The Parker Inheritance
"I guess that's why I am so mad. He had a tenth of what you have now. A twentieth. A thousandth. And he still reached out to help people worse off than him. Or do you not remember all the meals he fed you when you didn't have anything to eat?" -Varian Johnson, The Parker Inheritance
ABOUT THE BOOK:
This book was a powerful mystery fueled by the injustices that America has had in the past and that are still going on today. Topics such as racism, sexual orientation, family set up/divorce, bullying, and drug abuse are all things that Varian Johnson finds himself focusing on in this novel. The two main characters, Candace and Brandon, spend time through out the books twists and turns battling with Candace's parents getting divorced and Brandon's bullying and sexual orientation as some of the main topics in the book.
At first, I was reminded a little bit of the magic tree house books in the mystery sense because of the letter Candace found in the attic. Although it was addressed to someone else, Candace took it upon herself to complete the clues of the letter to try and clear her grandmother's name. Candace goes about this with her newfound neighbor and only friend, Brandon.
One of the (many) most interesting and complicated (morally) part of this book was during the tennis match in the flashback to the 1950's. The white team and the black team play and unauthorized match against each other on their own time. The match ends up the the all black team winning, ruffling up racial feelings from the all white team. I think that this stood out to me because of the things that occurred because of the match and the loss. There was physical violence from a game, which is exactly what we teach children NOT to do. This was hard for me to read because the injustice is so incredibly high that a team that very clearly deserves a win, gets one and then is punished for it.
This book is such a bundle of knowledge in the topics of American History as well. I was amazed at all of the topics brought up or referenced in the duration of this book. Some of the most prominent topics were, the Civil Rights movement, the history of post-Reconstruction segregation, The Great Migration, and even Jim Crow. There was also a part in the book where we had to think critically about privilege and what that can look like in different people. This book was beyond a pleasure to read. I truly feel like I know more about our history and how it might feel to be in the shoes of one of these characters.
Book Trailer:
IN THE CLASSROOM:
This is a link to the Teachers Pay Teachers page with everything regarding The Parker Inheritance. Normally, I do not love TPT just some of the lessons are really helpful and are good to help demonstrate what we could be doing with this book.
Some students with disabilities or reading difficulties should have to opportunity to listen to the book as well. This could even be turned into a fun morning or other structured time to listen during the day for a couple minutes at a time.
"The course should accentuate the history, struggles, successes and similarities of diverse groups of twentieth-century Americans who protested on behalf of civil liberties and civil rights." -NC Public Schools on history class
Standards to relate The Parker Inheritance to (read aloud or class read)-
Third Grade:
3.C.1.1
Compare languages, foods and traditions of various groups living in local and regional communities.
3.C.1.2
Exemplify how various groups show artistic expression within the local and regional communities.
3.C.1.3
Use non-fiction texts to explore how cultures borrow and share from each other (foods, languages, rules, traditions and behaviors).
Fourth Grade:
4.C.1.1
Explain
how the settlement of people from various cultures affected the development of regions in North Carolina (languages, foods and traditions).
4.C.1.2
Explain how the artistic expression of various groups represents the cultural heritage of North Carolina.
Fifth Grade:
5.C&G.1.3
Analyze historical documents that shaped the foundation of the United States government.
5.C&G.2.2
Analyze the rights and responsibilities of United States citizens in relation to the concept of the "common good" according to the United States Constitution (Bill of Rights).
5.C&G.2.3
Exemplify ways in which the rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizens are protected under the United States Constitution.
5.C&G.2.4
Explain why civic participation is important in the United States.
Sixth Grade:
6.H.1.1
Construct charts, graphs and historical narratives to explain particular events or issues over time.
6.H.1.2
Summarize the literal meaning of historical documents in order to establish context.
6.H.1.3
Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.
6.C&G.1.2
Summarize the ideas that shaped political thought in various civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., divine right, equality, liberty, citizen participation and integration of religious principles).
6.C.1.1
Analyze how cultural expressions reflected the values of civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., oral traditions, art, dance, music, literature, and architecture).
6.C.1.2
Explain how religion transformed various societies, civilizations and regions (e.g., beliefs, practices and spread of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism).
6.C.1.3
Summarize systems of social structure within various civilizations and societies over time (e.g., Roman class structure, Indian caste system and feudal, matrilineal and patrilineal societies).
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