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Monday, January 28, 2013

MMGM: Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

Date Published: January 1, 2012
ISBN: 0545331803
Genre: Historical Fiction
Themes: Bullying, racism, discrimination, friendship 

About The Book: A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool.
As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.

Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.—Goodreads

First Line: What was taking Frankie so long?

What Others Are Saying: "Though occasionally heavy-handed, this debut offers a vivid glimpse of the 1960s South through the eyes of a spirited girl who takes a stand."—Kirkus Reviews

"Scattergood’s effective snapshot of the fight against segregation, one town at a time, makes personal the tumultuous atmosphere of the times." —Publishers Weekly
Other Blogger Reviews:
Barbara Ann Watson
Nerdy Book Club
Beth Fish Reads

What I Thought: Reading Glory Be was like climbing into a time machine and landing in early 1960. Scattergood did an excellent job of setting up the conflict and it's effects on the characters who were complicatedly real. The thick smell of humidity and chlorine and the sound of life guard whistles were vividly evoked. I especially appreciated how the author portrayed the complicated issues.

About The Author:
Augusta Scattergood
Mr. Shu (Check out this 5th grade teacher review and awesome trip to Mississippi!)

Who:  "When I was a little girl, I read Nancy Drew books. Then I moved to Cherry Ames. But my grandmother was a fourth grade teacher who gave me books on every single birthday. I loved Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, and many books that she thought were better than Nancy and Cherry. By seventh grade, I liked to brag about the longest book I’d read: Gone With the Wind (1048 pages).

Most of my family still lives in Mississippi. I try to visit my sister when her figs are ripe and ready to pick. I also like to cook and have a recipe for fig pizza. Figs are NOT yucky, no matter what anybody says." —Excerpt from author's website.

 There are some awesome reviews today with the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday reviewers, don't miss them!

 Next Week: The Beyonders by Brandon Mull
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6 comments:

  1. Randomly ReadingJanuary 28, 2013 at 4:30 AM

    I loved Glory Be, I thought it was a great companion to The Lions of Little Rock this year.

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  2. Barbara WatsonJanuary 28, 2013 at 9:34 AM

    I adored this book! And then I read it again, aloud to my daughter (who loved it as well), and wished I could read with a Southern accent. :-)

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  3. Jennifer RJanuary 30, 2013 at 3:14 PM

    This was a wonderful book to read!

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  4. Jess@Fairday' BlogFebruary 1, 2013 at 8:12 PM

    Glory Be has a great companion. I can't wait to read this one. I always enjoy a good HF book. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Renee C.February 2, 2013 at 10:12 AM

    That is a really difficult topic to cover in a middle grade book, but it's so important that there are books written about these issues. My kids go to a school with a very diverse population - they cannot even begin to imagine that this was even an issue in the not-so-distant past. Thanks for sharing this great book!

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  6. Books4LearningMarch 5, 2013 at 9:48 PM

    I keeping seeing this book pop up! It must be pretty good. I need to check it out. Thanks for sharing :)

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