Title:

Grow                                                                     'Tween #4

Author:

Juanita Havill

Illustrator:

Stanislawa Kodman

Publisher:

Peachtree

Date:

2008

ISBN:

9781561454419

# of Pages (Readership):

159 pp. (Intermediate, ‘Tween)

Genre

Novel in verse, realistic fiction

Diversity

Intergenerational neighborhood project, not all ethnicities specified

Plot Summary:

Narrator 12-year-old Kate and her neighbor Berneetha, an unemployed special education teacher, plant a garden in a vacant lot. Harlan, a rough-around-the-edges teen is the first to join them. Then, one by one other neighbors rally around the effort and advocate for the garden when the heir to the land wants to build a parking structure on lot. They lose the case, but solve the problem by moving the garden, including the grave of Berneetha's deceased cat SamiSue, down the block.

Illustrations:

Line drawings by Kodman reinforce the metaphor of growth, the blooming of the garden and the growing of community and Kate’s growing up. And she does so effectively without including any people in the illustrations.

Theme(s):

Communities create families for one another by workin together toward a common goal.

Personal Response:

Havill creates compelling characters in this quick read. Berneetha, seen through Kate’s eyes, is a larger than life character whose personality and power impact the lives of all she touches. My favorite poems: “About Berneetha,” “Weeds,” “Funeral,” “My Dad,” and “Day in Court.”

Curricular or Programming Connections:

Collaborative projects, advocacy, problem-solving

Intergenerational friendship

Communities working together