Fire Birds: Valuing Natural Wildfires and Burned F.#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday - Stella by Starlight.#WeNeedDiverseBooks Wednesday- The Gossip File.Saturday Morning Cartoons- Ellie McDoodle.Still, a good description of life at this time. Weaknesses: There was not much of a plot to this, and a LOT of descriptions of food. I think this is a valuable addition to a collection of culturally diverse books. The details about school, stores, clothing, and even asthma treatments are very vivid and interesting. I'm less than wild about the dialect, but it certainly adds a level of realism to the book. (Including her first pair of blue jeans, and her first boyfriend.)But in the still-segregated South, Ludells warm community exists side-by-side with poverty and injustice. Strengths: This gave an interesting look at life in Georgia right as the Civil Rights movement is heating up. Ludell Wilson is a wisecracking bookworm and burgeoning writer who adores her best friend Ruthie Mae, her loving-but strict-grandmother, and everything about growing up. Ludell, who suffers from asthma, knows that there are discrepancies between how the white citizens live and the conditions that the black community labors under, but tries not to let those conditions get in the way of her learning and enjoyment of life. Ludell wishes that her mother would come to visit, but is just as thrilled when she sends a television set, even if it is broken and it takes a long time to settle the insurance claim and get a new one.

The two girls also are enthralled by blue jeans, and want some to wear to school, even though they think their sour teacher won't approve. Ludell and her friend Ruthie Mae are in school together, and spend much of their time thinking about food, from the hot dogs the teachers take turns selling at lunch to the snacks Ruthie Mae gets on credit for a short bu glorious time before her credit is cut off. Their community is very close knit, and help each other out. Mama works very hard to provide for the two of them, but keeps a very clean house herself, and makes sure that Ludell does well in school. Ludell lives in rural Georgia with her grandmother, whom she calls 'mama', since her own mother left her as a baby to pursue jobs in New York City. October 14th 2014 by Lizzie Skurnick Books

Ludell by Brenda Wilkinson