To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Reprint, 2007. ISBN-10: 0060935464

Plot Summary

Finch “Scout”, an 5 year old girl, tells a story through her own eyes. Finch lives in a small Southern town in Alabama, during the Depression. She lives with her father Atticus and her older brother Jem. Throughout there story there is a trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. In the summer there neighbor Dill Harris comes to visit his Aunt next door and they all have a lot of fun being mischievous. Boo Radley, lives down the block and is the towns “boogeyman.” Scout has heard stories that Boo is crazy and to stay away from his house. The trial of the rape becomes more dominant in Scouts life especially when Atticus is called in to defend the accused, Tom Robinson. Scout does not realize the racial tensions in her town until the trial becomes heavier. Scout is proud of Atticus but does not understand what is really going on until later.

Critical evaluation

Told from a child’s point of view the reader is only able to see and comprehend Scouts view with the trial. The reader only knows as much as a child knows since it is her telling. Scout at first behaves like a child, by playing games and acting like a brat at time. When the case gets Atticus involve she begins to gain an interest and wants to understand what is going on in her small town. Scout realizes that judging someone from there appearance is not the right thing to do. This correlates her understanding with the trial but also with Boo Radley who she once feared but ends up rescuing her.

Readers Annotations

Told through a 5 year old girl eyes this story captures the understanding of racism in a southern town.

Information About the Author

The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee’s observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old.

Genre

Crime/Coming of Age

Curriculum Ties

English

Booktalking Ideas

1) Atticus point of view

2) Racisim. Still an issue?

Reading Level/Interest Age

Gr 9+

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas

Racism

Pulitzer Prize Winning Novel

Why Book Included

Have not read the book in a while thought it would be fun to read again.