Thursday, March 18, 2010

A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata


"Y'Tin Eban watched Tomas fasten the rope around Lady's neck."

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Summary: In 1975 after American troops pull out of Vietnam, a thirteen-year-old boy and his beloved elephant escape into the jungle when the Viet Cong attack his village.

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 216 pages.

5 comments:

Mary W said...

I greatly enjoyed this title. The character development is excellent and it is a little seen side of the Vietnam War. Kids today may not know much about it. With the story being told from the point of view of a kid, A Million Shades of Gray make it reachable. A great story and I would say, a Newbery contender.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Mary. This story, of a boy from a little-known tribe in Vietnam, would be great for kids studying the war, providing a glimpse of what life was like for the people living in the outlying areas. Wonderful descriptions, too, of how a father's words and actions inspire those of his son. This was somewhat of a slow read -- not an action-adventure, but very engaging nonetheless.

Richie Partington said...

http://richiespicks.pbworks.com/A-MILLION-SHADES-OF-GRAY

Anonymous said...

After reading the other comments, I feel like I need to reread the book again because it just didn't click with me. I guess I was hoping for another "Cracker, Best Dog in Vietnam" which my students (grades 7 & 8) love. I never felt connected to the characters in this book and had to keep forcing myself to pick it up again and keep reading. I may give it another go later.

Anonymous said...

I agree that at first this book was a little slow moving for me as well, but I found myself engaged in the story of this boy and the friendships highs and lows he experiences. I think there were important life changes, and also and interesting perspective on his life during the Vietnam War.