Bird in a Box

Gr 4—7—The lives of three children converge in upstate New York during the Great Depression in Andrea Davis Pinkney's excellent novel (Little, Brown, 2011). Hibernia lives with her father, a preacher. Her mother left to follow her dream of singing professionally when her daughter was very young. A talented singer herself, Hibernia and the church choir perform at a nearby orphanage. A would-be boxer until he was seriously hurt by his abusive father, 12-year-old Willie's loving mother sends him to the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans where he meets Otis, whose parents were killed in an accident. Hibernia, Willie, and Otis vividly come to life in alternating chapters convincingly voiced by Bahni Turpin, S'Von Ringo, and J. B. Adkins. Listeners will empathize with the characters as the children's individual stories unfold, each filled with authentic detail and real emotion. Excitement builds as the children and the adults in their lives follow the matches of the Brown Bomber, a young boxer named Joe Louis, who was to become a heavyweight champion and an enduring symbol of pride and hope for African Americans. The novel reaches a satisfying conclusion, and is followed by the author sharing her meticulous research which involved libraries, older family members, and even training for the ring in antique boxing gloves. Additional information to separate fact from fiction is read by each of the performers. This engaging production brings an absorbing and enlightening book to life.—Maria Salvadore, formerly Washington DC Public Library