About this book:
This story is about a young, basketball-enthusiast, hispanic boy, Lincoln, who had just undergone a transition of schools because his house had been broken into. Where he comes from is a low-income, very diverse school and where he is now is a more privileged, predominately white school. We see him as he struggles to find his true self and where he belongs. As the story comes into play, you discover that his basketball team is playing against his old school. He doesn't really seem to be rooting for his team and still tries to have loyalty for his old school because he doesn't want to see himself turing into an over-privledged "white person". Towards the end of the book, he realizes that you can be proud of where you come from and still be that same person, but you can still be a part of something else at the same time.
What comes from this book:
From this book, kids learn the importance of being who you are and not letting outside factors influence you. Experiencing new things is a challenge, and might even feel wrong, but realizing that changing lifestyles doesn't necessarily define who you are. Just because you move or switch teams doesn't mean you can't have pride for both sides.
Classroom uses for this book:
This is a great story for a classroom with a diverse background. If they struggle with these kinds of problems--whether it be being the only kid of their race on a team or moving school--this can be a great story to fall back on and see how Lincoln deal with these situations. You can see how he grows as he realizes the lessons to be learned, and this can have the same effect on students in middle school or high school.
Further information about this book:
Soto, Gary. Taking Sides. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. Print. ISBN: 0-15-284077-X
This story is about a young, basketball-enthusiast, hispanic boy, Lincoln, who had just undergone a transition of schools because his house had been broken into. Where he comes from is a low-income, very diverse school and where he is now is a more privileged, predominately white school. We see him as he struggles to find his true self and where he belongs. As the story comes into play, you discover that his basketball team is playing against his old school. He doesn't really seem to be rooting for his team and still tries to have loyalty for his old school because he doesn't want to see himself turing into an over-privledged "white person". Towards the end of the book, he realizes that you can be proud of where you come from and still be that same person, but you can still be a part of something else at the same time.
What comes from this book:
From this book, kids learn the importance of being who you are and not letting outside factors influence you. Experiencing new things is a challenge, and might even feel wrong, but realizing that changing lifestyles doesn't necessarily define who you are. Just because you move or switch teams doesn't mean you can't have pride for both sides.
Classroom uses for this book:
This is a great story for a classroom with a diverse background. If they struggle with these kinds of problems--whether it be being the only kid of their race on a team or moving school--this can be a great story to fall back on and see how Lincoln deal with these situations. You can see how he grows as he realizes the lessons to be learned, and this can have the same effect on students in middle school or high school.
Further information about this book:
Soto, Gary. Taking Sides. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. Print. ISBN: 0-15-284077-X