Magoon, Kekla. Fire In The Streets. Simon
& Schuster/ Aladdin 336p $15.99 978-1-4424-2230-8 2012 ms/hs VG-BN Historical fiction
In this sequel to the award-winning The Rock and the River, the narration switches from Sam to his ex-girlfriend,
Maxie. Against the backdrop of 1960s Chicago and the Black Panthers, the
stage is set for a compelling story of belonging and violence.
The
narrator, 14-year-old Maxie, has more on her plate than she can possibly handle. Her mother is unemployed, and her string of
dead-beat boyfriends causes Maxie to seek refuge in the Black Panthers
headquarters. She longs to be a member,
like her older brother Raheem, and fight for justice. She will prove that she isn’t too young by
finding the traitor in their midst. A shocking ending leaves room for a sequel,
and readers will find it hard to
wait. Strong characterization, a
compelling plot, the backdrop of the turbulent sixties, the Vietnam war and
civil and racial unrest, all meld to make this a novel that older middle-school readers will not be able to put down. This can stand alone, but readers who have not
read the earlier novel will want to read it for the back story. This will vie
for a few awards.
Black
Panthers-Fiction, Civil Rights Movement-Fiction --Pat
Naismith
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