was about to whip Little Man.
It's sad because they were cutting down all the nice trees. Mr. Andersen was about to whip Little Man when the kids were messing around and fighting with him.

I liked the book alot. Especially when papa came home and started bickering to Mr Anderson.

This was a very short story set in the depression time. It had a sad ending, though it was happy in a way too....but the trees wouldn't sing anymore.

I thought that this was a really good book. It was kinda sad and happy at the same time. I thought that it was sad because I felt kinda bad for Opal, the main character of the book, because I could never imagine not having a mother. At the same time I felt happy for her because she had found friends in the end and of course Winn-Dixe in the beginning.

I would recommend this book to other people especially kids in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. If your were younger and you liked to read I'm sure that you would like it too. I hope that reading this book review will make you want to read it even if you have already read it before. I have.

I thought that this was a pretty good book and that I would recommend it to someone else. In this story there are these black people that own land thats a forest and these white people want to cut almost all the trees in the forest so they said that they would give them money but since they cut down more than theypaid for so one of the kids went to get there dad. he came back and set up dynimites all over and was going to kill himself and the lumber man if they didn't get out right then.

This was my favorite book in the world as a child. I read it over and over, beginning I think in the 3rd grade. It was deeply moving and probably shaped who I am today.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry shows how in the South, African Americans were treated. One complaint about the whites and the African Americans where in danger of being sent to jail, losing land, and death. This story is told from a African American girl, Cassie Logan, and gives readers a taste of the Southern life she faced.

I had to read this book for my freshman English class and I loved it. If your realy into history this is the book for you. It's exciting from the start and really gives you an insight to what it was like for colored people years ago. Great book I recomend this book to everyone!

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
By Mildred D. Taylor
Published by Scholastic, Inc., 1976
210 pages
Historical fiction
Reading levels: 6.9 grade level equivalent, 920 Lexile level

Mildred Taylor's novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a captivating story told from the perspective of a fourth grader, Cassie, struggling to understand the segregation that plagues her cotton-growing region of Mississippi during the early 1930s.

The story begins as Cassie and her siblings trudge down the dusty dirt road on their way to the first day of school. The first injustice readers experience is seen through the eyes of Cassie's younger brother, Little Man. The first grader refuses to take a textbook when he discovers that the books have already been used by white students. Only after 11 years of use were the books old and ragged enough to be given to "nigra" students, as written inside the covers.

In the next chapter, Cassie and her three brothers deal with the injustice of the school bus. The bus passes them on their walk to school every morning, but it is only for white students. Yet after carrying out a trick to get back at the bus driver, the siblings are afraid they will be found out and will receive the same fate as a family of black neighbors who were burned after making retaliatory comments to a white storekeeper. Throughout the story, fear of who these "night men" will attack next keeps Cassie's family on edge, particularly because the family owns land desired by one of the involved white men.

Cassie next experiences the injustices of segregation when she gets to take her first trip to town with her grandmother. There, Cassie and her brothers must wait in the store as white people, even a young girl, are helped before them. Upon leaving the store, Cassie gets herself into trouble when she refuses to step off the sidewalk to let another girl her age walk by. Cassie is also reluctant to apologize and address the white girl as "Miss."

Throughout the story, Cassie's older brother Stacey repeatedly gets into trouble because of the lying and tricks of his friend T.J. By the end of the story, T.J. is known as a thief and has made friends with two local white boys. Those two boys wind up getting T.J. into enough trouble that the night men once again set out to wreak havoc on T.J.'s family and other local black families. Only a clever turn of events is able to prevent dire outcomes in the enthralling final two chapters of the novel.

While a great read overall, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a bit confusing for two reasons. First, the characters are at times hard to sort out. It can be difficult to keep Cassie, her siblings, and their young friends straight. It also can be difficult to keep the local families involved in the story straight. The novel is difficult to understand also when Cassie's grandmother explains how the family came to own the farmland around which much of the story's conflict revolves. However, with careful attention, the characters and history can be sorted out, and the story's interesting events will keep you reading.

If you are looking for a page-turner, this book will not disappoint you. Mildred Taylor's vivid descriptions give her characters distinct personalities that bring the novel to life. The novel is a chain of short stories that are entertaining enough to stand alone, but together carry readers to the novel's thrilling climax and conclusion.

Taylor's novel effectively conveys the experiences of children who are just beginning to learn how segregation affects their lives. Readers come to deeper understanding of the hatefulness and unfairness of many white people's treatment of their black neighbors during the early 1930s. Taylor also includes enough explanation of the history of slavery and segregation for readers to fully understand the events. Even if segregation is not a topic of great interest to you, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry will hook you till the last page. A Newberry medal winner, this is a famous book that everyone should read. I assure you that it is well worth your purchase.

My 13 year old daughter was reading this book for school. So I thought I would join her. What better way to connect with your child than share the love of books. So I read the first page. I wasn't too sure about it, but 6 hours later, I am done with it. I couldn't put it down.

Cassie is a young African-American girl who is naive to her era and the position of her race during that time. All the characters you feel so drawn into. Her dad works on a railroad, but brings another man in to stay with his family while he is away. There have been "night men" coming and doing horrible things to different families and he wants someone to protect his family. The children learn that life isn't fair at all. I couldn't get over Little Man's spirit. Jeremy was a true friend and it is sad that they couldn't be friends with him. T.J. was going a different road altogether.

This book will stay with you and I am so glad I picked it up. You wonder if they hadn't decided to boycott the store, what would have happened. I hope my daughter enjoys this book as much as I did. I am so glad that they still read these kinds of books in school.

The beginning of the book was good because of the trial with TJ. After the end of the trial the book is very boring until Cousin Bud comes. When Suzella comes it gets exciting until she leaves. Stacey leaves and the children sit around dumbfounded,"Where could he be??" Their parents are the only proactive ones in the this sitution send telgrams, letters and Papa looks for Stacey by going to the sugar cane plantations. The story ends with no definate ending and making you annoyed. I think this book is better than Roll of Thunder Here my Cry,but most of the book it is SO BORING!!!!!!!!!!! It is so boring you will not want to keep reading it.
WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!

I read "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry" as a child growing up in 70's suburbia. I loved the book and grew fond of the Logan family. It was only last year when I realized there were sequels.
As a homeschooling parent I opted to read "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry" to my 10 year old son this year. I purchased "Let the Circle be Unbroken" with the possibility of reading it to my son this year as well. This book is equally well-written, however the themes in this books are more mature than the previous one. Therefore, I would not just hand this book to a younger child. There is a difference in the level of innocence, but I believe that it added value and reality to the story. The author allows Cassie to grow up. I believe this book would be an invaluable resource for any high school level student. There are many talking points about injustice that can be taken from this book. I do plan to read this with my son, but we will wait a few years.

In "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", Mrs. Taylor wrote matter-of-factly, without bitterness, and left the story 'innocent' yet revealing. Now, in this sequel, bitterness is evident in many chapters. It isn't about hating whites, but it does harangue the reader about the past, as if somehow they are responsible and as if it were still being done. The point of the story is made rather ineffectively, then, and the reader is left reading without emotion.

...signed, a 17 y\o without an account

11/28/06 Let The Circle Be Unbroken

This book was very exciting because it had big events in each chapter, like when the kid see their uncle for the first time. Most of the chapters end with a cliffhanger. For example at the end of chapter six, the Logan family kids find out that their uncle is married to a white woman. One of the surprises that held my interest was when Mr. Morrison came and stayed wit the Logans to help them on the farm. I liked the style of writing because they used the language used in the book sounds like it would have at that time. When the characters talk, they use like yes'm, ain't, walkin and reckon. The plot of this story was believable. I would recommend this book to any one who likes to read about history.

In Let the Circle Be Unbroken, Cassie (the main character) changes from a child that knows little about segregation to a person that understands what life really is. Cassie goes through many conflicts that involve her or her family friends. Her first conflict was T.J. T.J. was a close friend but he has been accused of killing and stealing so the town wants him hanged. Second, Cassie meets her cousin, Suzella. Suzella thinks that she is white when she is both black and white. Then last of all Cassie's friend, Mrs. Lee Annie wants to vote. Her decision cost her greatly. Among all of this, Stacey (Cassie's brother) runs away to find more money because the family had limited money. Mildred D. Taylor used interesting and powerful words and strong dialect to capture my attention. This is a great novel for any one that understands segregation.