Customer Reviews

Francie (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I grew up in the 50's in the north right around the corner from Beaver Cleaver. But I just loved the story FRANCIE! While it's a story about a poor black girl growing up in the south, the story is really about responsibility, trust, respect -- all the things that make life right. This story is a sweet mix of sass, suspense, and as Francie would say -- possibilities!

This is a wonderful book that I enjoyed reading with my 9 year old daughter. It has messages for both adult and child. It brings to life what life was like for black Americans like me in my youth. It portrays a world where hope and possibility were often dashed at a young age by life in those days, yet somehow the family never gives up.

Francie is a very real character -- sassy, smart, but with just enough flaws to make her believable and likable. The events in the story show how families stick together in hard times, and how racism affects them. This book is well-written and complex enough to interest both children and adults, I highly recommend it. I especially loved the ending!

I recomend this book to students or people who enjoy an adventure type story.It was really good because it was relatable in many ways for younger girls.It was an amazing experience reading this book.It is about a girl who is going through hard times and she is just always trying to help,which gets her in trouble. Its a very good book.

A captivating book about a twelve year old girl who longs to escape the hard work and racism of her life in Noble, Alabama. Francie's mother works seven days a week and Francie must help her. They both long for the better life which Francie's father has promised them when they join him in Chicago. Fourth through tenth grade readers will be engrossed by Francie's story. She goes to the homes of white women and prepares food for their parties, serving white girls who sit and giggle with their friends. She also must step to the side on sidewalks and in stores to let these same white girls go first. A poignant part of the book comes when Francie meets Jesse, an illiterate sixteen-year-old. The pleasure Francie receives from teaching him to read is one of the book's highlights. This leads to one of the book's weak points, a segment where Jesse is accused of assault and Francie comes to his rescue. Readers may be disappointed when the story ends without answering questions about Francie's promised life in Chicago. Overall however, this is an excellent book that will allow readers to understand what life was like for African-Americans living in poverty in the segregated South of the 1940's.

This book is about a girl named Francie who wants to get to Chicago to be with her dad.Her dad writes her letters so now Francie is getting her hopes up to much. then she meets a boy named Jesse who is in her class but can't read so know francie teaches him until Francie sees a sign that says if you see this boy then you need to call the police as soon as possible. and the boy is Jesse! then jesse is hiding in the woods and francie finds him then for a day she lets him stay in her shed and gives him a blanket and food but then francie's mom can't find some food that she needs and so francie has to make something up to stay out of trouble finally at the end Francies dad sends the family train tickets to get to Chicago but the rest your going to have to find out your self enjoy!!!!!

Francie
By Karen English
The book I read Francie is about this African American 13 year old girl who lived in Noble, Alabama. She lived with her mom and brother. Her dad lives in Chicago because he is trying to earn enough money so they will hopefully soon be moving there with him. Meanwhile at school Francie is having a bad time because of racism. She goes to an all African American school. There is a school bully who's name is Augustine Butler who all ways makes fun of her. At the end of the book her and her family worked everything out and so it was all good.

I think this is a really good book but at sometimes I didn't like because I don't like when people make fun of people just because of there race

Francie was a girl who belived she could do anything. Her teacher asked her to tutor a 16 year old who had never read before. When he is accused of attacking a white man, Francie jumps to his defence without knowing that she is putting her family in danger .
The author told the story in a way that could be easily understood. I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, so when I liked this book, I was really suprised.The book was written very well.
I would reccommend this book to someone who likes historical fiction. Not only is it historical fiction, it also has a little bit of action. Action, history what more could anyone want in a book.

Francie is a story about a young girl living in Noble, Alabama, with a lot more on her mind than boys or school. She goes to an all black school where she met Jessie, a heavyset boy who's almost 16 and can't read. So Francie tutors Jessie after school. They become friends when one day his father comes and pulls Jessie out of school to work. A little bit after, Jessie's dad ran off, without leaving a note or a reason. Jesse's mother had died earlier and he had no other relatives so he was all alone. And when he gets falsely accused of attempting the murder of his white boss, he's running for his life.
I disliked the book mostly because parts were hard to understand. The book also had it's moments when nothing much was happening. But the book was also good in ways. It portrayed a strong message to stand up for what you believe in. Francie was a strong hearted girl who's life was certainly not easy and this book showed what life was like for girls in that time period and how easy we have it now. Some related books would include Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry because that book also deals with segregation and life in that era.

The story takes place in rural Alabama, where Francie, our 12-year-old protagonist, lives with her mother and little brother. Francie's father, who left them about a year ago, is in Chicago trying to `make it.' Francie lives in expectation of the day she will receive `the letter' from him, asking his family to join him. By this time Francie has grown skeptical of his past empty promises. One day, a new boy comes to school. He doesn't know how to read and Francie is assigned the job of teaching him. At first she seems daunted by the prospect, but soon changes her mind as she sees the boy is smart and eager to learn. Then one day he's unjustly accused of a crime. In order to help him, Francie risks everything, including her own family.

I had trouble connecting to this book. Nothing happens until around page 40, when the new boy joins Francie's class and she is asked to teach him to read. I had to force myself to keep reading, waiting for something to happen. Francie's voice is sweet but not particularly forceful or insightful enough to sustain those first several chapters without action. The story picks up in the middle but slows down and disappoints at the end. The climax somehow happens too soon, turning the event into an anticlimactic episode.

One gets the feeling that the author didn't do an outline for this story and that the events evolved as the author wrote them, giving the impression of an unbalanced structure. The ending is ambivalent. It boils down to the plot not being compelling enough, the characters not engaging enough.

Technically speaking, the writing is good, but although the story has a strong premise, I feel the execution didn't live up to its full potential. Still, this is a book that deals with important issues of prejudice and racism and for this reason has good value for classroom reading and group discussion. But read only for entertainment? I doubt the general middle reader will get past those first few chapters.

Armchair Interviews agrees.