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Sugar

Contributors

By Jewell Parker Rhodes

Formats and Prices

Price

$16.99

Price

$22.49 CAD

Format

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around May 7, 2013. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

From Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Towers Falling and Ninth Ward (a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and a Today show Al’s Book Club for Kids pick) comes a tale of a strong, spirited young girl who rises beyond her circumstances and inspires others to work toward a brighter future.

Ten-year-old Sugar lives on the River Road sugar plantation along the banks of the Mississippi. Slavery is over, but laboring in the fields all day doesn’t make her feel very free. Thankfully, Sugar has a knack for finding her own fun, especially when she joins forces with forbidden friend Billy, the white plantation owner’s son.

Sugar has always yearned to learn more about the world, and she sees her chance when Chinese workers are brought in to help harvest the cane. The older River Road folks feel threatened, but Sugar is fascinated. As she befriends young Beau and elder Master Liu, they introduce her to the traditions of their culture, and she, in turn, shares the ways of plantation life. Sugar soon realizes that she must be the one to bridge the cultural gap and bring the community together. Here is a story of unlikely friendships and how they can change our lives forever.

  • * "A magical story of hope."
    Kirkus Reviews, starred review
  • "Rhodes has created a remarkable protagonistas she artfully brings American history to life... this beautiful novel instantly grips readers' attention and emotions, holding them until the last word."
    School Library Journal
  • "Sugar is superbly triumphant--both heroine and story. This glorious mainstay opens an underrepresented chapter in American history."
    Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer, National Book Award Finalist, and recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, Scott O'Dell Award, and Newbery Honor
  • "Sugar is sweet. Sugar is sharp. Sugar is to be savored. Told through the sassy-gritty voice of a child, this novel brilliantly blends cultures and traditions not often seen together-that of former slaves and Chinese workers harvesting sugarcane during the aftermath of slavery. With nuanced storytelling, Jewell Parker Rhodes vividly portrays the brutality of the times, as well as the triumphs that arise when a community comes together. Those who read Sugar will be inspired to search deep within themselves to find the true meanings of friendship and freedom."
    Andrea Davis Pinkney, Coretta Scott King Award Winner & author of Bird in a Box

On Sale
May 7, 2013
Page Count
288 pages
ISBN-13
9780316043052

Jewell Parker Rhodes

About the Author

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for youth, including Ghost Boys; Black Brother, Black Brother; Paradise on Fire; and Treasure Island: Runaway Gold. She is the recipient of many distinguished awards and honors, including the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Green Earth Book Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Octavia E. Butler Award. Rhodes is the Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University. She invites you to connect with her at jewellparkerrhodes.com.

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