This book is a representation of all races, ethnicities, and religions coming together for a common goal. It promotes equality among people of different background that I feel is an important trait to instill in middle school students. The novel is a quick read, a factor that appeals to most middle school students; however, it contains several important and impactful messages about family, tolerance, community and life. The novel’s structure in having each new chapter come from a different character’s perspective contributes to this theme of community but it also introduces and shows students to the different ways that a novel can be written.
Summary courtesy of http://www.edb.utexas.edu/resources/booksR4teens/book_reviews/book_reviews.php?book_id=96
Fleischman, Paul. (1997). Seedfolks. New York: Joanna Cotler Books. 102 pp. ISBN: 0-06-447297-8.Seedfolks is a carefully crafted, elegantly written novel about a community garden that springs up on a trash-laden, rat-infested vacant lot. Each of the thirteen chapters is devoted to a particular character and his/her situation. We learn about the changes in the garden as seen through their eyes. As the book progresses, each person weaves themselves into the garden's life-- making improvements, getting to know others, sharing their time. The volunteers interaction has a carry-over effect outside the garden; they begin to know other's names and become real people to one another. At the end they have a "Harvest Celebration". They are celebrating more than a bunch of plants--they have become part of each other's lives. Fleischman, in sixty nine pages, created a tightly-written novel. Even though it's a quick read, the story stays with you long after you have put the book down. Fleischman creates amazingly realistic characters that speak to universal audiences and make his novel a delight to read.
