Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Rhodes, J. P. (2010). Ninth ward. New York, NY: Little Brown.

Summary: Lanesha lives with Mama Yaya, the woman who delivered her as her birth mother died. They live in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and Lanesha, has the power to see ghosts; this power ostracizes her from many in her community. Mama Yaya, a clairvoyant, knows a bad hurricane is on its way and helps prepare Lanesha for this natural disaster.

Review: A slow start. Lots of time with exposition in the beginning but once Hurricane Katrina is on its way, this is a hard book to put down.

Diversity: A glimpse at what happened to so many Black families during Katrina.

Suggestions for Teachers: Would be good to teach as a core text in ELA and/or Social Studies core paired with non-fiction about Hurricane Katrina.

Reading Level:

1. Quantitative: Lexile 470L, ATOS Book Level 7.00-9.98, Flesh-Kincaid 6.51-10.34, 7.04-9.57RMM
2. Qualitative: This text is moderately complex; it is chronological. The language is largely contemporary and familiar but also a lot of vocab connected to New Orleans and voodoo. Those who have knowledge of New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina will have a stronger understanding.

Content Areas: English

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3

Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone

Relevant links: Teaching Books, Jewell Parker Rhodes website, Hachette Book Group

Subjects/Themes: New Orleans, family, acceptance, values

Awards: N/A

Series Information: N/A