The Rock and the River (The Rock and the River, #1) in Mock Newbery 2026

Feb 11, 2009 Wendy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2009-award-possibilities

This read very quickly whenever I picked up, but I never felt drawn back to the story, and after finishing I think I know why--it read to me much more like a vehicle than an organic story. The characters and incidents each felt like they were placed in a particular way to make a point, and of course this is the case in most books, but it felt obvious to me here; like the author had the message first and worked the book around it.

I thought the book was surprisingly dismissive of women. The mother ...more

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Dec 12, 2009 Monica Edinger added it

This is an important book about an aspect of the 60s not yet told in children's literature. It joins a slowly growing group of worthy kid books about this time period, sorely overdue and needed. I'm not going to attempt to provide a plot summary as there are plenty elsewhere. There is also no rating because I can't decide about that.

There is some wonderful writing here, vivid imagery, some gorgeous sentences. I loved the block tower. It worked in so many ways both metaphorically and practically This is an important book about an aspect of the 60s not yet told in children's literature. It joins a slowly growing group of worthy kid books about this time period, sorely overdue and needed. I'm not going to attempt to provide a plot summary as there are plenty elsewhere. There is also no rating because I can't decide about that.

There is some wonderful writing here, vivid imagery, some gorgeous sentences. I loved the block tower. It worked in so many ways both metaphorically and practically. The two brothers are well-drawn and Sam's pain as Stick draws away is very moving. I also found the demonstrations, the scenes with police, jail, and the Panthers remarkable, haunting at times. There is much to consider historically, a very powerful, powerful book.

But I do have some quibbles. I found the family oddly isolated. When bad things happened I found it almost eerie that they had no one else with them, especially the mother. The father worked with Sam on demonstration planning without other advisors around? Now and then a couple were there, but much of the time it seemed not. Sam comes back to find his mother alone after a dreadful family event. She wasn't able to get to the hospital because of no car, but she had no one to call to drive her? No friends from the church or somewhere? Or did no one think to go get her (as it involved her husband)? Similarly, Sam seemed in a bit of a bubble as well, only involved with his family, his brother, and his girlfriend. Did he have no other friends? He also seemed to act and behave way, way older than thirteen for me.

I also found the two female characters rather cardboard. Especially the mother who seemed almost stereotypic in her house and home behaviors. That wasn't necessarily the case in 1968 by any means. (I'm old enough to remember this time period quite vividly and so there were a few things that jarred for me as far as that goes.)

Still I agree with others that it is a very important book with some wonderful writing. ...more

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Jan 19, 2010 Parry Rigney rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-lit, historical-fiction, award-winner

This is a powerful coming-of-age story, about figuring out what you believe and how you're going to act and be in the world. Sam is thirteen years old in Chicago in 1968 - his father is a prominent Civil Rights leader who adheres to Dr. King's vision of non-violent social change, and his older brother has secretly become involved with the Black Panther Party. As fear and frustration escalate within the community - an horrific incident of police brutality hits close to home, then Dr. King is assa This is a powerful coming-of-age story, about figuring out what you believe and how you're going to act and be in the world. Sam is thirteen years old in Chicago in 1968 - his father is a prominent Civil Rights leader who adheres to Dr. King's vision of non-violent social change, and his older brother has secretly become involved with the Black Panther Party. As fear and frustration escalate within the community - an horrific incident of police brutality hits close to home, then Dr. King is assassinated - Sam is increasingly torn between his father's and his brother's methods of actions. In the author's words*: "What do you do when the two people you look up to most, those who you strive to emulate, split off in radically different directions? What happens when your lifelong beliefs are challenged? How do you channel your anger when the world around you is so unjust that you feel you could jump out of your skin?"

As reviewers here have pointed out, you won't often find nuanced depictions (or depictions of any sort) of the Black Panther Party in young people's literature, as you do here.

This is a fast-paced read - recommend to kids who like historical and/or contemporary realistic fiction with good characterizations and deep conflict. Let teachers know about this one, and it would also make a great choice for a book discussion.

Again, in the words of the author*: "Mostly, I want them to take away the experience of having read a good story. And I’d like the book to inspire people to have a conversation about it, whether it be in a classroom or between colleagues, family or friends. I believe there is a lot still to be dealt with in our country, with regard to the events of the 1960s, and I love having the opportunity to inspire those discussions. I also hope the book broadens people’s perspectives on The Black Panther Party, and really, the civil rights movement in general. Sometimes the way we talk about that time period makes it sound all too perfect, too pat, and while we shake our heads at the injustices that occur, there is a finality about it being of the past. To me, the Black Panthers makes it easier to talk about the things that haven’t changed, within the context of the community organizing that they did. We still need that kind of work, so the conversation about it is more dynamic than talking about overcoming legal segregation, which is really a thing of the past."

*From an interview with Kekla Magoon at The Brown Bookshelf: http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2010/02/...
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Sep 24, 2009 Dest rated it liked it

Shelves: bipoc, historical-fiction, teen

More of a teaching tool than a great novel, I think. It had plenty of the ingredients for an outstanding read, but didn't come together for me.

If you want to learn about the Civil Rights Movement in 1968 from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy whose father is a peaceful leader alongside MLK, and whose older brother is joining the Black Panther Party, this book succeeds. But if you're looking to read a really great story, not so much. I learned a lot from reading it, but I can't say I enjoyed More of a teaching tool than a great novel, I think. It had plenty of the ingredients for an outstanding read, but didn't come together for me.

If you want to learn about the Civil Rights Movement in 1968 from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy whose father is a peaceful leader alongside MLK, and whose older brother is joining the Black Panther Party, this book succeeds. But if you're looking to read a really great story, not so much. I learned a lot from reading it, but I can't say I enjoyed it very much.

The language of book is elegant and thoughtful (though, in my copy, chapter 12 started with a typo: a big W instead of a T, turning "the" into "whe"). But the plot relentlessly hits you with terrible injustice after terrible injustice. The main character, Sam, is constantly hurt, confused, angry, scared--so much so, it's hard to connect with him. He never knows what to think or what to do. Some people may not be bothered by that because it's realistic. But I like my main characters to have a stronger perspective, so they don't just get blown around like a leaf in the wind through the entire book.

The other main characters in this book (Sam's father Roland, his brother Stick, Sam's girlfriend Maxie, his friend Bucky, his mother, and Stick's Black Panther friends) are all good and well-intentioned people caught in a seemingly hopeless battle for equality. The story's villains (racist white people, usually cops) are all exceedingly evil and one-dimensional. It's easy to hate the bad guys, but hard to choose which good guys you want to follow. The non-violent MLKers who organize demonstrations or the gun-carrying Panthers who provide breakfast and free clinics for black communities? I wasn't drawn into this MLK vs. Panther conflict because they both seemed like good options. It would be interesting fodder for debate among students, though.

There's a lot of violence in this book, almost all of it senseless and horrifying. So this is definitely something to recommend to mature readers, probably 7th grade and up. ...more

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Mar 01, 2010 Diane rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-school, high-school, history

"One sitting," as they say. I couldn't stop turning the pages. This book takes you deep into a boy and his family during some of the toughest days of the civil rights movement. Hopefully "The Rock and the River" will make its appearance on school required reading lists. It's one of the most powerful books written for young people that I've ever read. ...more

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Mar 27, 2014 Crystal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, middle-grade, diversity-on-the-shelf-2014, favorite-diverse-kidlit

This is a look into the civil rights movement through the eyes of the son of a leader who believes in passive resistance. What was helpful to me was the view into the role of the Black Panthers. I had limited knowledge of their community work at least until I read One Crazy Summer a few years ago, but this gave even more background in the story and in the afterward. Sam's voice rang true and haunted me. ...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Mary Klepper rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, teaches-lesson, historical-fiction, motivated-boys, civil-rights

Heavy duty book, alot to think about. Shows both sides to a very sensitive issue.

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May 05, 2011 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children, 2011, historical-fiction, middle-grade

Sometimes books totally surprise you. I didn't really want to read this and only did so because it's a Caudill this year. Wow, it blew me away. I listened to it and the narration was phenomenal. I was very sad to see this on end. ...more

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