SOLD

“Fact: There are more individuals in slavery today than at the height of trans-Atlantic slave trade.” Polaris, a non-profit organization working to combat human trafficking

SOLDPatriciaMcCormickYoung Adult,
Fiction

Age Range:
14 years & up

Grade Level:
9 and up

Text copyright:
Patricia McCormick © 2006

Published by:
Disney-Hyperion

 

 

 

 

 

AWARDS

  • ALA Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults 2007
  • National Book Award Finalist 2007
  • National Public Radio – Top 100 Books of the Year 2007
  • Book Sense Pick 2007
  • California Young Reader Medal 2007
  • Quill Award 2007
  • Gustav-Heinemann-Peace Prize 2008
  • Elliot Rosewater Award 2009-2010

SOLD, THE MOVIE

  • Executive Producer Emma Thompson and Director Jeffrey Brown will bring SOLD to screens March 15, 2015, limited release.

WHY SOLD IS A KidLit GEM

KKRISTI’S TAKE
The YA novel, SOLD, is told with rich, lyrical metaphors, each vignette, more masterful than the next. Like a playmate, Patricia McCormick takes your hand and guides you to see, hear and feel what Lakshmi’s life in Nepal is like. And then, like the monsoon, washes it all away, as the metaphors shift from land and sky to survival and endurance.

Unlike the endearing Tali, the black and white billy goat, SOLD is a story about all that is gray in life. Meehhhh!

McCormick wisely uses the voice of an eager, innocent, thirteen-year-old narrator to help the reader endure this haunting journey, for without the element of hope, I’d sooner endure a monsoon. The very element that make’s the harsh reality of sex trafficking palatable, Lakshmi’s innocence, makes the taking of it, all the more heart wrenching. I applaud McCormick for not tiptoeing around the harsh reality of sex trafficking.

Favorite line
 “Simply to endure is to triumph.”

KEM Sapphire
E
ELISE’S TAKE
SOLD is both convicting and compelling for those of us privileged with a secure, loving environment. Patricia McCormick’s well-researched novel is gripping, not only because of its personal perspective and thoughtful, emotionally charged vignettes, but also because this story could belong to any of the millions of women and children imprisoned in sex trafficking today. McCormick doesn’t soften the edges, staying true to the callous reality of Lakshmi’s nightmare. But instead of focusing on the details of Lakshmi’s forced sexual encounters, she concentrates on the emotional trauma of a girl robbed of her home, health, identity, and innocence.

While the novel’s intimate point of view will certainly draw cruel disappointment time after time as Lakshmi is repeatedly abused and abandoned, readers are also given hope through this young woman’s stunning resilience and the compassion and courage of those who save her.

Favorite line
How odd he is, this man who pays for a girl and does nothing but talk.
KEM Diamond
MGrayANNA MARRAS’ TAKE
I won’t kid you. SOLD is a difficult read. Patricia McCormick’s first-person  account from thirteen-year-old sex trafficking victim, Lakshmi, will drain the color from your face and develop knots in your gut. As I read the book, lounging under a cozy blanket on my comfortable couch in my comfortable home, it repulsed and horrified me to consider the young children that were being violated in all parts of the world at that very moment. And that repulsion and horror won’t leave until their nightmare stops.

After entering Lakshmi’s world, where a hug and a pencil meant everything, I felt ashamed of my apathy and ingratitude. Lakshmi’s gentle narrative shook me to say, “Look! See! Do something!” And that’s good. After all, that’s what the gutsy author/activist intended.

Favorite lines
I have been beaten here, locked away, violated a hundred times and a hundred times more. I have been starved and cheated, tricked and disgraced.

How odd it is that I am undone by the simple kindness of a small boy with a yellow pencil.

GEMrub

I must admit, we didn’t consider the Valentine’s  weekend timing when we selected this Gem. But there’s no better story to show what happens without love.

Consider the gravity of the statistics. According to Polaris, trafficking affects 161 countries worldwide, enslaving an estimated 20.9 million men, women, and children for forced labor or commercial sex.

Educate Yourself:

Do Something:

Get Help:

Please share your SOLD comments with us!

THE STORY OF FROG BELLY RAT BONE

FBRBPicture book,
Fiction

Age Range:
4-8 years

Grade Level:
K-3

Text and illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering © 2003

Published by Candlewick Press

 

AWARDS

A NICK JR. FAMILY MAGAZINE Best Book of the Year
A New England Book Show Juvenile Category Winner
A New York Book Show Children’s Trade Hardcover Winner

WHY THE STORY OF FROG BELLY RAT BONE IS A KEM GEM

KKRISTI’S TAKE
Like the boy’s wish in this story, I found a true TREASURE. The expressionistic illustrations in THE STORY OF FROG BELLY RAT BONE are distinctively whimsical! With splatters of speckles and spackles, the tactile textures and twine are untraditional, uninhibited and sublime. Once I finally stopped admiring Timothy Basil Ering’s masterpiece, I still admire it, I understood that Ering’s message was as tender as the “tiny gray specks” that sprout into “wonderous riches”.  Every child will delight in this fantastical story about treasures, thieves, friendship and patience; thanks to Frog Belly Rat Bone.

Favorite line
“Stand tall, Frog Belly Rat Bone!” shouted the boy, waving his hands like a wizard.

KEM Sapphire
E
ELISE’S TAKE
Holy texture, Batman! The raised cover! The scratchy text! The acrylic washes and scuffs! Ering’s sense of ingenuity and fun is immediately reflected not only in his unconventional artwork, but also in a main character on the hunt for great things in unexpected places. He manifests his humor in the gestures and expressions of the curious boy, the conniving thieves, and of course, in swollen Frog Belly Rat Bone himself. Even the title, FROG BELLY RAT BONE is fun to say again and again. Readers of all ages will enjoy the messy spreads in Ering’s tale of friendship, patience, and the joy of discovering treasure.

Favorite line
“Frog Belly Rat Bone, one, two, three…You are the monster who will protect the specks.”

KEM Diamond
MGrayANNA MARRAS’ TAKE
Timothy Basil Ering created a clever tale of possibilities by juxtaposing the dark, drab, dreariness of cement and metal with vibrant flowers and exuberant creatures. I’ve grown especially fond of two supporting characters, a funny rabbit and a fruit fly wearing an “I Heart Jelly” t-shirt.

Young readers will love exploring for the unexpected within. For instance, in one last lovable spread, Basil stitched his story together, just like he stitched up his dancing protagonist Frog Belly Rat Bone.

This story may make you scratch your head. But in a good way. Basil’s living and breathing text and illustrations help us believe that something can come out of nothing. And the best riches are often camouflaged—in little specks, unlikely heroes, and the art of diplomacy.

Favorite line
 “Monster!” said Frog Belly Rat bone. “But my dear boy, you’ve made me far too good-looking to be a monster!”

GEMrub

Other children’s books illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering:

  • Newberry Award Winning The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
  • Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliot
  • Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
  • Necks Out For Adventure by Timothy Basil Ering
  • Sad Doggy by Jennifer B. Lawrence

Please share your The Story of Frog Belly Rate Bone comments!