65 pages • 2 hours read
Lynn JosephThe Color of My Words
Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
The Color of My Words
- Genre: Fiction; middle grade realistic
- Originally Published: 2000
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 840L; grades 5-8
- Structure/Length: 8 chapters; approx. 144 pages; approx. 2 hours on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: Twelve-year-old Ana Rosa lives in the Dominican Republic and aspires to become a poet. One of her poems opens each chapter of the novel, which tells how writing helps Ana Rosa define herself, fight against injustice, and grieve the death of her brother.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Government violence; death of a sibling; drug and alcohol abuse
Lynn Joseph, Author
- Bio: Born in 1963 in Trinidad; moved to Baltimore at age 10; earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado; studied constitutional law and civil rights at Fordham University, where she earned her law degree; weaves elements of Caribbean culture into her books; has written several picture books about Trinidad in addition to her novels; loves to travel and write about the places she visits
- Other Works: A Wave in Her Pocket (1991); The Mermaid’s Twin Sister (1994); Flowers in the Sky (2013); Dancing in the Rain (2016)
- Awards: Américas Award for Children (2000); ALA Notable Children’s Book (2001)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The Power of Words
- Family Relationships and How They Affect People
- The Government Versus the People
