Freedom Summer

Two boys discover the impact of prejudice when laws change and both are allowed to swim in the town pool. To their deep disappointment the pool is filled with asphalt rather than become a place for all races to swim.

Two boys, John Henry and Joe, are best friends and want to do everythng together. There is one problem, John Henry is black and because of the color of his skin he cannot participate in many things, such as, swimming in the public pool.

This is a terrific book, with a wonderful message about friendship. This book could also be used to enhance a discussion about the civil rights movement and how life unfortunately was unfair and unjust for many people during that time.

This story is about two little boys who seem to have many things in common. They both want to be firemen, they like to swim in the creek, and they love ice pops. The only difference is that Joe is white and John Henry is black and this story takes place in the south during the 1960s. Although the

Show More

Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, many Americans still opposed it.

When I read this book to my children for the first time, they found it hard to believe that our society once functioned that way for so many years. This story also helps us to talk about the other ways that people discriminate against eachother. I especially liked that Joe never left his friend's side. That really showed what true friendship is all about.

One classroom extension would be to simply have a class discussion about discrimination. Another idea would be to have students write about what they would do to make things better for Joe and John Henry.

Show Less

fantastic story with awesome illustration, its a great book to read to kids and talk about social issues and how they would like to be treated

Genre: Historical Fiction
Media: Acrylic paint
Age Appropriateness: primary
Plot: people against society
Characterization: John Henry Waddell is a flat dynamic character. We don't know much about him, because his best friend is the narrator and so we only know about him from that perspective. He also

Show More

does not change much throughout the book. He constantly has the desire to be like his friend.
Review: This book is a great example of historical fiction. It retells the events of the end of segregation through the voices of children. It is believable and personal because you see it as though you are a kid during that time.

Show Less

Freedom Summer is the story of two best friends Joe and John Henry. The story is based in the South in 1964, when blacks were not allowed to have the same rights as white people. The friends don't let anything get in their way, except for the fact that Joe is white and John Henry is black. When the

Show More

two decide that they want to go swimming in the city pool but the pool was filled with tar when they got there because the owner did not want to open his pool to colored people. Joe and John Henry overcome the obstacles and go buy ice pops in the general stores.

This story is powerful and full of emotion. You feel so horrible for John Henry when he can't do all the things his best friend gets to do.

I would use this book during Black History Month and let students compare and contrast the 1960's American and life today. I would allow students to make "friendship braclets" in class with another student of their choice. I would then match them with another student whom they don't seem to have much in common with on the exterior.

Show Less

Genre: realistic fiction

This is a great example of realistic fiction. This is the story of a white boy who is best friends with a black boy. It is set in the 1960s and segregation is still in place. The boy is learning to how the society works and how it is more important to be a true friend than

Show More

to care about the color of skin.

Age Appropriate: intermediate
Rubric: 28

Show Less

age app: primary - secondary

genre: historical fiction

review: This is a great example of historical fiction. The author paints a picture of what life was like after the Civil Rights Acts. He created the story out of his own experiences.

13. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles is a book written about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law banned segregation in public places, and the story takes place in a southern town during that summer when the law was passed. Freedom Summer is written from the unique perspective of two friends, John

Show More

Henry is black and Joe is white. This law affects both of the boys differently and the story conveys both perspectives. The illustrations really provide insight into character’s feelings and motivation. This is a very thought provoking and moving story of two friends growing up in during the Civil Rights era.

Show Less

This is a personal book about the Civil Rights Movement. It would be a good book to read together as a class and then talk about the destructive nature of discrimination. It could be used in conjunction with Social Studies when learning about the Civil Rights Movement or as a lesson on friendship

Show More

and equal treatment.

Show Less

Personal Response:

I was born during the Civil Rights movement so of course I don't remember the struggles that were faced. I appreciate literature that helps me understand how hard it was for African Americans during that time and how hard it was for children of different races to be

Show More

friends.

Curricular Connections:

I would use this with my students for Social Studies lessons on the Civil Rights movement.

Show Less

A white boy and a black boy, John Henry, are best friends. They know each other because John Henry's mother works for the white boy's family. The boys do everything together, everything they are able to do at least. This book is based on the time when whites and blacks were segregated. John Henry

Show More

was not allowed to do many of the things his white friend could, but they were still the best of friends no matter what. Finally, there is news that the town pool is open to both blacks and whites. Excited that this will be the first time they could do something publicly together, the boys are the first to arrive at the pool. However, whites still go against this idea and the city workers fill in the pool with tar to so that nobody can swim in it. The boys are very upset. Rebellious, they go get an ice pop at the store, and this time they walk in together.
This is a sad book because the boys mean no harm; they just want to have fun together, and John Henry is not allowed to do so many things just because he is black. The saddest part about it is that this is really how it was everywhere not too long ago. I love how the white boy loves John Henry regardless of him being black. He looks past that, only thinking of him as his best friend.
This book could be read as an aid in a lesson over Black Segregation. It could also be read as a part of Black History Month. In addition, the children will learn a valuable lesson about friendship, despite the color of somebody's skin.

Show Less

This is a very evocative book about racism and hatred. Here's this boy, excited to play in the pool for the first time - and he can't. The city was so upset about integration that they filled the pool with concrete rather than let black people swim there. Terrible.

This book is realistic, and we can

Show More

always use more books about history. It's well-written, I like the artwork.

But...

See, now, I have to ask this. Here's this book about integration, about hatred, about racism. It features a white boy and his black best friend. Best friend's big brother makes an appearance, too. The best friend is the one who feels heartbroken, he's the one who's suffering here...

So why is the white kid the narrator?

Is this story of friendship, and of hatred, really his story to tell? Why couldn't John Henry have told his own story?

Show Less

Summary: This was historical fiction because we’re not sure if these two boys really lived and were best friends. But, it was historical because African Americans did gain freedom and people did resist to that.

Setting: Semi-backdrop because this could have been in any town in the 1960s. But it

Show More

had to be in the 1960s. This was when African Americans were starting to earn their freedom.

Level: 4th-6th Subject: History

Show Less

Good book for primary, intermediate, and middle school children.

This book is historical fiction because these two boys most likely did not really live, but there are probably some that did live exactly like them. The struggles of African Americans that are talked about in this book really did

Show More

happen.

John Henry Waddell and the narrator are the two main characters in the book. At the beginning, both don't really understand the reasons behind why they are not allowed to do the same things, but they participate anyways. Once John Henry gets a taste of what it would be like to not be discriminated against, however, he becomes angry. Through this experience, both boys grow and stick up for what is right more. The theme of this book is to stand up for what you believe in. At the end, John Henry did just that and it seemed to be a defining moment in his life.

Show Less

This is an excellent example of historical fiction because it joins history with the author's fictitious characters. It is set in the time period when African Americans were technically beginning to receive more freedoms in the US, but the actual change was slow to occur; the pain caused by

Show More

prejudice is expressed through the fictitious characters' lives.

Illustrations: pastel

Show Less

Freedom Summer is a powerful story about segregation/integration which reflect ideas of Jim Crow Laws. It is sad to think this kind of behavior greatly affected children. I like how the story is told through the eyes of two young friends, a young black boy and a young white boy who desperately want

Show More

to openly be friends. It's really hard to read this book without getting emotional. I hope more and more children are given the freedom to play regardless of someone's color.

Show Less

A historical fiction text, based on true events, about two young boys, one white and one black, during the Civil Rights movement in 1964. Tells the story of a courageous friendship that persists despite strong racism existent in the South.

In the book, best friends Joe and John Henry are more than

Show More

excited to finally swim together in the town pool the day the Anti-Segregation Laws are passed. However, sadly the boys arrive at the pool, find that it has been filled in with tar, and discover that despite the Anti-Segregation Laws racism still strongly exists and it will take more than that to change peoples' minds.

Excellent text for doing an elementary social studies read aloud, especially during Civil Rights units, etc.

Show Less

The story takes place in the early 1960’s in the southern part of the United States right after the Civil Rights act was passed. I would begin by inquiring into what the students have heard about the southern part of the US and the Civil Rights Act as well and explain that this book is about a

Show More

friendship between two boys that have different color skin.

The town announces desegregation of the local swimming pool, but instead of being able to go swimming, the pool is closed. The main theme is friendship while fairness and courage to speak up also come in. The illustrations portray the mood of frustration at the current system.

After reading the book, I may have the students talk in small groups about how would you feel in this situation being either boy. What may have occurred when they walked into the store together at the end? Do you think this is a good title to represent the book? What does the pool represent?

Show Less

This book is truly about friendship in a very difficult time. There were a lot alike. How were they different What problems did their differences cause? How did they solve their problem(s)?

Book takes place during the Civil Rights act of 1964. Two young boys, one white and one black, stood up for segregation and what they belived in. The theme of this book is standing up for what you belive in and fighting for what you know is right. These types of books are always moving to me!

I enjoyed “Freedom Summer”. I was not blown away or left deep in thought (which I unrealistically expect when I read books about social issues), but I did enjoy the read. I liked how the author provided background knowledge about the subject matter and why she was driven to write this story. In

Show More

Wiles “A Note About the Text” she gives a brief history lesson of the Civil Right Act of 1964 and the people’s reaction to this new law. Wiles relates personally to the book as a “white child in Mobile, Alabama” who “wondered what ant child – black or white – could do.”. I felt this gave great insight and put the reader in the right mindset for the story. I also enjoyed the almost poetic verbiage Wiles uses in telling the story. For instance Wiles describes John Henry’s skin as “the color of browned butter” and smelling “like pine needles after a good rain”. I felt the words on the page were almost singing to me which gave it a nice flow and an easy read.

The overall message of the book is to educate about civil rights and to see those times through a child’s eyes. It is a story of true friendship and how so often our young people are more insightful than their adult counterparts.

Show Less

Genre: Historical Fiction
Review: The author does a great job of telling her story through this historical fiction. In the book the boys are not real characters nor are the exact events but what the boys are experiencing is the discrimination of blacks that happened during the 1960's. This books

Show More

shows how difficult it was for blacks and whites to be friends and how these boys had to work through their situation and figure out how to be friends in the cruel world that we live in.
Media: Pastels
Characterization: John Henry is the African American boy in this book, he is a very dynamic character. The book begins with the portrayal that he is a shy boy who follows his mother to work. As the book goes on we begin to see that he enjoys many things especially being with his friend Joe. We finally see him stick up for what he believes is right by going into the store with Joe. I really enjoyed how the author wrote John Henry because we can see how the steps that he took to finally get him to the point that he was at.

Show Less