Seedfolks

An old man seeking renewal, a young girl connecting to a father she never knew, a pregnant teenager dreading motherhood, are just a few of the 13 voices that tell one story of the flowering of a vacant city lot into a neighborhood garden. Old, young, Haitian, Korean, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful--Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman weaves characters as diverse as the plants they grow into a multi-layered exploration of how a community is born and nurtured in an urban environment. Illustrations. n nALA Best Book for Young Adults ∙ School Library Journal Best Book ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ IRA/CBC Children's Choice ∙ NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Artsn nA Vietnamese girl plants six lima beans in a Cleveland vacant lot. Looking down on the immigrant-filled neighborhood, a Romanian woman watches suspiciously. A school janitor gets involved, then a Guatemalan family. Then muscle-bound Curtis, trying to win back Lateesha. Pregnant Maricela. Amir from India. A sense of community sprouts and spreads. n nNewbery-winning author Paul Fleischman uses thirteen speakers to bring to life a community garden's founding and first year. The book's short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless one-book reads in schools and in cities across the country.n nSeedfolks has been drawn upon to teach tolerance, read in ESL classes, promoted by urban gardeners, and performed in schools and on stages from South Africa to Broadway.n nThe book's many tributaries--from the author's immigrant grandfather to his adoption of two brothers from Mexico--are detailed in his forthcoming memoir, No Map, Great Trip: A Young Writer's Road to Page One.n nThe size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains. --Christian Science Monitorn nAnd don't miss Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, the Newbery Medal-winning poetry collection!n