Drummers of Jericho - Softcover

Carolyn Meyer is the acclaimed author of more than fifty books for young people. Her many award-winning novels include Mary, Bloody Mary, an ABA Pick of the Lists, an NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, a New York Times bestseller; White Lilacs, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age, and an IRA Young Adults' Choice; and Marie, Dancing, a BookSense Pick. Ms. Meyer lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit her website at www.readcarolyn.com.

Grade 6-10?To escape constant conflicts with her mother, Pazit Trujillo, 14, leaves their home in Denver to live with her father and stepfamily in the small, predominantly Christian town of Jericho. Being the only Jewish person at Jericho High School proves to be extremely difficult for Pazit. After joining the prize-winning marching band, ironically called the Demons, she discovers that its routines revolve around Christian themes, with hymns for music and a cross as its final formation. Following her convictions, she refuses to march in the cross, choosing instead to play her flute from the sidelines. When her father calls the ACLU, Jericho, like its Biblical namesake, becomes a battlefield?a legal battlefield?and Pazit becomes the target of malicious acts and anti-Semetic slurs. Her only friend is 15-year-old drummer Billy Harper, who finally summons the courage to stand with Pazit against his own community, and who himself becomes a target of the hostilities. Meyer's characterization of most of Jericho's Christians, while unflattering, portrays one town's narrow-minded thinking and intolerance of individual differences. Like Avi's Nothing But the Truth (Orchard, 1991), Drummers of Jericho demonstrates how easily an incident can escalate when it extends beyond school walls. With its timely, thoughtful treatment of complex issues, Meyer's story is certain to spark animated discussions.?Kelly Diller, Humboldt High School, IA
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