Friday, March 19, 2010

The Loud Silence of Francine Green

by Karen Cushman
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 5:36
read by Anaka Shockley
genre: YA coming-of-age

Cushman's stories are so thought-provoking! This one is about quiet, obedience Francine and her controversial neighbor Sophie Bowman. Set in cold war America, this was especially enlightening after having read Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation." Francine is a good Catholic girl who just tries to stay out of trouble, especially from Sister Basil. Sophie asks questions which provoke.

I'm not sure which of my students would enjoy this kind of book. Cushman is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction for young adolescents. This one reads as though she lived portions of it! Francine shelving books at the school library made me laugh.

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