Customer Reviews

Standing Against the Wind

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Being uprooted from the only home she's ever known, Patrice gets dumped at her aunt's house because her mama went to jail. Patrice, unused to the cruel street life of New York City has to work through difficulties so she can apply for a scholarship to an elite boarding school.

This encouraging book promotes determination, intelligence, and the goodness hidden in others. A wonderful book for late elementary and middle school students.

This was a great read for my daughter and I. It's a very well written story about deterimination. Patrice was not letting anything get in her way, she wanted more for herself than fancy clothes, nice hair do and having a boyfriend like the other girls. Although she lived in a harsh environment, she was going to achieve her dream despite all the forces that tried to knock her down. I love the fact that Patrice was focus, and nothing was going to get in her way, she wanted desperatly to get out of her situation. A great message to send out to all young readers.

Traci L. Jones earns a well-deserved Coretta Scott King Award for her first novel Standing Against the Wind. Weaving the theme of hope with finding strength and courage in oneself, Jones invites her reader to share an emotional chapter in the life of protagonist Patrice Williams. Chapter 1 finds Patrice having been uprooted from the warmth of her grandmother's Georgian home and deposited with her Auntie Mae in winter-blasted Chicago while her mother serves time in prison. In Jones' modernized and urbanized Cinderella tale, Patrice feels she must ease the additional financial burden her presence adds by cooking, cleaning, and watching her young cousins for her aunt. Although Auntie Mae is no evil stepmother, she is far from nurturing and expects Patrice to earn her keep. Patrice's dream of escape appears in the form of an opportunity to attend the academically elite Dogwood Academy--one of the nation's finest predominantly African American boarding schools--if she can win one of the three coveted scholarships. Patrice must find the strength and courage to face challenges that threaten to crush her spirit--feeling displaced, ugly, small, overwhelmed, fearful, let-down, and helpless. Help unexpectedly comes in the form of Monty, an eighth-grade gang member turned prince charming.

The plot is captivating, the setting realistic, and Traci L. Jones' language is rich and full of imagery. The metaphorical pictures Jones paints, ranging from mythical dragons to junkyard dogs, are treats for the reader's imagination (and an imagery wonderland for reading teachers). Some young readers (5th or 6th graders), however, may find one chapter of the book in which Patrice is sexually harassed unsettling. Another unsettling issue involves both Patrice and Monty. Although Patrice becomes stronger and more self-assured throughout the novel, the reader has to wonder if she could have achieved this new-found strength and courage without the help of Monty (a strong male presence) and his protection. Additionally, considering Monty's character, one might ask whether a young rogue needs a helpless maiden to protect in order to bring out the good in him.

These quandaries, however, do not detract from the appealing quality of Jones' Standing Against the Wind. It is sure to interest middle school and junior high students. The characters are real--peers any student might encounter regularly. The message is also very clear and relevant for students this age: teens are not helpless pawns in life with no choice or control over their own actions and destinies. I look forward to hearing more from Traci L. Jones.

This book is awesome. I am a 5th grade Reading teacher and my students and I read this book. Almost every student finished it over the weekend, they said they couldn't put the book down. During our "book talk" after we finished reading the book, every students wanted to participate, even the students who don't normally participate. My students and I are waiting for the next book by this talented author.

I just finished reading Standing Against the Wind, it was an awesome read. I just happened to pick it up as I was leaving the bookstore and I'm truly glad that I did. Patrice, a young teenager, with a grim environment, remains studious despite peer pressure, social norms of fellow middle schoolers and her current living situation. She befriends Monty, a neighborhood boy, that happens to hang out with the wrong crowd and the two partake in a journey that teens will relate to with much ease. It's a book about self-determination, intelligence and what modern day teens encounter. It is a great read for upper elementary, middle school students and parents of tweens.

This book is great for grades 5-9. Its very inspirational. I'm 13 and i couldn't put the book down. It has real life things it it that you can relate to. This is my favorite book and I would recommend this book to Anyone ! '