Mighty inside

Title:

Mighty inside

Author:

Frazier, Sundee T., 1968- author.

Summary:

Melvin Robinson wants a strong, smooth, He-Man voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants--especially to his crush Millie Takazawa, and Gary Ratliff, who constantly puts him down. But the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse. And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere--not just in the South where a boy his age has been brutally killed by two white men, but also in his own hometown of Spokane--is making him realize that he can't mutely stand by. His new friend Lenny, a fast-talking, sax-playing Jewish boy who lives above the town's infamous (and segregated) Harlem Club, encourages Melvin to take some risks--to invite Millie to Homecoming and even audition for a local TV variety show. When they play music together, Melvin almost feels like he's talking, no words required. But there are times when one needs to speak up. When his moment comes, can Melvin be as mighty on the outside as he actually is on the inside?

Physical Description:

240 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Subject Term:

Stutterers -- Juvenile fiction.

Stuttering in children -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Middle school students -- Juvenile fiction.

Racism -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

Spokane (Wash.) -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Levine Querido,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9781646140916

Publication Information:

Montclair, [New Jersey] : Levine Querido, 2021

Call Number:

M FRAZIER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003549253	Middle Fiction	FRAZIER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Melvin Robinson wants a strong, smooth, He-Man voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants - especially to his crush Millie Takazawa, and Gary Ratliff, who constantly puts him down. But the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse.

And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere - not just in the South where a boy his age has been brutally killed by two white men, but also in his own hometown of Spokane - is making him realise that he can't mutely stand by.

His new friend Lenny, a fast-talking, sax-playing Jewish boy, who lives above the town's infamous (and segregated) Harlem Club, encourages Melvin to take some risks - to invite Millie to Homecoming and even audition for a local TV variety show. When they play music together, Melvin almost feels like he's talking, no words required. But there are times when one needs to speak up.

When his moment comes, can Melvin be as mighty on the outside as he actually is on the inside?

Author Notes

Sundee T. Frazier is the ALA Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent award-winning author of Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It, Brendan Buckley's Sixth-Grade Experiment, The Other Half of My Heart , and the Cleo Edison Oliver series. Mighty Inside was inspired by her Black family's real-life experiences integrating a white neighbourhood in Spokane, WA, in the 1950s and her childhood memories of Spokane's proud, tight-knit, African-American community. Her books have been nominated for twelve state children's choice awards and been recognised by the Children's Book Council, Bank Street College of Education, and Kirkus Reviews. Frazier is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives near Seattle, WA, with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--7--In September 1955 in Spokane, WA, Melvin, a young Black boy, and his family are living in a predominantly white neighborhood. The presence of a small, supportive Black community within it does not stop the bigotry. Starting high school is intimidating enough, but between his stutter and the two racist bullies who will not leave him alone, life is tough. His brother Chuck gives him a list of dos and don'ts, but it is too difficult to follow the advice. Luckily, he meets Lenny, a Jewish sax player who quickly becomes a good friend. Lenny plays music, lives above the famous Harlem Club, and encourages Melvin to speak with Millie, the Japanese American girl whom Melvin has a crush on. Not only do the conversations with Millie make Melvin more confident, they increase his awareness of the treatment of Japanese people during World War II. Racial tensions build to a climactic confrontation that is based on experiences from the author's own family. VERDICT Set during the same time as the brutal murder of Emmett Till, this powerful novel weaves strong characters into the tapestry of civil rights, treatment of people with disabilities, fallout fear from the war, and ever-changing cultural shifts that defined the 1950s. An excellent middle grade purchase for any library.--Claire Covington, Broadway H.S., VA

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this richly layered historical novel set in 1955 Spokane, Wash., Frazier (The Other Half of My Heart) recounts the first few months of high school for freshman Melvin Robinson, one of two Black boys in his class. Always feeling inferior to his accomplished siblings, Melvin loves science, reading, and music, but is painfully embarrassed by his stutter, which has recently ramped up. The narrative follows Melvin's successes and setbacks in gaining control of the stutter, building a friendship with jazz-loving Jewish boy Lenny, fending off a bully, and shyly pursuing a relationship with Millie, who is of Japanese American descent. Frazier skillfully weaves in interpersonal moments (Melvin's brother is admonished as "not those kind of Negroes") and historical signposts (the lynching of Emmett Till) to shine a light on systemic racism in the United States. Young and adult characters are well developed, tension builds slowly and expectantly to a satisfying climax, and the author's familiarity with the landscape (per an author's note) is evident in the solid, detailed sense of place. A well-constructed and movingly told story of a thoughtful Black boy making his place in his family and in 1950s America. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)