Sweet, historical, coming-of-age fiction set in 1972 with a few too many problems going on...racism, child abuse,sudden death of a father, liberal teacher teaching the kids to think, you get the picture. ( )

A very important piece of historical fiction. Set in 1972, a time when many people disagreed with the civil rights movement. Red was a boy who wasn't afraid to stand up for what was right... Even if he stood alone. His story is so important for people to read! It was a fast paced 300 page book that you can devour in 2 days. Read it! ( )

A disappointing return for Kathryn Erskine. I was/am such a fan of Mockingbird that I couldn't wait to read this book. Now it wasn't a bad book per se, but it was slow. I'm not sure it will hold a child's interest. ( )

Discover the past,
understand the present,
change the future.


The thing is, when you get over the flu, everything goes back to normal. When your daddy dies, nothing is ever going to be normal again.
-Chapter 14

The above is not a spoiler. The fist sentence in this book talks about Red's dad dying. Red was really close with his dad. They fixed cars together in their shop. Now that Red's dad is dead, Red's mom is trying to figure out how to survive without him. They are living in rural Virginia in the era of the Vietnam War. African Americans and women still don't have many rights and are still widely discriminated against.

Red's mom is planning to sell the house, shop & store and move them all to Ohio where her family lives. Red is very angry about her trying to sell and move. He wants to stay where he is. Being in the shop where he worked with his dad really keeps him connected. He still talks to his dad when he is in the shop.

So, this is a historical fiction book. Not my favorite genre, but this is one of the Sunshine State 2015-16 grade 6-8 nominees. And I am trying to read all of them. This is a well-written story about a 6th grade boy trying to deal with the loss of his father. He is also trying to find his way in a confusing world filled with hatred and bigotry. He learns a great deal and grows up a lot in this book. It's a good book, just not one of my favorites.

Recommended to:
Grade 6 and up. There is some violence and race issues that may be difficult and confusing for younger readers.


( )

Erskine, Kathryn. (2013). Seeing Red. New York: Scholastic Press.

This novel will take you back to the 1970's set in a small town named Stoney Gap, where a 12 year old boy named Red is learning to deal with the death of his father and the wishes of his mother to move to a different town. Willing to do anything to stay in Stoney Gap, Red devotes his loyalty to the Brotherhood, which unknowing to him has resemblances to the Klu Klux Klan. Red learns of a difficult family and town history in which his ancestors participated in racist practices, but with the help of a teacher he learns that just because his family history was that way does not mean that he needs to be that way as well. This story of a small community struggling with racism will capture your heart and mind.

This is an excellent book to prompt discussion and activities around the history of racism in the United States. This novel intertwines the historical group the Klu Klux Klan, which prompts the perfect opportunity for students to learn about the group through the eyes of a 12 year old boy, which may help them understand this very difficult topic to understand and talk about. The discussion of racism is still prevalent in our society today, so through this historical fiction story teachers could link it to current events to have a discussion with student and prompt them to think critically about the problems in the world. ( )