The Rock and the River

Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award winner

In this "taut, eloquent first novel" (Booklist, starred review), a young Black boy wrestles with conflicting notions of revolution and family loyalty as he becomes involved with the Black Panthers in 1968 Chicago.

The Time: 1968
The Place: Chicago

For thirteen-year-old Sam, it's not easy being the son of known civil rights activist Roland Childs. Especially when his older (and best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything forever.

Sam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature about the Black Panthers under Stick's bed, he's not sure who to believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore.

Sam wants to believe that his father is right: You can effect change without using violence. But as time goes on, Sam grows weary of standing by and watching as his friends and family suffer at the hands of racism in their own community. Sam beings to explore the Panthers with Stick, but soon he's involved in something far more serious--and more dangerous--than he could have ever predicted. Sam is faced with a difficult decision. Will he follow his father or his brother? His mind or his heart? The rock or the river?

Author: Kekla Magoon
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Published: 01/06/2009
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.58h x 5.98w x 1.05d
ISBN: 9781416975823
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.9
Point Value: 8
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 128762 / Rock and the River


Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Winner
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award - Nominee
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Nominee
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Nutmeg Book Award - Nominee
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Black-Eyed Susan Award - Nominee
Award: Georgia Children's Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 02/01/2009 pg. 104
Booklist 02/01/2009 pg. 50
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2009
New York Times Book Review 04/12/2009 pg. 15
Multicultural Review 07/01/2009 pg. 84
Kirkus Review - Children 12/15/2008 pg. 1306
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/01/2010 pg. 17
ALA Notable Children's Books 03/01/2010 pg. 28
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2009 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Magoon, Kekla: - "Kekla Magoon has worked with youth-serving nonprofit organizations in New York City and Chicago. She holds an MFA in writing for children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and her first novel, The Rock and the River, won the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent. She resides in New York City and you can visit her at KeklaMagoon.com."