Tallulah, Louisiana, 1899: Fourteen-year-old Calogero is a recent emigrant from Sicily. He lives with his uncles and cousin, who are greengrocers and the only Sicilians in town. The white townspeople resent Calo and his family for their business success and for the fact that they treat customers equally, whether they're black or white. Through a series of misunderstandings, the Sicilians anger their white neighbors, and resentment soon turns into devastating violence. Based on actual events. Letter to the reader. Afterword. Notes on research.
Topics New immigrants. Speakers of English as a second language. Sneaking out. Family. Sicilians. Guns. Racism. Grocery stores. Schools. Goats. Lynchings. Jim Crow laws. Voting rights. Native Americans. Swamps. Alligators. Punishment. Parties. Friends. Orphans. First kisses. Bullies. The Fourth of July. Stereotypes. Festivals. Loss. Grief. Mobs. Escapes. Kindness.
SRC Level 3.400000
SRC Points 14.000000
Lexile HL430L
Trim Size 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"
JLG Span Spring
Language English
Publication date 2009-03-09
JLG Release Date May 2009
Minimum grade 6
Maximum grade 8
Reading level Middle
Format Print
Advanced Readers (Grades 6-8)
Advanced Readers
Advanced Readers (Grades 6-8)
For Grades 6-8
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