Mississippi Trial, 1955

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$8.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Speak
60 per carton
On sale Nov 24, 2003 | 978-0-14-250192-4
Age 12 and up
Reading Level: Lexile 870L | Fountas & Pinnell Z+
Sales rights: World
Winner of the 2003 International Reading Association Award for Young Adult Novel. This gripping read is based on the true events of the murder of Emmett Till, one of the nation's most notorious crimes that helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.


At first Hiram is excited to visit his hometown in Mississippi. But soon after he arrives, he crosses paths with Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago who is also visiting for the summer. Hiram sees firsthand how the local whites mistreat blacks who refuse to "know their place." When Emmett's tortured dead body is found floating in a river, Hiram is determined to find out who could do such a thing. But what will it cost him to know?
  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Book
  • WINNER
    International Reading Association Children's Book Award
  • WINNER
    Notable Books for a Global Society Award
"Will get readers thinking."--Publishers Weekly

"Teen readers will find themselves caught up in Hiram's very real struggle to do the right thing."--Kirkus Reviews

"This book belongs in all collections to show young readers the full range of American history."--School Library Journal 

"This is a thoughtful story that rises above a mere retelling of one episode in the South's racist past."--Children's Literature

About

Winner of the 2003 International Reading Association Award for Young Adult Novel. This gripping read is based on the true events of the murder of Emmett Till, one of the nation's most notorious crimes that helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.


At first Hiram is excited to visit his hometown in Mississippi. But soon after he arrives, he crosses paths with Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago who is also visiting for the summer. Hiram sees firsthand how the local whites mistreat blacks who refuse to "know their place." When Emmett's tortured dead body is found floating in a river, Hiram is determined to find out who could do such a thing. But what will it cost him to know?

Awards

  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Book
  • WINNER
    International Reading Association Children's Book Award
  • WINNER
    Notable Books for a Global Society Award

Praise

"Will get readers thinking."--Publishers Weekly

"Teen readers will find themselves caught up in Hiram's very real struggle to do the right thing."--Kirkus Reviews

"This book belongs in all collections to show young readers the full range of American history."--School Library Journal 

"This is a thoughtful story that rises above a mere retelling of one episode in the South's racist past."--Children's Literature