by G. Neri
Amazon rating: 4.6/5.0, Grades 5-7
Good Reads: 3.88/5
Common Sense Media: not reviewed
4Rbooks: 4/6, Grades 6+
Synopsis:
Two years after leaving Monroeville, Alabama to live with his mother in New York, Truman is back to attend a custody trial between his father and mother. Surprisingly, Truman chooses to stay with his mom and goes back to New York. Another two years pass and Truman returns, this time as a runaway from a military school just before Christmas. He settles back in with his Alabama family and reconnects with his friends Nelle, Big Boy, and Edison.
His, and their hopes, for Christmas are dashed by a serious of unfortunate events: a fire, run-ins with his nemesis Boss, a murder and prejudiced trial, and the constant worry about whether his mother would be coming to take him back. Through it all the friends support each other and come to share a memorable Christmas focused on the true meaning of the season: sharing, caring, and love.
This story is based on the true friendship of Truman Capote and Harper Lee when they were children. Many of the scenes in the story are true, or based on true events, but the full story is a work of fiction.
Parental Guidance: High
Truman runs away from a military school and hops a freight train to get
back to Monroeville, Alabama.
Truman hints at abuse he suffered at the military school.
Truman teases Nelle that his first kiss may have been with a boy.
One of the helpers practices voodoo and performs a voodoo ritual on
Truman.
There is a Native American character who provide liquor for the
community.
The Klan is still around and active.
The mistreatment of African Americans in the South is still prevalent,
including not being able to use the local swimming pool.
Nelle’s father shares about a lynching he was forced to watch.
Two African American men are railroaded and convicted of murder. The
judge makes comments about keeping “them” in their “place.”
Their eventual death is alluded to.
Nelle’s mother suffers from mental illness.
Recommendation: Medium
Like the first Tru and Nelle book, I have trouble recommending this for elementary school children without parent guidance and support. There are clear depictions of the racial tensions of Depression Era South that may be unsettling and disturbing for younger children, without parents reading it first and preparing them, or reading it together.
While the Christmas Day payoff to the story is worth the read and there are many good elements of friendship and helping those in need, there are too many other story lines to consider this a Christmas Tale. It’s more of a continuation of the previous story of Nelle and Truman’s friendship that just happens to be set at Christmas.
Older students, and adults, who are familiar with Capote and Lee will enjoy this more than readers without that background knowledge. It is obvious that the trial in this book is the inspiration for Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.
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