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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Dayton Public Library | JFIC GREENFIELD | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Lyons Public Library | JR GREENFIELD | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Koya Delaney, an eleven-year-old African-American girl, has trouble expressing anger, until her cousin, a popular male singer, comes to town.
Summary
Little Koya Delaney has a knack for hiding what she truly feels with her infectious laugh that leaves everyone happy - except herself. Koya is upset by an argument that her sister Loritha had with her dear friend Dawn right before a double-dutch jump rope contest. Not sure what to do about the situation, she remains angry with the both of them, and confused by the situation. To further her bad day, her cousin Del, a rock star, comes to visit, and now her attention must be focused on him instead of Loritha and Dawn. When she sees how Del's fans react to him, she slowly learns how to get in touch with her own emotions. And although she's still angry with both Loritha and Dawn, she eventually learns how to deal with her feelings, and approach her friends in a mature way.
Author Greenfield writes with candor and sensitivity, beautifully creating strong and credible characters whose struggles with their emotions are realistically portrayed. And although she puts forth several themes in this story - willingness to learn about one's self, dealing with other people's emotions, and making friendships work - Greenfield's seamless construction makes the storyline easy to follow. After reading this, readers may want to talk about how they deal with difficult emotions in sticky situations, why it's important to tell people how you feel without hurting them, and most importantly, to always be true to yourself.
Author Notes
Eloise Greenfield was born in Parmele, North Carolina, on May 17, 1929. While she was still an infant, her family moved to Washington, D.C., where she has lived ever since. Ms. Greenfield studied piano as a child and teenager, before getting a full time civil service job. Her decision to write came from a lack of books on African Americans. There were far too few books that told the truth about African-American people. Ms. Greenfield wanted to change that.
Greenfield has received many honors for her work, including the 1990 Recognition of Merit Award presented by the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books in Claremont, California for Honey, I Love; and an honorary degree from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing herself, Eloise Greenfield has found time to work with other writers. She headed the Adult Fiction and Children's Literature divisions of the D.C. Black Writers' Workshop (now defunct), a group whose goal was to encourage the writing and publishing of Africa-American literature. She has given free workshops on the writing of African-American literature for children, and, under grants from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, has taught creative writing to elementary and junior high school students. Ms. Greenfield is also a member of the African-American Writers Guild.
Greenfield has also received the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, given by the National Council of Teachers of English. In 1999 she became a member of the National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for Africa Dream, the Carter G. Woodson Award for Rosa Parks, and the Irma Simonton Black Award for She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl. For many of her books, she has received Notable Book citations from the American Library Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Council for the Social Studies. Ms. Greenfield has received, for the body of her work, the 1993 Lifetime Achievement Award from Moonstone, Inc., Philadelphia; and the 1993 Children's Literature and Social Responsibility Award from the Boston Educators for Social Responsibility.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Eloise Greenfield was born in Parmele, North Carolina, on May 17, 1929. While she was still an infant, her family moved to Washington, D.C., where she has lived ever since. Ms. Greenfield studied piano as a child and teenager, before getting a full time civil service job. Her decision to write came from a lack of books on African Americans. There were far too few books that told the truth about African-American people. Ms. Greenfield wanted to change that.
Greenfield has received many honors for her work, including the 1990 Recognition of Merit Award presented by the George G. Stone Center for Children's Books in Claremont, California for Honey, I Love; and an honorary degree from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing herself, Eloise Greenfield has found time to work with other writers. She headed the Adult Fiction and Children's Literature divisions of the D.C. Black Writers' Workshop (now defunct), a group whose goal was to encourage the writing and publishing of Africa-American literature. She has given free workshops on the writing of African-American literature for children, and, under grants from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, has taught creative writing to elementary and junior high school students. Ms. Greenfield is also a member of the African-American Writers Guild.
Greenfield has also received the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, given by the National Council of Teachers of English. In 1999 she became a member of the National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for Africa Dream, the Carter G. Woodson Award for Rosa Parks, and the Irma Simonton Black Award for She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl. For many of her books, she has received Notable Book citations from the American Library Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Council for the Social Studies. Ms. Greenfield has received, for the body of her work, the 1993 Lifetime Achievement Award from Moonstone, Inc., Philadelphia; and the 1993 Children's Literature and Social Responsibility Award from the Boston Educators for Social Responsibility.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4 - 6-- Koya is a bright, giggly African-American sixth grader who lives with her parents and older sister, Loritha. Loritha and her best friend are members of the double-dutch jump-rope team and are practicing for the championship competition. When a rift develops between the two friends, and during subsequent events, Koya tries to be the peacemaker and ``good girl'' until the role gives her the blues. When she finally screams her displeasure, she realizes that anger is an appropriate and healthy emotion to be expressed rather than subdued. Her relationships with family and friends improve almost immediately. This has a somewhat laborious beginning, but the plot eventually unfolds into an enjoyable story with credible characters and conflicts.-- Helen E. Williams, formerly at University of Maryland, College Park (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Sisters Koya and Loritha get along very well, though they don't always see eye to eye. Koya never loses her temper and does her best to keep everyone happy. Her sister's propensity for being accomodating doesn't sit well with Loritha when she is double-crossed by Koya's best friend, Dawn. Instead of sticking up for Loritha, Koya continues to be buddies with Dawn so that her feelings won't be hurt. In a rather dramatic, epiphanic moment, Koya realizes that it's okay to be angry sometimes, and finally gives Dawn a piece of her mind. All is forgiven, and the three girls are friends again. Meanwhile, such events as a double-dutch contest and a visit from the DeLaney sisters' cousin, a famous pop singer, keep Greenfield's ( Under the Sunday Tree ; Africa Dream ) plot rolling along at a sprightly clip. Youngsters will warm up immediately to the feisty Koya, a '90s Pollyanna with a witty edge. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Koya is caught in the middle of a fight between her sister and her best fiend and is unwilling to anger either of them. Her feelings become even more complicated when her cousin, a rock star, arrives to perform a local concert. Koya, a likable, well-drawn character, learns to express her feelings in this readable story. From HORN BOOK 1992, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
As neatly summed up in Jan Spivey Gilchrist's attractive jacket art, there are several themes in this warm school-and- family story, set near Washington, D.C. Koya is distressed by a falling-out between her sister Loritha and her best friend Dawn, the result of a spiteful trick Dawn plays on Loritha just before a ``double-dutch'' contest. The jacket's swirling jump-ropes with the two girls suggest a treble clef--even more important than the team competition is a visit from cousin Del, a popular singer. Del's fans' adulation leads to Koya getting in touch with her own emotions: though her inability to express her justifiable anger at Dawn has delayed resolving the bad feelings among the three girls, when the fans drown out Del's music with their enthusiasm her indignation erupts; and once she's felt it, Koya creatively learns to combine righteous anger with her habitual tactic when she's upset--telling jokes, for which she has a special gift. The resolution here is a tad simplistic, and the adults- -though admirable role models--seem a little too good to be true. (Still, it's grand to read about a pop idol who turns down his sound to protect young ears and picks up the litter his admirers have left by his host's door.) The girls are credible and more subtly drawn, their troubles and triumphs engaging. Meanwhile, Greenfield (a much-honored author and poet) narrates with grace and clarity, weaving her several themes into a carefully structured, thought-provoking story that should be a long-lived favorite. (Fiction. 8-12)
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Sixth-grader Koya Delaney's special talent is the gift of laughter. She loves finding the funny side of things and making other people laugh, especially when things get sticky. And things get very sticky indeed when Koya's older sister is betrayed by Koya's best friend. Further complicating matters is the much-awaited visit of cousin Del, a famous pop musician. The rift with her sister and the somewhat disappointing reunion with her cousin force Koya to do a little growing up and to get in touch with her true feelings. Koya is afflicted with the good-girl blues; the same could be said of this novel. It wants very hard to please, perhaps at the expense of real dramatic tension. But Koya is likable, and this portrait of a close-knit African American family is welcome. ~--Denia Hester