Fire from the Rock

The name of the book is "FIRE FROM THE ROCK", written by Sharon M. Draper. It takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas. This book has a lot of feeling because the book makes you feel sorry for her and so many other emotions while reading. I absolutely loved it! I admire Sylvia for being so strong and brave when she had to make such an important and life changing decision. The plot of the story is basically how Sylvia, who hates white people, gets chosen to attend an all white school. She wants to go, but at the same time, doesn't want to leave her friends behind. Back then, segregation was a serious issue and some people thought integration was even worse! I'm glad that segregation is over or our generation would suffer the consequences. What I loved about the book the most were the poems. They were what really caught my attention because they were beautiful, meaningful, inspirational and even more emotional than the book itself! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a book with heart!

Do you know this is the first I've seen daylight since I've read Fire From the Rock? This is a historical book written by the well-known dexterous author, Sharon Draper. This book is about an African American girl who struggles with racial threats and comments. If you are a person who likes romance, entangled with sadness and pain, you'd be foolish not to read this book. I really like this book because me, as a black person, I get an understanding of how much suffering, misery, and wretchedness my ancestors had to go through. Fire From the Rock is a book for children ages 10 - 15. Any virtuous person would want to read this book. My opinion on why the author wrote this book is to inform people of how African American people's lives were so hard and tough. If you are African America, white, Spanish, Asian, whatever you may be, this is indeed the right book for you. The best part of Fire From the Rock is that she accepts many challenges and the worst part...well, I think you'll have to wait and read for yourself. Don't be crazy, read Fire From the Rock, it will do you and your brain good.

Every time I had to put this book down I was in a funk until I was able to get back to it. The story was so engrosing that I found myself worrying about what was going to happen next. Sharon Draper is one of the few writers who can who can truly write for boys and girls. She tells the story, powerfully and eloquetly, and doesn't get bogged down in needless descriptions or self-indulgence. "Fire from the Rock" is the third or fourth book I've read by Ms. Draper and the one fault I find with her books is that I don't put them down until they're finished so I end up reading them too quickly and I have trouble finding another book to read that will be as satisfying. Sharon Draper marvelously weaves fiction and history with so many twists and catches the only thing you can easily predict is that something will happen you didn't expect. This is a perfect book to help teenagers and tweens to understand not only the social climate that surrounded school integration, but the importance of the struggle for integration. This book should be on the required reading lists of every middle school and junior high across the country.

As a reading teacher, I am constantly looking for exciting young adult literature to expose my students to. Sharon Draper is my go to author many times. I was first introduced to her by her Hazelwood Triology. With "Fire from the Rock", Ms. Draper has elevated herself from an author who appeals to young adult readers by writing topics that they can relate to, to an author who also teaches them history in a way that they will actually pay attention to and get something out of it. In "Fire from the Rock", readers hear a first person as well as third person account of the struggle for segregation. This novel illustrates with such emotional beauty what it was like for the people in Little Rock who were personally experiencing the drama that most of America was watching unfold from the comfort and safety of their homes. A must read for parents and teenagers, and a perfect opportunity for a history lesson for a generation who seem to live with the mindset that the past should stay in the past.

Being that we were having Mrs. Sharon Draper herself come to our school as a guest speaker, I chose Fire From the Rock to read to all the 8th graders before her arrival. I can't tell you how riveting and realistic this story is. The references were chilling. The people were real. The plot was daunting. Our students loved this book. Many asked to read it again. What is the reality of 250 8th graders wanting to read a historical fiction book twice? If you want to give your students an inside peek to what was really going on during the Civil Rights Movement, this is an excellent book. Bravo Sharon Draper!