To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Warner Books, Inc., New York: 1960
ISBN: 0-446-31078-6

Plot Summary:
To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by Scout Finch, who is reflecting upon events leading up to her older brother Jem suffering a broken arm. Starting in the summer when she is six years old, Scout, her brother Jem, and a visiting friend Dill decide to try to get the mysterious recluse, Boo Radley to come out of his house. The whole Radley family never talks to anyone in the small Southern town of Maycomb.

School starts for Scout, and she begins to realize she's different. She can already read and write. She begins to see that not all kids her age were raised as she was, and also wonders why the Ewell children don't have to go to school. Her father Atticus is a lawyer raising the children on his own. His parenting style is unique in that he treats Scout and Jem as individuals, rather than pesky children.

When Atticus is assigned to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, against the rape accusations of the white Mayella Ewell, his actions cause a scandal. He actually takes his task seriously and proves that the accusations are false and that Mayella and her father are liars. Nevertheless, Robinson is convicted and later dies trying to escape. Scout and Jem find it difficult to understand how he could have been found guilty.

In order to extract revenge on Atticus for making him look like a fool, Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem, breaking Jem's arm and roughing up Scout. If not for Boo Radley who has silently been protecting the children throughout the novel, they might have been killed. Later, Bob Ewell is found dead, presumably killed by Boo Radley. Scout understands that putting Radley on trial would be something akin to killing a mockingbird.

Critical Evaluation:
This book gets better with each reading. Being told from the point of view of an innocent child means that we don't get any implying of what is going on- we see what she sees without much filter. We do not have to be told what is right or wrong, we can see it very clearly and decide for ourselves.

For all the seriousness of the topics of prejudice, justice, bravery and sympathy, the novel is full of subtle wit and charm. Scout is impossible not to love, and she is a character who will never leave the reader.

Reader’s Annotation:
A child learns painful lessons about the human capacity for love, hate, kindness and cruelty in small Southern town.

Information about the Author:
Harper Lee was from Monroeville, Alabama and briefly studied law at the University of Alabama. After meeting a literary agent in New York, she decided to write a full length book. To Kill a Mockingbird was her first novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960.

Genre: realistic fiction

Curriculum Ties: 8th grade English

Booktalking Ideas:
I would talk about Scout's point of view and how she grows throughout the novel. I would focus on the mysterious Boo Radley, and the exciting trial.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
For ages 15 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book would most likely be challenged for its use of the local vernacular for describing African-Americans. I would have to explain the significance of this beautiful novel and give the challenger a copy of the library's selection policy and a complaint form.

Why I chose this book:
I chose this book because it is one that I think every high school student should read and explore. Besides the messages it sends, it is a great tool for studying literature: clear themes and styles that a high school student could spend a lot of time analyzing.