Fire from the Rock

by Sharon Draper

Overview

Sylvia is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in the fall of 1957, whether people like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different ways as there are colors in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142411995
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/18/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	347,797
Product dimensions:	8.18(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.61(d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Sharon M. Draper lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Draper offers an emotional tale about integrity, justice, and determination." -KLIATT

Editorial Reviews

"Draper offers an emotional tale about integrity, justice, and determination." -KLIATT

From the Publisher

Sylvia is completing her last year of middle school, and she's excited about going to the local high school with all her friends. But this is not a typical coming-of-age tale because the setting is Little Rock, Ark. in 1957, and there are important decisions to be made that will affect not only Sylvia but all African-Americans. Central High School is to be integrated and Sylvia has been selected as a candidate to enroll. If she attends her segregated school, she's guaranteed a good education as well as an abundance of activities and an assured social life. If she goes to Central, she will be prohibited from participating in clubs, sports and all social events, and will definitely be subjected to threats and danger to herself and her family. In the end, she chooses the option that is right for her. Draper evokes the escalating tensions and violence of that seminal summer, giving them a sense of immediacy via a strong central character. Compelling. (Historical fiction. 11-15)

Kirkus Reviews