My Battle of the Books team received an autographed copy of this book for winning a tournament, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. The plot revolves around four characters, but it mainly concerns Lutie and her great-grandmother's "lost songs". Her great-grandmother had been a slave and created songs that she told Lutie needed to be kept in her heart. However, Lutie receives pressure from many people to sing and share the songs with the world. Her teacher, her preacher, her family, and her friends all feel that the songs are powerful and beautiful and need to be performed. Lutie also has issues were her mother, who has run away, but the main tension comes from a childhood friend named Train. Train's brother is in prison for blinding a young boy, and Train seems destined and determined to follow in his brother's footsteps. Train seems to have intentions to hurt someone badly, but who will it be?
This book won't appeal to everyone. The point of view changes frequently, although it's not hard to follow. Many of the song lyrics speak to god and hold meanings related to life. There is a strong spirituality to the plot. The suspense surrounding Train creates interest, because he seems to be a time bomb, ready to go off at any minute. Everything comes together during the funeral at the end, and all of the characters seem to be at peace.
Lexile level from lexile.com 670
I haven't even heard of this one. Very cool that you have an autographed copy, though!
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