Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by: Phillip Hoose

1. Bibliographic Data
Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. 1 ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.

2. Plot Summary
Twice Toward Justice is about a young girl, Claudette Colvin, growing up in Alabama during segregation. Claudette knew she was different when she didn't care about the way she wore her hair, or the clothes she wore. She knew she wanted to make a difference in the South after learning about her rights from an influential teacher. Claudette made an important impact that started the move toward desegregation in Alabama. She refused to move from her seat in the city bus, was arrested, and went through trial to clear her name. Along her journey she met civil rights activist just like her, such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., and did anything she could at such a young age to help the movement. Twice Toward Justice tells the story of a girl who was not as popular in our history books, but made a large impact on the desegregation of city buses in Alabama that led to many other important events.

3. Critical Analysis
Twice Toward Justice conveys accurate information about the civil rights movement in Alabama. The story is lesser known then the stories of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., but is accurate in the series of events and these more popular figures' roles in the movement. The books chronological story line of Claudette Colvin's life helps the reader understand her background, feelings, and how she came to be the strong, young individual she was. The book interchanges between Claudette's words and the authors', which engages the reader because they can read her actual recollection of the events in the book. The author included actual photographs of Claudette, her family, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and other important people in the story. The photographs complement the story because the reader can have a mental image while reading through the story. Twice Toward Justice is a fresh new look at the hard times in Montgomery, Alabama. Children can relate toward the story because Claudette is their age.

4. Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Cybil Award, 2009
*Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2010
*John Newbery Medal, 2010
*Childrens Literature..."Hoose has done a remarkable job researching and obtaining first person accounts of the bus incident involving a teenager named Claudette Colvin. Her bravery in the face of bullying from the bus driver and the police officers was remarkable. So was her agreement to be one of the ones to testify in Browder v. Gayle, a major Civil Rights case."

5. Connection
*Read stories of other lesser well-know civil right's activist.
*Read about Rosa Parks and her not giving up her seat.
*Ask the children to reflect on how they would have felt, or what they have done.
*Share a brief history either before or after the story that explains what segregation is, and how times were in Alabama.