Seedfolks - by Paul Fleischman (Hardcover)

About the Book

An old man seeking renewal, a young girl connecting to a father she never knew, a pregnant teenager dreading motherhood, are just a few of the 13 voices that tell one story of the flowering of a vacant city lot into a neighborhood garden. Old, young, Haitian, Korean, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful--Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman weaves characters as diverse as the plants they grow into a multi-layered exploration of how a community is born and nurtured in an urban environment. Illustrations.

Book Synopsis

ALA Best Book for Young Adults ∙ School Library Journal Best Book ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ IRA/CBC Children's Choice ∙ NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts

A Vietnamese girl plants six lima beans in a Cleveland vacant lot. Looking down on the immigrant-filled neighborhood, a Romanian woman watches suspiciously. A school janitor gets involved, then a Guatemalan family. Then muscle-bound Curtis, trying to win back Lateesha. Pregnant Maricela. Amir from India. A sense of community sprouts and spreads.

Newbery-winning author Paul Fleischman uses thirteen speakers to bring to life a community garden's founding and first year. The book's short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless one-book reads in schools and in cities across the country.

Seedfolks has been drawn upon to teach tolerance, read in ESL classes, promoted by urban gardeners, and performed in schools and on stages from South Africa to Broadway.

The book's many tributaries--from the author's immigrant grandfather to his adoption of two brothers from Mexico--are detailed in his forthcoming memoir, No Map, Great Trip: A Young Writer's Road to Page One.

"The size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains." --Christian Science Monitor

And don't miss Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, the Newbery Medal-winning poetry collection!

How can a few lima beans transform a fractured neighborhood?

• Multiple Points of View: Listen to thirteen unforgettable voices--from a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl to an elderly Romanian woman--as they each tell their side of the story.
• Urban Garden: Watch as a trash-filled Cleveland lot is transformed, plant by plant, into a vibrant and hopeful source of community.
• Found Family: Discover how suspicious neighbors from all over the world, once strangers, build powerful bonds of friendship and trust.
• A Classroom Favorite: A powerful, accessible story about tolerance and immigration, perfect for school reading, ESL classes, and city-wide reading programs.

From the Back Cover

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

School Library Journal Best Book

Publishers Weekly Best Book

IRA/CBC Children's Choice

NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts

Used with one-book programs in:

Allen, TX

Appleton, WI

Arlington, MA

Attleboro, MA

Berwyn, IL

Boca Raton, FL

Edgewater, IL

Farmington, NM

Geneva, NY

Hillside, IL

Lake Villa, IL

Menomonie, WI

Nantucket, MA

Natick, MA

Newburgh, NY

Racine, WI

Saginaw, MI

Somerville, MA

Springville, UT

St. Louis Park, MN

Sun Prairie, WI

Tampa, FL

Upland, CA

Watsonville, CA

Winchester, MA

the state of Vermont

Review Quotes

★ "A beautiful, multicolored harvest. The message of diversity, people, and sensibility is universal, and beautifully cultivated by an author who has a green thumb with words." - School Library Journal (starred review)

"Fleischman is adept at writing from many perspectives." - The ALAN Review

"Innovative. Effective." - Horn Book Magazine

★ "The characters' vitality and the sharply delineated details of the neighborhood make this not merely an exercise in craftsmanship or morality but an engaging, entertaining novel as well." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

★ "The story's quiet beauty unfurls effortlessly and lingers after the final page has been turned." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Each voice sings with the rhythm of culture and personality." - Children's Book Review Magazine