Guardian by Julius Lester

"Guardian" by Julius Lester is a powerful book. Julius Lester is a Newberry Honoree and Coretta Scott King Award winner. After reading this book I am not surprised he is an award winning author. "Guardian" is an emotional, unforgettable and painful story about life in a Southern town named Davis in 1946. Because the story is full of racial tension I would recommend this book for older teens; However, librarians might differ with me. I loved this book because it is about a small town. Another part of me hated reading about this small town which was typical of so many southern towns during this time. A small town where we are shown the brutal face of racism during this period. To back up his story Julius Lester piles on the facts including a chart of statistical information. Then, there is always the other side of the coin. We have come so far from the days when so much behavior was questioned, just not allowed and/or just called plain out criminal. I especially enjoyed reading about the friendship between Ansel and Willie. These two boys are so different. One difference, besides race, is that Willie's father is mentally unstable. Just imagine how this must seem very stressful and perplexing to a child. Before the summer is over both boys will have changed and matured. It is unfortunate that both boys will learn "Trees remember." The cover of the book is awesome giving a bit of an idea what the boys will see in Ansel's fourteenth summer.