This book is wonderful. It's great for encouragement both to the veteran teacher and inspiration for the beginning teacher. The chapter titled "Candles" is a must read for all teachers who are beginning to wonder why they teach. This would make a great gift for anyone involved in education.

I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Ms. Draper, shortly before she was voted Teacher of the Year, and she shared her motivation for writing Ziggy: she wanted something for her African-American son to read that he'd enjoy. Well, he got it in this book. And, my second grade, white, boys and girls LOVE this book. It is a fast-moving mystery about Jamaican Ziggy and his crew of pals, their secret clubhouse, and some bones... The students get a kick out of the "Hey, mons" too! Well worth the 5 bucks. Buy it now!

...Have you ever been abuse by a adult or you know someone who is been abuse by an adult. Forege by Fire by Sharon Draper you will experience the life a teenager boy who is been abuse by his abusive step dad. This book made me cry at first then rejoice at the ending.
When 9 year old Gerald favorite aunt dies he must to move with his mom,step dad, and his little step sister who always has sad eyes. At his new home he will experience the life his stepsister had already experience. He feels that is his job to save Angel his mom from Jordan (stepfather).
Sharon Draper did an Excellent job Making you feel the character emotions. When you read this book you will feel like you watching a move inside your head.She creates images in your head. For example Angel says "No Gerald, e didn't hurt me, but he scares me so bad." With this incridable worlds you see a scared little girl hugging her brother for a comfort. "Gerald said Nothing for a moment, but stared at Jordan with hatred and pain. His hand clenched in to tight,angry fists, threatened at any moment to explode with purple in Jorden's face." Sharon M. Draper chose to use words that are so simple and understandable. In this quote you can see an angry young man standing front of a a brutal step dad.You can see a real images in your mind in her powerful worlds she chose to use.
The author's massage in this book is not to stand around and wait for the abusive person to change, is to get help before is to late. This massage means a lot to me and the society, because teenagers like myself and others can learn a lesson if they suspect if some one is not treating them right. You can also learn the special relationship between brother and sister. when you finish with this book you thinking about the last book that got you emotion.

If you were 2 yeares old were would you be at right now... well Gerald from the forged by fire would proulblly be behimd the couch sucking his thumb because he lives in fear.The book forged by fire by sharon m. drapper is about a young boy named Gerald who has a gigantic imagination lives with his mom who is a drug attic and he doesn't seem how to escape it.This fiction is very suprising and it tells you so much that you only half to read ten pages.This book takes place in Gerald's mind and other houses.The plot of this book is that Gerald plays with his mom's lighter and uses it for G.I. Joe and then acceldently sets the house on fire and lives with his auntt but then he goes back to his moms and Gerald finds some thing out really bad.
This book has alot of conflicts in the story by mistakes an problems people have been having.The conflict for Gerald is that he has a hard time standing up for him self because of the consaqences.Gerald has a lot of charecteristics with his aunt one of them is that they deeply love each other and that they have funb together and notice that he dosen't do it with his mom.The theme of this book is that you should stand up and don't keep your feeling's inside because it will hurt you more.Each day there are great ways to live your life,live it your way.

The book I read was Forged by Fire. I thought this was a good book to read. I think is a good book for people especially for teenagers. The reason why I it's good for teenagers because the book was basically telling about most teenagers life and what they go through everyday. Childern getting abuse, parent negating there child, parent on drugs, and tthe child wound up feeling unwanted and lost. But as far as all this bad thing that happen let me talk about the character: brother Gerald which is being negated, his little sister Angel which is feeling lack of love, there mothere Monique which is on drugs and don't really care about her kids, Gerald's stepfather, Monique husdand, Angel father Jordan which is very controlling and won't every thing his way or no wat. Then their Aunt Queen the family 's aunt, she was the love of the family.

I think that this book wounld have been papular if the whole class would have read it together. The reason why I say this because after Iread the first pages I had wanted to know what was going to happen next. I think everybody who read and dislike to read would have read this book. Because this is basically telling about everyday life. I think I would read another book by this author because this book is good and i want to find what happens next. It's like another chapter. You just can't stop reading it. On the scale of one thougjh five, I would give it an five.

Suspense, racism, Internet intrigue, and romance; this book has it all! Romiette Cappelle, a black American girl, meets Julio Montague, a Hispanic boy from Texas, in a chat room. When they meet in person in the school cafeteria it is love at first sight. The similarity of their names with Shakespeare's heroes is not coincidence. Romiette and Julio's relationship attracts harassment by the school's Black gang, the Devildogs. They don't like the new Hispanic boy dating a "sister." Things go from bad to worse when the couple and their friends try to expose the gang's illegal activities in order to persuade gang members to leave them alone. The conclusion is far sweeter than Shakespeare's, if not a little predictable. This is a quick, enjoyable novel for today's teens.

Book Review
Romiette and Julio
By: Sharon M. Draper

The story of Romiette And Julio is a modern version of Shakespeare's classic play "Romeo and Juliette." You might think you know what happened in the story, but you don't. The couple in the story will show you how love can over come any obstacle.
Romiette is an African-American sixteen year old girl who fall in love with Julio a Hispanic sixteen year old boy. The romance between them causes the Devil Dogs a gang who are also called the Family to separated them because of different races. Romiette and Julio love each other so much that they decided to confronted the Devil Dogs. That leads Romiette and Julio to a life and death situation.
In Shakespear's version, both character family are enemies from generation. Both families want Romeo and Juliette to separate from each other. That at the end both end up dead for love. Romiette and Julio have strong belief that their bond will keep them together. And help them over come people who are trying to force them apart. They know true love conquers all just as Romeo and Juliet did.
Romiette and Julio couldn't stand the violence that the gangs are threatening to use if they don't breakup. So to stop the Devil Dogs threat, Romiette and Julio decided to meets the gangs at London Park and solve their problems without telling the authority figures. The danger both character gone through reveal their true feeling for each other. They both will risk each other life to saved the other one.
Romiette and Julio's story is not very different from Shakespear's classic version, but it does have a different ending. Love is powerful, the decision that you choose will effect your future. In my opinion if there love, I rather wait for it to come to me than to search it for my self. This book is good, I would recommend to other people because it explain what is love between two young teens. If you aren't ready to be marry or into a relationship with someone then you shouldn't be dating yet as boyfriend and girlfriend for you be hurting your self and that someone you think you love. So before you think you love someone get to know them first and see if they have the right quality that you think he/she is right for you.

Romiette and Julio, a novel relating to the children of todays world. A story filled with violence, danger, but best of all love and a little bit of comedy. Romiette a young black female fell in love with a hispanic brother named Julio, who in return lovd her back. Now a days you would think that it would always be the parents to prevent young love, but now things are changing. A gang that ride by the name of Devildogs refuse to acknoledge the fact that one of their skin tones is dating another. If you've already read the novel Romeo and Juliet I suggest you read the remix: Romiette and Julio. In this book you'll be able to relate so many problems of today with the ones in this one book.This novel has the power to make you laugh, cry, and so angry all at the same time, so my advice to ya'll youngin's jump out this world for a while, and read yourself through another, because there is no other place better to run away to then in a book, exspecially one made just for you...

Tears of a Tiger, by Sharon Draper, is an excellent book. I loved the way it was written; the articles, phone calls, letters, and conversations were much better than a regular novel. I would love to read some of Sharon Draper's other novels. There were many exciting parts in this book, but a lot of them I don't want to give away. At the beginning Andrew "Andy" Jackson was in a car crash with three of his friends: Robbie Washington, B.J., and Tyrese. Robbie didn't make it, and that's what the story is about- What happens to Andy after Robbie's death. Altogether this book was really good. I enjoyed it a lot, and I would recommend it to just about anyone.

Tears of a Tiger is an excellent book written by Sharon Draper. I have read Forged by Fire, another book in this trilogy, and it is excellent as well. In this book, Andy Jackson is out one night with three of his friends. They decide to drink and drive. Andy is driving and runs into a wall. He and the two friends in the back seat escape, but their best friend Rob isn't so lucky. The book shows how this accident changes Andy's life forever. His friends, counselors, and teachers try to help, but he just can't get over the pain and guilt. Sharon Draper doesn't sugar coat the seriousness of this topic and is very direct in her writing. The book is written using journals, homework assignments, letters, and chapters to see feelings expressed by all the characters in the book. It is great for high school students, because it is easy to read and it may deal with an issue they are going through. I also think teachers would benefit from reading it, to see what signs to look for in a depressed teen and how to help them. I really enjoyed this book.

Tears of a Tiger is a story that deals with several issues that many young adults face today. It is a powerful story that tells about the price one pays for drinking and driving. In one horrific night, Andy Jackson's life is changed forever. This book does not sugar-coat any of the issues it presents. The story is told through newspaper articles, journal entries, homework assingments, letters, and conversations that bring the story to life. I think this book would be a great asset in any high school English class. I highly recommend it to all teachers and students at the high school level. I could not put the book down. It is a great model for different writing genres. This book would work well in units that deal with alcohol abuse, suicide, family relationships, and racism. This book would also be a wonderful model in a creative writing class. I feel anyone who reads it will enjoy it as much as I did. I gave this book 5 stars.