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Flying South

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

In the sticky-hot summer of 1968, a year in American history marked by assassinations, Vietnam War protests, and civil rights rioting, Alice faces some trying concerns of her own. Alice longs for a connection with her mother, who is beautiful but distant, caught up in the search for a husband who will help erase the memory of Alice's father. Alice's friendship with Bridget, a tennis-playing Twiggy, introduces her to competitiveness and the shallow pettiness of spoiled rich girls, as as well as to the prejudice that many Americans still feel toward black people.

It is Alice's friendship with Doc, the family gardener and handyman, that continually brings her back to the truths that will shape the decsions in her life. Doc reminds Alice that life is about "passing the test" — doing what's right.

Flying South celebrates a young girl's coming-of-age in a delicate, moving narrative that sings with the understated, yet resonate, pleasures of life in the American South.

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    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2003
      Gr 4-7-With curiosity and introspection, Alice, 10, recounts one summer's everyday events. She and her widowed mother live near Charlottesville, VA, on the estate that Grace inherited from her parents. While the fashionable, distracted woman seeks the attentions of a well-heeled politician, her daughter soaks up the kindness, wisdom, and affection of the elderly staff-Doc, the gardener, and Edna, the cook. Helping Doc tend the magnificent roses, Alice learns the importance of appreciating differences, protecting others, and standing tall for what you believe. When he has a stroke, she realizes she is saying good-bye to her best friend. Political events of 1968 create a backdrop for the inner turmoil the child experiences and the values she possesses. This spunky, talkative, compassionate girl occasionally seems wiser than her self-absorbed mother and is surprisingly tolerant, acquiescing to such demands as sitting through tedious formal dinners with Grace and her beau. However, when the pompous, bullying suitor threatens Alice while proposing marriage, maternal instincts surface; Grace rejects his offer and recognizes the character and strength in her daughter. This is both a poignant mother-daughter story and a comforting tale of the affection between a lonely young girl and an irascible but devoted old man. Doc's gems of insight invigorate Alice and shape her outlook on life. Readers will find poignancy, humor, and history in this story.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC

      Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      August 1, 2003
      Gr. 5-7. It's the summer of 1968. Alice, nearly 11, on her family farm near Charlottesville, Virginia, can't really please her glamorous, self-absorbed, widowed mom, who is determined to marry the local right-wing politician. Alice's true "parents" are the family housekeeper, Edna, and especially the old gardener, Doc, who teaches her to tend the roses and to stand up for what she knows is right. Through Alice's first-person narrative, Elliott creates a strong sense of the time and place, with issues of feminism and civil rights woven into both plot and characterization. There's no sappiness. Doc loves Alice, but he can be mean, angry, and wrong. Mom isn't demonized; her own mother rejected her, and she struggles now, with Alice's help, to escape the marriage cage. The rose-garden metaphor is subtle, but the hurt and comfort implicit in the thorns and flowers will stay with readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2003
      It's 1968, and ten-year-old Alice only vaguely understands the civil rights battles tearing apart the country. When her mother begins dating a bigoted politician, Alice relies on Doc, the family's curmudgeonly gardener, to teach her some life lessons. The novel is purposeful, and Alice often seems either older or younger than she is, but the story is still engaging.

      (Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.7
  • Lexile® Measure:660
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

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