Jubilee Journey [School & Library Binding]

Carolyn Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

In this compelling continuation of the Jefferson family story (begun in White Lilacs), Emily Rose traces her family’s history through three generations and countless troubles. She learns how racism and intolerance have affected her family in the past and watches with horror as her older brother faces them in the present. Through the wisdom and love of her great-grandmother, Emily Rose at last learns how to celebrate her black heritage.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9?This sequel to White Lilacs (Harcourt, 1993) takes a while to get going. At the conclusion of that book, Rose Lee and her family were struggling to cope with their enforced move to the Flats. The Texas town of Freedom had been demolished and the black community was trying to avoid complete disintegration. Jubilee begins some 75 years later in Connecticut with Emily Rose, 13, who knows little or nothing about her great-grandmother, Rose Lee; Juneteenth; or her black heritage. Her family is close to her father's white parents, but disconnected from her black Texas roots. The girl sees herself as both black and white, a "double." When, at Rose Lee's invitation, Emily and her siblings accompany their mother to Texas, the girl begins to learn about her African-American roots. Rose Lee, the teen heroine of White Lilacs, now in her 80s, tells about the family during the intervening years, and Emily's mother, Susan, fills in some background. For readers unfamiliar with the Juneteenth celebration, there is some good information here, but the valuable author's note included in the earlier title is not in the sequel. This absence of grounding leaves the story floating and of interest only to those who loved the first book. Those youngsters, in turn, will find disconcerting the fade of Rose Lee's voice in the second half of Jubilee, and her obituary seems tacked on to the ending. Virginia Hamilton's Plain City (Scholastic, 1993) has a richness and honesty that is lacking here.?Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Meyer connects generations in this sequel to White Lilacs (1993), set 75 years later, as 13-year-old Emily Rose goes from Connecticut to Texas to celebrate Juneteenth with her 87-year-old great-grandmother Rose Lee. It's a journey of self-discovery in more ways than one: Biracial Emily Rose knows more about her father's French-Canadian family than her mother's African- American heritage, and is puzzling over her sense of identity. She and her two brothers are not prepared for the discrimination they encounter on the bus trip, the church burnings they hear discussed, or the sharp racial divisions they see when they arrive. Still, their eyes aren't really opened until brother Steven is beaten and arrested for hanging out with a white girl. Meyer develops the story at a leisurely pace, introducing large numbers of people, switching the point of view from Emily Rose to Rose Lee at odd moments, repeating thoughts or anecdotes, weaving in elements--e.g., Emily Rose's new journal, mentioned once, and her feelings about being biracial--then leaving them to dangle. Patient readers will be rewarded by learning how the characters of the first book turned out and will come to admire the lively young protagonist who shares her great-grandmother's strength of character. (Fiction. 11-15) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Topeka Bindery (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613036298
• ISBN-13: 978-0613036290
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,098,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My first book, MISS PATCH'S LEARN-TO-SEW BOOK, published more than forty years ago, was intended to teach young girls how to knot thread, make a neat stitch, and sew simple items. The main character of my next book, CLEOPATRA CONFESSES, coming in June 2011, is a far cry from the roundish, gray-haired lady with a needle in her hand and spectacles on her nose. Since the thrill of seeing that first book in print, I've written over fifty more books, non-fiction and novels (most recently, historical fiction). In the process I've learned more about writing and a lot about history, a subject that was not my favorite when I was a young student but has become my passion--a passion I love to share with readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Journey to a Grand Jubilee, February 22, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jubilee Journey (Paperback)

This book was excellent! I would have to say this is one of my favorite books! I would recommend it for the ages ten and up. It is easy to understand and it's very enjoyable! I like this book so much because, it tells the truth about the history of whites and blacks. It explains how girls and boys from the different races were raised. The black families were moved jout of the town they all loved. And, their churches were burnt down by whites. This book is familiar to a book I once read called Run Away Home. It's famiiar because the main character goes back to her home and her family. In this book Emily Rose, the main character, goes back to her family where her mother was raised after her mom died and her dad left. Although, she is not at her true home, she likes it and doesn't want to leave because she feels like she belongs there. This book is very much multicultural and the struggles of racism. It also tells of how people were mistreated. I loved this because because it touched me and made me realize how badly people got hurt from other people. I really learned a good lesson, that we need to treat all people of every kind equally. It will keep you reading on.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half and Half, January 3, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jubilee Journey (Paperback)

I think that this book was okay. I, myself, being biracial as well think that it can be slightly offending. It is almost sterotyping all biracial teens and saying that they do not "embrace" their black heritage. And I do not appreciate that. However, the book does have some better qualities. It does have a very good message on the struggles that biracial children go thorough in figuring out where they belong. I was actualy able to relate to Emily Rose because she seemed like a real character along with Mother Rose. All of the characters had specific qualites about themselves and it was easy to differentiate them. Overall, I think the book was pretty well written.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought this book was very good!, September 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jubilee Journey (Hardcover)

This book was easy to read and captured my attention. The characters are portrayed in depth and the story was very realistic. I can't think of anything bad to say about the book, but the ending was very abrupt. I'd like a continuation of this story.