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ridiculousamanda's review against another edition
3.0
Sylvia Patterson is about to finish middle school. She's, of course, concerned about what she'll wear on her first day of high school, if she'll have a boyfriend, what color her toenails should be, what her favorite song is, everything typical of a 15-year-old girl. There's something else she's worried about though. If she's strong enough to be one of the first black students to attend the all-white Central High School. She doesn't want to be a hero, she just wants to be normal!
Fire from the Rock is an historical fiction novel based on the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. The reader discovers along with Sylvia the trials and hardships of black students and families living in segregated times. She doesn't think they'll ever be black singers on TV or black leaders on the covers of magazines. She doesn't think black people will ever be allowed to do anything that white people can do, but when she's chosen to be one of the first students allowed to integrate in the all white school, she doesn't know if she can do it.
The integration of Central is not the only difficult task Sylvia has to face. Her best friend is a Jewish girl and her father's store is constantly vandalized with swastikas and even gets destroyed by homemade bombs while Sylvia is in the store. She and her younger sister, Donna Jean, are attacked after leaving their local library by a group of angry white teenagers. Simply walking down the street is something she fears to do, so will she be up to the task of integration? Will she make the right decision? Only she knows the answer to that.
Fire from the Rock is an historical fiction novel based on the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. The reader discovers along with Sylvia the trials and hardships of black students and families living in segregated times. She doesn't think they'll ever be black singers on TV or black leaders on the covers of magazines. She doesn't think black people will ever be allowed to do anything that white people can do, but when she's chosen to be one of the first students allowed to integrate in the all white school, she doesn't know if she can do it.
The integration of Central is not the only difficult task Sylvia has to face. Her best friend is a Jewish girl and her father's store is constantly vandalized with swastikas and even gets destroyed by homemade bombs while Sylvia is in the store. She and her younger sister, Donna Jean, are attacked after leaving their local library by a group of angry white teenagers. Simply walking down the street is something she fears to do, so will she be up to the task of integration? Will she make the right decision? Only she knows the answer to that.
ciciwilkie's review against another edition
3.0
This book was really informative and eye-opening. I hadn't read anything about segregation before so I enjoyed reading a historical fiction that made us understand it from a young black girls perspective.
It's horrible and sad all of the brutality and injustice that occurred. Sylvie was brave but she also didn't want to put her family at risk. Many of the first 9 kids who were segregated dealt with extreme bullying, terror tactics, and outright abuse. They are truly heroes.
I am giving this 3 stars because I really enjoyed this but the writing style lacked for me. I believe it's geared for younger kids to understand racism.
It's horrible and sad all of the brutality and injustice that occurred. Sylvie was brave but she also didn't want to put her family at risk. Many of the first 9 kids who were segregated dealt with extreme bullying, terror tactics, and outright abuse. They are truly heroes.
I am giving this 3 stars because I really enjoyed this but the writing style lacked for me. I believe it's geared for younger kids to understand racism.
mbrandmaier's review against another edition
4.0
Look, it just completely blows my mind that segregation was actually legal and enforced as recently as 50 years ago. What the %&%&$?!?! I don't understand how people were (and still are) so actively hateful towards one another and how it can make some people feel good about themselves to act that way.
literaryk's review against another edition
4.0
Well done! I've had a class set in my room since my first year of teaching and finally read it.
Draper has a great way with words and incorporating engaging drama while simultaneously stirring up deeper thinking and empathy. I don't know why it took me until the end to connect this story to the Little Rock Nine, but this was an amazing telling of the process of desegregation of schools.
Draper has a great way with words and incorporating engaging drama while simultaneously stirring up deeper thinking and empathy. I don't know why it took me until the end to connect this story to the Little Rock Nine, but this was an amazing telling of the process of desegregation of schools.
jennifermartin's review against another edition
4.0
A little slow moving, but a great way for students to learn about this important time in history.
sylvimblack's review against another edition
3.0
This book was going pretty well until the end. I didn't like how anticlimactic it was, or the way the ending was written. It seemed like the story was rolling along and suddenly dropped off and was over.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
Fire From The Rock is a book you should pick up if you want to learn more about the integration of the Little Rock schools and a perspective you might not have considered before. Review goes live 4/12/2021
lenni_loves_literature's review against another edition
3.0
Fire from the Rock was definitely and interesting book. It was required reading for my Social Studies class, so I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I wasn't forced to.
So, first of all, I was a little surprised that this was a school book since there was some minor romance and kissing. Not that I minded, since I love romance. It was cute romance, although Sylvie's boyfriend was a little too passionate about topics such as integration. I couldn't decide whether I liked his character or not until the very end(I went with, "He's okay.").
I also felt that this book was like a window to the past. It made many references to many famous events that happened during these times. I wish that the book continued and that one character would've come back. There was a guy named Jim in a scene at the library and I really liked his character. I also really liked Rachel's character. Maybe the author should write a sequel from her point of view.
Fire from the Rock was an okay book, if a little dramatic at times.
So, first of all, I was a little surprised that this was a school book since there was some minor romance and kissing. Not that I minded, since I love romance. It was cute romance, although Sylvie's boyfriend was a little too passionate about topics such as integration. I couldn't decide whether I liked his character or not until the very end(I went with, "He's okay.").
I also felt that this book was like a window to the past. It made many references to many famous events that happened during these times. I wish that the book continued and that one character would've come back. There was a guy named Jim in a scene at the library and I really liked his character. I also really liked Rachel's character. Maybe the author should write a sequel from her point of view.
Fire from the Rock was an okay book, if a little dramatic at times.
hezann73's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe not my favorite Sharon Draper book, but stil an excellent look at desegregation in Little Rock and the Little Rock Nine. Sylvia is a likeable and believable character and you really want the best for her.
I've heart people say that this could be paired with "My Mother the Cheerleader" for an interesting discussion and I think they are right.
I've heart people say that this could be paired with "My Mother the Cheerleader" for an interesting discussion and I think they are right.
_lilianahohn_'s review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the concept, and I thought that it was a good plot, but I didn’t feel like much happened. I felt like they talked more about the romance, than the story. I wanted to like it more than I did. I read this for school, so maybe if I hadn’t I would’ve liked it more, but I was disappointed.