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The Laura Line

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A touching and funny story of one girl's journey to discover where she came from and the unlimited possibilities of who she can become, from Crystal Allen, the acclaimed author of How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy and The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown.

Laura Dyson wants two things in life: to be accepted by her classmates and to be noticed by ultracute baseball star Troy Bailey. But everyone at school teases her for being overweight, and Troy won't give her a second glance. Until one day, their history teacher announces a field trip to the run-down slave shack on her grandmother's property. Heck to the power of no way!

Her grandmother insists that it's more than just an old shack; it's a monument to the strong women in their family—the Laura Line. But Laura knows better: her classmates will never accept her once they see the shack. So she comes up with the perfect plan to get the trip canceled . . . but when a careless mistake puts the shack—and the Laura Line—in jeopardy, Laura must decide what's truly important to her. Can Laura figure out how to get what she wants at school while also honoring her family's past?

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    • Kirkus

      March 1, 2013
      Modern sass combines with a historical twist, making an uneven blend of middle school melodrama and the bitter realities of slavery. As she showed in How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy (2011), Allen has a flare for blending the austere with the audacious. In her new novel, she introduces readers to Laura Eboni Dyson, the latest in a long line of Lauras dating back to the Amistad. Overweight and popularity-challenged, the last thing Laura wants is to draw negative attention to herself. When her seventh-grade history teacher convinces Laura's grandmother, Mrs. Anderson, to allow her class to visit the crumbling slave shack at the rear of Mrs. Anderson's property, Laura is determined to derail the class trip. Baseball-loving Laura is deeply ashamed of the shack, which she calls "yesterday's history," and she thinks her classmates will scorn her for hanging onto that history. Laura may prove tiresome to readers; she's tough, strong and self-assured in one scene and downright mealy-mouthed in the next. By the time Laura stops wallowing and realizes her profound connection to a long line of Lauras, readers may meet her epiphany with a quizzical, "Is that it?" Smartly rigged with history and graced with quick dialogue, the novel sails with Laura's snappy quips. Unfortunately, the story's emotional core sinks, leaving readers unsatisfied and adrift. (Fiction. 8-12)

      COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      June 1, 2013

      Gr 6-8-Eighth-grader Laura Dyson loves baseball, fashion, and Troy Bailey, the cutest boy in her class. Even the endless taunts of "Fat Larda" from resident queen bee Sunny Rasmussen aren't enough to sink her spirits. Laura's parents are departing for military training and she looks forward to spending two weeks with fabulous Aunt Carmen. Then the plan shifts and she is packed off to her grandmother's rundown farm that has, of all things, an intact slave shack. Deeply ashamed of the degradation and cruelty the shack represents, Laura wants nothing to do with it. Knowing Grandma's eagerness to share the significance of the structure and the adjacent family cemetery, the "Laura Line," the teen dreads the visit. When history teacher Mrs. Jacobs proposes a field trip to see the slave shack and cemetery, Laura is mortified by the idea and schemes to get it canceled. But in the ensuing antics, she finds she is descended from a powerful line of women going all the way back to the slave ship Amistad. While a side plot concerning Laura's irritating best friend feels a little forced, the protagonist's emotional transformation will resonate with readers. Generational bonds, notably the growth of the relationship between Laura and her grandmother, are beautifully depicted. With its humor and deep reverence for history, Allen's novel is an engaging treatment of the oft-told tale of looking within for beauty and strength.-Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA

      Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2013
      Hiding her aspiration to be a baseball pitcher, thirteen-year-old Laura is mocked by her classmates because she is overweight. Furthermore, the slave shack on her grandmother's property is embarrassing; it represents dark days in history. When both gorgeous Troy and her teacher take an interest in the shack, Laura confronts her weaknesses and family history. The story line is predictable, but Laura's transformation is believable.

      (Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.3
  • Lexile® Measure:650
  • Interest Level:6-12(MG+)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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