To Kill A Mockingbird
By Harper Lee

Sara Lischynsky
6th grade
Van Antwerp Middle School
To Kill A Mockingbird was a really great book! It's about a girl named Scout and her brother Jem, who live in an old Alabaman town during the Depression. One day, they are talking to their friend, Dill, when the topic of conversation changes to Boo Radley, their neighbor. Scout and Jem tell Dill all the rumors they've heard about Boo, and how he's never set foot outside his house. That's when the three of them set the goal to try to make Boo Radley come out of his house.
The rest of the book is about the hardships that occur living in their town, trying to scrape by with their father, a lawyer. It also tells the methods that the children invent of getting Boo Radley out of his house. I won't give away the ending, but one thing's for sure: Boo Radley is not the mean old codger he seems to be.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. The characters are great, and I like the story. The ending is very surprising but satisfying. If there is one book you read this year, this should be it.

Cailin LaVallee
7th grade
Van Antwerp Middle School
One of the best books I have ever read is To Kill A Mocking Bird. It gave me a different outlook on life, and people's views on racial issues in the South a long time ago. It was shocking, compelling, and an all-together wonderful book.
It takes place in an old Southern town when being racist was still OK to America. Atticus is a man living in this town with two children. He is the town's lawyer and a single father. The story is told by his son, the older one, Jem. On the other side of the town where they lived, there was a black community and a "trashy" white community. They all attended different churches and ate at different restaurants. Then, Atticus was assigned to work on a very important case. He had to defend a black man accused of raping a white teenager. Atticus believed this man was innocent, but, of course black people accused of crimes were always found guilty. Atticus was determined to change that, and to the eyes of his 12-year-old son, he was a hero.
This book was easy to read because the plot was so interesting. I was curious how Atticus would represent the case, and if the town can change its views on black people, and if the man would be found innocent. Please, take my advice, read this book it is worth your while.

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