Crow, Barbara Wright
Crow, Barbara Wright
4 Rating(s)
List: $23.00 | Sale: $16.10
Club: $11.50

Crow

Author: Barbara Wright

Narrator: JD Jackson

Unabridged: 7 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/09/2013


Synopsis

The summer of 1898 is filled with ups and downs for 11-year-old Moses. He's growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny butts heads constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his mother is reeling from the discovery of a family secret. Yet there are good times, too. He's teaching his grandmother how to read. For the first time she's sharing stories about her life as a slave. And his father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of power they've earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But not everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will do anything, including a violent plot against the government, to maintain the status quo.

One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community—enfranchised and emancipated—suddenly and violently loses its freedom in turn of the century North Carolina when a group of local politicians stages the only successful coup d'etat in US history.

About The Author

BARBARA WRIGHT grew up in North Carolina, and has lived all over the world, from France, to Korea, to El Salvador.  She has worked as a fact-checker for Esquire and as a screenwriter. This is her first novel for children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Colby on February 22, 2012

I wish I were smart enough to write a review on this amazing book. Nothing I would say could do this book justice.......more

Goodreads review by Barb on November 26, 2012

Last spring, I accidentally tripped over a Goodreads Newbery 2013 prediction list. This small gem of a list has had me blazing through many great novels the past few months. Actually I was blazing a few months ago. Now I'm snatching time here and there. Anyhoo... check out Crow...a worthy recommenda......more

Goodreads review by Jelly12 on February 26, 2016

I Love this book! This book takes place 1898. A 11 year old boy named Moses is growing up in a small town in North Carolina. It was really was exciting and sad and very interesting. The end of the book is really sad! I need to read more books from her.......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on September 09, 2017

I've never read historical fiction about this time period in the South and really enjoyed learning about the post-emancipation cultural transitions. I particularly liked the generational differences in this family where the grandmother was a slave, the mother was born into slavery but freed as a bab......more

Goodreads review by Mike on September 25, 2012

"I've been naive. I've taught you to live in a world I wanted to exist, not one that actually does." Nothing makes me happier than to blindly stumble into a great story. With the right recommendation, even the flap is a spoiler. Boo Nanny is the first reason to fall in love with this book. As Moses t......more


Quotes

Starred Review, School Library Journal, January 1, 2012:
“The expert blending of vivid historical details with the voice of a courageous, relatable hero makes this book shine.”

Starred Review, The Horn Book Magazine, January 1, 2012:
“Wright has taken a little-known event and brought it to vivid life, with a richly evoked setting of a town on the Cape Fear River, where a people not far from the days of slavery look forward to the promise of the twentieth century.”

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, December 12, 2011:
“This thought-provoking novel and its memorable cast offer an unflinching and fresh take on race relations, injustice, and a fascinating, little-known chapter of history.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2011:
"Relying on historical records, Wright deftly combines real and fictional characters to produce an intimate story about the Wilmington riots to disenfranchise black citizens. An intensely moving, first-person narrative of a disturbing historical footnote told from the perspective of a very likable, credible young hero."


Awards

  • ALA Notable Children's Book
  • New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing