The Rock and the River

by Kekla Magoon (Author)

The Rock and the River
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
In this "taut, eloquent first novel" (Booklist starred review) and winner of the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award, a young Black boy wrestles with conflicting notions of revolution and family loyalty as he becomes involved with the Black Panthers in 1968 Chicago.

The Time: 1968
The Place: Chicago

For thirteen-year-old Sam it's not easy being the son of known civil rights activist Roland Childs. Especially when his older (and best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything forever.

Sam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature about the Black Panthers under Stick's bed, he's not sure who to believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore.

Sam wants to believe that his father is right: You can effect change without using violence. But as time goes on, Sam grows weary of standing by and watching as his friends and family suffer at the hands of racism in their own community. Sam beings to explore the Panthers with Stick, but soon he's involved in something far more serious--and more dangerous--than he could have ever predicted. Sam is faced with a difficult decision. Will he follow his father or his brother? His mind or his heart? The rock or the river?
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School Library Journal

Gr 7 UpSam Childs, 13, is growing up in Chicago in 1968. His father is a civil rights activist, and the boy has been involved in peaceful demonstrations with his family. When he and his girlfriend, Maxie, witness the brutal beating of a friend at the hands of the police, his world begins to change dramatically. His 17-year-old brother brings a gun home and hides it in their shared room. Next thing Sam knows, Stick has run away from home and is involved with the Black Panther Party, whose philosophy his dad does not share. The brutality of the beating has wrought a change in Sam as well, and the good works he sees the Panthers doing in his neighborhood make him question his dad's opinion. The characters are well drawn and the complexities of the relationships between Roland Childs and his two sons are moving. The episodes of violence are graphic, but necessary to move the plot forward, and Magoon portrays well the tension between the Panthers and the Civil Rights Movement. An author's note provides further historical context. While the image of the Black Panther Party is somewhat idealized, this is an important book about a historical reality that has not been dealt with in juvenile fiction."Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"An intensely significant story..." — Sundee T. Frazier, winner of the ALA 2008 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award
Kekla Magoon
Kekla Magoon (keklamagoon.com) writes novels and nonfiction for young readers, including The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall's Life, Leadership, and Legacy, Today the World Is Watching You: The Little Rock Nine and the Fight for School Integration 1957-58, The Season of Styx Malone, and The Rock and the River. She has received the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, the John Steptoe New Talent Award, three Coretta Scott King Honors, and been long listed for the National Book Award. Kekla conducts school and library visits nationwide. She holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she now serves on faculty. You can follow Kekla Magoon on Twitter @keklamagoon.

Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their children and their dog, Soren. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/chelseaclinton.

Gillian Flint (gillianflint.com) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.

Alexandra Boiger (alexandraboiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781416978039
Lexile Measure
550
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Aladdin Paperbacks
Publication date
April 20, 2010
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV005000 - Juvenile Fiction | Boys & Men
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
History
African Americans
United States
Civil rights movements
20th century
Brothers
Chicago (Ill.)
Illinois
Chicago
Black Panther Party
Racism
Coretta Scott King Award
Winner 2010 - 2010
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
Recommended 2010 - 2010
Tayshas Reading
Commended 2011 - 2011
Nutmeg Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award
Nominee 2011 - 2012
Virginia Readers Choice Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012
Black-Eyed Susan Award
Nominee 2011 - 2012
Grand Canyon Reader Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Georgia Children's Book Award
Nominee 2013 - 2013
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012

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