Sounder
by William H. Armstrong. A landmark in children's literature, winner of the 1970 Newbery Medal, and the basis of an acclaimed film, "Sounder" traces the keen sorrow and the abiding faith of a poor African-American boy in the 19th-century South. Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young black boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read, and with the help of the devoted dog Sounder. Ages 10+. Paperback.

Grade Level: 6, 7, 8