Welcome to Litsy!

“I wanted to cry, but no tears came. I had cried all I could for T.J. For T.J. and the land.“

As her family faces prejudice, violence, and threats to their land, Cassie learns hard lessons about racism, inequality, and the importance of family.

Set in 1930s Mississippi, this book follows Cassie Logan and her African American family as they face racism and injustice during the Great Depression. It shows the importance of family, land, and standing up for one's rights in a harsh and divided society.

4✨ I really liked how strong Cassie was in this story. I really wish I knew it was a series before I started reading it so that I could have had more character development. This is a great book for kids to get a perspective on some history that should not be forgotten. Strong characters that had to deal with big issues. #roll100 @PuddleJumper

Audiobook at the indoor trampoline park while my kiddos burn off energy in the Arizona summer heat. Great decision! 🥰

#temptingtitles #withaweatherword

I re-read this book for my diversity in YA lit seminar and it is such an incredible story. The blatant racism and violence made me hurt for the Logan family, but their resolve couldn't be broken no matter what happened.

I realized that my grandmother would've been the same age as Little Man in 1933. This time period really isn't that far away, and this book is a great reminder as to why representation and allyship matter.

#12Booksof2022

I highly recommend this middle grade novel. I loved it. I read this in print and audio. Both were great. This is actually book 4 in the Logans series. I plan on picking up the others in 2023.

Also, I want to give a shout out to The Wild Robot. I also loved it in February and sent it to my nephew for Christmas. 🤖

I‘m not sure how I missed this book as a kid. I read/listened to it and the narrator was perfect. Often I do chores when I listen to audiobooks, but I just sat and read-along with this one. Set in Depression-era Mississippi, this story, narrated by 9 year-old Cassie, follows the Logan family for nearly a year. That‘s such a simple summary for such great book. I can‘t recommend it enough. This one is actually the fourth book in a series.⬇️

I find myself reading this book for the first time in order to help my niece with her book report. Somehow, I missed it in the early 80s when I should have read it. It‘s Friday night, and I‘m 50 pages into this quite wonderful book and don‘t see myself putting it down anytime soon.

First book of August! This book is a must-read. It tells of a black family in the south struggling to survive, dealing with racism and “the way things are”. Excellently done. Don‘t miss reading/listening to the Author‘s note at the end. It made me cry. I want to read the rest of the Logan family books now. #100YEARS100BOOKS #99 #BookSpinBingo #BS #11 #BFC21 #1 #TAILSandTALESforADULTS #26 #THEROYALREADATHON #SERIES2021 #LITSYSUMMERCAMP #1

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? Gut wrenching, sad, hopeful... a long look at a life we feel so far removed from but a reality that existed almost 100 years ago. The Logans made their way into my heart and I'll definitely be reading more about them! 💖
#Bookspin #middlegrade #June @TheAromaofBooks

Such a powerful statement for a malleable audience. ❤ This book is heavy for middle grade but absolutely incredible so far.

Lunchtime gazebo reading today. My son brought this home for me when his 4th grade teacher cleared out her classroom for a grade switch. So far, an insightful and hard look at the southern black community in the Depression years. I feel as if this and To Kill a Mockingbird are different sides of the same coin. I'm sorry I missed out on it all these years!!!

Mildred Taylor shows the complexity of life in a specific place at a specific time, drawing on her own father‘s stories to give her book shape and weight. She shows violent, arrogant white characters as well as kind ones, foolish black characters as well as strong, humble ones. Taylor does not tie the story up in a neat bow, either, as though the issues in it could be resolved in two hundred pages. She doesn‘t explain it all for us, but gives us,

This was a reread. I first read and enjoyed this (and its sequel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken) when I was a kid; I definitely appreciate it more now as an adult. 🔸 #januaryreads2021

so many things are possible as long as you don't know they are impossible

its so sadddd kike litreally and the evil creul TJ. is so rude to them i am mad at him i don't like him!!! 😡

roll of thunder was really sad tho. TJ that big headed boy influenced stacey.. even tho stacey still help that boy. that boy got his momma fired

A fantastically written novel with good examples of racial injustice presented in a way that the middle grade set can process & understand. An incredibly important piece of literature. The writing is beautiful, but presented in a voice that is age appropriate, allowing the young Cassie Logan to tell her own story. This approach is key, as an external narrator would have certainly taken away from some of the impact. A must read.

Another excellent read in the Logan family saga. 💚

Cassie is one of my favorite characters ever in literature. I loved her when I read this as a kid, and I love her even more as an adult.

The Logan family yet again faces hard times and injustices but through it all they find a way to stick together and keep their head held high. I can't wait to read more in this series.

#3books #writtenbyapoc

I remember wanting to read this book in middle school, but feeling embarrassed for it. The older I get, the more I realize that I grew up in an environment that taught me to fear people who didn't look like me. I've been trying to be a better person and undo that trauma, so I picked this book up. It's such a powerful book! I wish my library had the rest of the series though.

1. I would love to go to Bermuda! I have no plans to do it, but I‘d love to!
2. My son got some good health test results back this week!

#thankfulthursday

The banned book example for my Children's Lit class, this book illustrates how resentments over Reconstruction fed into systemic racism in the southern US. The Logan family wants to protect their land above all else, but when neighbor kid TJ is threatened by the "night men" (KKK), drastic measures must be taken. Daughter Cassie has to learn fast "the way things are."

#SummerFun @4thhouseontheleft @StayCurious

“Baby, we have no choice of what color we‘re born or who our parents are or whether we‘re rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we‘re here.”

This was my first time reading this story about the Logan family set during the depression in Mississippi. Not sure what took me so long.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Favorite accessory is probably my Chacos-I wear them all summer long.

I think we drove through some desert on the way to Mexico in 2005 but it was the middle of the night so I‘m not sure lol

Reading the tagged right now.

Thanks for the tags @Jerdencon and @Crazeedi @UwannaPublishme
Tagging @wideeyedreader and @Megabooks
#thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94

#JubilantJuly

This is a valuable middle-grade read. It follows Cassie Logan and her family as they grapple with racism and injustice in Depression-era Mississippi. I really should have read it years ago. #bookspinbingo #readblackauthors

1. 4 or 5 and it‘s driving me nuts but I don‘t have space for another bookcase. I HATE stacks.
2. The tagged is on top of the stack on my dining room table.

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

Heartbreaking story of the Logan family in 1930s MS with many characters based on Taylor's family as shown in the photos on the end papers of this edition. This historical fiction is a great intro for children to the horrors of American history, and for ignorant adults to remember that the end of slavery was not even close to the end of senseless killing of Blacks. This book elicited anger & sadness, but also love for the strength of this family.

So happy that I'm FINALLY getting pool time. I've been at my parents for three weeks and in between working and bad weather, this is my first opportunity to lay (lie?!) out!

#MiddleGradeMarch - Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry:
Here I sit midday having tea with my Mom. She‘s been saying “yes” to this request for the past few months - a private tea party just for two - so I purchased a tea cup set for me & her. She‘s never had loose leaf tea so the whole thing has now become an experience.
She asked me if the book is for one of the little feet. I said, ‘No. I‘m reading it!‘ Then she went back to asking about the tea.👇🏽

After reading the review by @Lindy I found this on Libby. I‘m always looking for a good narrator because I tend to space out when listening to fiction. Thigpen did a great job narrating and the story was excellent. I don‘t know if this is required reading in middle school but I think it should be. The characters feel very close by and unfortunately their circumstances do too.

I‘m so glad I decided to revisit 9-year-old Cassie Logan before my hold comes in for Mildred Taylor‘s 2020 conclusion to her multivolume saga about the Logan family. The #audiobook of the 1977 Newberry award-winner is expertly narrated by Lynne Thigpen, has a preface written & read by Jacqueline Woodson, plus an afterword in the author‘s voice. The whole thing is a powerfully moving experience.

You have to demand respect in this world, ain't nobody just gonna hand it to you. How you carry yourself, what you stand for--that's how you gain respect. But, little one, ain't nobody's respect worth more than your own.

This is one of the first books I remember having an immediate connection to the main character and being completely drawn into the story, making it one of my favorite reads when I was younger despite the tougher topics.

It‘s been a while since I‘ve read it, but I‘ve never really forgotten about Cassie Logan and her family. I will definitely be giving this a much needed reread before I jump into the others.

#throwbookthursday

Day 22: #memorable #auldlangreads
Although I already loved to read, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is memorable to me because it renewed my love of reading. I was in 7th grade and inundating myself with Fear Street book when this story reached out and grabbed my by the heartstrings. Who doesn‘t love Cassie Logan???

#jennyis30 @jenniferw88

That‘s my ‘family‘ book. The Logans were such a wonderful family and I learned so much from all of them, even the little kids, they just became one of my favourite families in a children‘s book ever.

17/15 #jumpstart2020 @Clwojick @Lizpixie

I wish so much I‘d read this as a kid, I don‘t know if I ever read a book that interacted with such important themes so deeply. I don‘t read a lot of children‘s books now but this was so sensitive and educational, I think I got a lot out of it as an adult, I loved seeing what the parents were thinking without it being spelled out. The Logans are such a wonderful supportive family.

I teach this and therefore read it several times a year. Love it!

#colormepretty #tertiarycolors