To Kill a Mockingbird

The book I read was, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Another book that she has written is called, “ Go Set A Watchman”, and that book includes the same characters as in TKAM but being told by one of the main characters in the future tense. This book has a theme of justice and equality. The setting and story goes along really well with the time period that it was at the moment.

In the story, one of the main character, called Atticus and he is given a case to solve. Atticus is a well known lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus faced many challenges accepting this case, because the man he was going to work for is black and Atticus is white. The problem that troubled him the most was that, the town people are all saying that he shouldn’t take the case seriously and just get into over with because the defendant is a black person anyways. But the decision to do the right thing was hard to decide, because at the time Atticus was a single parents raising two kids called, Scout and Jem. And it was so hard because he was trying to be a role model to his children and teach them to grow up as good people. With the case that he accepted, he has put himself and his family in danger cause people were really racist and has threatened him by his choice. Without knowing the outcome of the case, Atticus doesn’t doubt his case.

I really recommend this book because it has more than one theme in it. This book pointed towards the audience of teens to adults. Even though this book was written in a long time ago, I believe it still applies to today.

Book Review by Phoua L.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee in 1960.  This was Harper Lee’s only book that she wrote and published until Lee came out saying that she wrote a book called “Go Set a Watchman.”  This book will be published in July of 2015 and is reviewed at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24817626-go-set-a-watchman .  To Kill a Mockingbird is about the lives of two children (Scout and Jem), their father (Atticus) and a friend (Dill) who lives in a city in Alabama during the 1950’s- 1960’s where racism still was strong.  The father, Atticus, was a lawyer who defended a black man accused of raping a white woman.  This caused Scout and Jem to be in danger because the town’s people didn’t like that Atticus was defending a black man.  The children’s lives were saved by an unlikely person.  The theme of the book is accepting people the way they are.  Atticus gives advice to Scout that she should see things from other people’s point of view before she makes judgments.

Scout, Jem. and Dill enjoy summer vacation together by investigating a house that Dill is obsessed with.  Dill learns who the house is owned by and that his brother, nicknamed Boo, lived at the house but hasn’t been outside in many years.  The next summer, the three children decide that they will make believe using Boo’s story.  The three children, on Dill’s last night of his summer vacation, went to Boo’s property and were shot at by the homeowner.  There have been many mysterious things that have happened over the last few years such as presents left in a tree, a blanket is slipped over Scout while she watched a fire at a neighbors house, and even pants that Jem lost when he was shot at were hung over the fence.  Atticus, a well known lawyer, agreed to defend a black man who was accused of raping a white woman.  Atticus was able to provide information that showed that the black man did not commit the crime he was charged with.  During the trial, Scout and Jem sat in the black people section.  This caused them problems not only at school with the children there but also with the townspeople.  There was an incident that occurred where one of the children was injured and they were saved by a very unlikely subject.  Scout figures out that she needs to listen to her dad and his good advice- to accept people the way they are.

When I read this book, I felt as if I was back in time and living Scout’s life.  It was interesting to read about children’s thoughts on racism and how cruel people were back in the 1950’s.  I believe that someone who can appreciate history would like this book as it shines some light on not only what happened to black people during this time but also to white people who helped or befriended black people.  There was some violence in this book although nothing that I believe a person can’t handle.  I thought this was a very interesting and well written book.  It was a book that I could not put down and I constantly wanted to read just another page. Excellently written so that it makes you think about what life was like for many of the people in the book as well as keep you on the edge of your seat with what will happen on the next page of the book.

Book Review by Breanna S.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee gives the first person account of the trial of Tom Robinson from the view of Jean Louise Finch, or Scout as she likes to be called. It is about the trial of Tom Robinson, the adventures of Scout, Dill, and Jem and the mysterious Boo Radley. The story shows Scout as she progressively matures in her mind and learns the lesson that she should not judge others until she knows their actions through their perspective.

The story is about the events that take place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the trial of Tom Robinson, an African American man who is charged with raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob Ewell, who is the stories main antagonist. As the story progresses, the reader learns more and more information about what truly happened between Tom and Mayella through information that Scout is given.  The reader learns about what truly happened on the night that Tom was reported, and after the truth is out Bob Ewell wants revenge and will stop at nothing until he has gotten it.

Because this book is so full of information and secrets to be read, I cannot give as much information as would be preferred. But I can say this: this book is rated even more than a 10/10. If I could rate it higher, I would. This book may very well be the greatest book I have ever read in my life and it truly changed my way of thinking about certain things after reading it. I give it this rating because of how incredibly amazing the book itself is and because of all of the secrets and new adventures around every corner in the book. This is truly a book everyone should read, and definitely a book that I will read again someday.

Book Review by Sam B.

To Kill a Mockingbird

The author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” is by Harpee Lee, and I would relate to his other books, but I’ve never read any. This was about a father of two kids, who struggles to find ways to protect an African American from be prosecuted for “raping” a little Caucasian girl. This book is all about discrimination and how bad it was, then. The family had many struggles to get through to protect this man. The kids also got into some problems, which will make this a little more interesting for younger persons. They meet a lot of new friends and there are some great, but sad stories.

The characters of this story are important. You get  attached to them and you understand them. The main character of the book was “Scout”. She is intelligent for a young lady and knows how to pack-a-punch. She always beats up on her brother and they are always getting into ridiculous arguments. The father of the story is Addicus Finch and he is very smart and nice. His son’s name is “Jem”. Jem isn’t the smartest one in the world, but he sure is funny. They also live with a black woman named “Calpurnia”, she was their cook. Calpurnia, herself was also hilarious. These are all great characters and they’re easy to get along with and relate.

This book is VERY good, but confusing. Sometimes a little too much goes on at once. This book also gets very boring, but the boring parts are the most important. I would recommend this book if you’re into books that take place in the south, awhile back. This is also a sad book and I would not recommend younger children read “To Kill a Mockingbird”. It is also some-what challenging to read, because the dialogue is how southerners write and speak. I loved reading this book, and if you’re like me, you would too.

Book Review by Ian D.