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1st out of 3 books
—
2 voters
Hush
Toswiah Green's life ended the moment her policeman father decided to testify against a fellow officer. The Greens have had to change their identities and move to a different city. Now Toswiah is Evie Thomas, and that is the least of the changes. Her defeated father spends his days sitting by the window. Since her mother can no longer work as a teacher, she puts her energy...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
January 7th 2010
by Speak
(first published February 29th 2000)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Snapshot: Hush is about a family in Witness Protection after the father, a former cop, testifies in a murder trial. The family moves and each member copes with the changes differently. Evie, the book's main character, is caught in the web of family drama while trying to figure out what this change means for her.
Hook: I think students would be intrigued by the idea of a teenager in Witness Protection. The book sort of opens up a secret that is enticing. Also, Evie's struggle is ultimately uplifti...more
Hook: I think students would be intrigued by the idea of a teenager in Witness Protection. The book sort of opens up a secret that is enticing. Also, Evie's struggle is ultimately uplifti...more
Though this was a short read for me, I thought it was rather intriguing while allowing me as the reader to continuously enjoy reading this book. It begins by introducing a young girl who isn't necessarily prepared for everything that she has to undergo. Toswiah, as she was called from birth, was a more dependent little girl who only saw her picture perfect family and more importantly perfect father. Her father really was the foot of all of the drama, being that he was a cop who ended up placing...more
This book tells the story of a family torn apart by a decision the father (a policeman) made to testify after he witnessed the killing of a young black man by two white police officers. The story delves into the threats and upheaval in the family when the father testifies. The family is relocated through the Witness Protection Program (WPP). The story is told from Toswiah, the youngest daughter's viewpoint and begins with laying the background for what a loving, happy family they were. The book...more
Jul 09, 2012
Enchanted Librarian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classroom
This was a fantastic book. “For more than thirteen years I’d been Toswiah. Then came an end to that system of things” (61). This is a story of what happens to Evie when she is forced to leave everything behind in the middle of the night: her home, her friends, her clothes, her things, her cat, even her name. Her father has made a choice that requires the family go into the witness protection program. Should her father have done the right thing, even at such a great cost to everyone around him? “...more
Oct 27, 2011
Linda Lipko
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
young-adult
Everything this author writes is wonderful! She is a Newbery honor and medal winner, a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, and Hush is a National Book Award finalist.
When Toswiah Green's father does the right thing, the family is suddenly, dramatically turned upside down.
As the only black policeman on the force, her father felt accepted and affirmed by his fellow officers. When he received an award for outstanding bravery, his co-workers applauded and stood by his side.
When he witnessed two...more
When Toswiah Green's father does the right thing, the family is suddenly, dramatically turned upside down.
As the only black policeman on the force, her father felt accepted and affirmed by his fellow officers. When he received an award for outstanding bravery, his co-workers applauded and stood by his side.
When he witnessed two...more
Toswiah (Tos Wee Ah) Green is a 13-year-old girl from Denver, Colorado. She and her older sister Cameron live with their parents in a nice neighborhood. The only problem is Toswiah Green doesn’t exist anymore. After her father witnesses the shooting of an unarmed African-American boy by two fellow police officers her life changes forever. Whisked away by the District Attorney Toswiah and her family are now in the witness protection program. Now called Evie, Toswiah has to adjust to life as not o...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Toswiah Green, an African-American 12 year old girl must adapt to many changes in her life. Her father, a police officer, testifies against two fellow officers in a murder trial. The entire family is forced to enter the witness protection program in order to be safe. Toswiah struggles with her new identity, in a new town and school. She is stressed out over this difficult situation and the family also undergoes major stress.
I can't imagine how hard it must be to leave your friends, family and sc...more
I can't imagine how hard it must be to leave your friends, family and sc...more
Oct 24, 2009
Katie Carson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary-realistic-fiction
The absolutely raw characters in Woodson has created in this story cannot help but provide pathways for readers to relate to them. The narrator's direct involvement of the reader, asking them to put their feet on the cold hardwood floors of their home and to smell the cedar trees around them, engages readers is strong sensory descriptions of the setting. As a reader, you cannot help but feel like you're experiencing this warm environment with your narrator. This is also why you can't help but fe...more
When their police officer father witnesses a racist murder committed by fellow cops, Cameron and Toswiah and their family are forced to relocate under the Witness Protection Program and must begin new lives and assume new identities while leaving everything familiar behind.
The search for identity is crucial to this book, and parallels the intense emotional conflict felt by adolescents. The sudden loss of an old identity is akin to the sudden changes a child experiences as they reach puberty. I r...more
The search for identity is crucial to this book, and parallels the intense emotional conflict felt by adolescents. The sudden loss of an old identity is akin to the sudden changes a child experiences as they reach puberty. I r...more
Toswiah Green has a good life. She lives in Denver, her father is a policeman and her mother a teacher, her parents kiss in the kitchen, her best friend lives down the hall, and her sister is, well, annoying, but whatever. They're all happy. And then it all changes. Toswiah's father makes a decision, and Denver is no longer an option. Toswiah's name is Evie, her father doesn't have a job, she doesn't have any friends, and her parents certainly don't kiss in the kitchen. No one is happy, and Tosw...more
Feb 22, 2010
Jaclyn Giordano
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
realistic-fiction
Hush by Jacqueline Woodson is a chapter book intended for readers in third through sixth grade. I gave it four stars. Evie Thomas and her family are forced to move out of Denver, out of the lives they knew so well. Her father, a police officer, had to testify against two of his fellow officers in the shooting of a black boy. The testimony leaves the family unsafe and unsettled, as they move out of Denver and assume new identities so they can remain safe after the testimony sends the two officer...more
This is a story that I've wanted to read for a while, because the whole concept of families living under the Witness Protection Program has always fascinated me. A young African-American girl and her family are forced to suddenly leave their idyllic life in Denver and assume completely new identities after their father, a police officer, witnesses some fellow police officers killing a black teenager and testifies against them. The family is torn apart as their father slips into a deep depression...more
How difficult it is for the young girl and her sister to leave their former home and move to a place where they can be safe from their father's enemies. All their happiness and all their friends evaporate into mist when they must become part of a witness protection program because of their father's insistence on testifying at a controversial trial. You'll learn what they've lost and what kind of courage it takes to retrieve enough of themselves to press on. Would you be able to leave all your fr...more
This is one of those books that I am so glad I decided to pick up. Through this novel, Ms. Woodson gives us insight into a difficult situation that a family might face: that making a major decision can have significant consequences that affect the whole family. As the family in this book learns, making a decision to do the right thing does not necessarily give a person peace and might end up causing other problems. As a good author of contemporary realistic fiction, Ms. Woodson gives us (the rea...more
The book "Hush" is about a girl (Toswiah) and her family who has to change her identity, because of something that happened at her Dads job. Toswiah's father is a cop, and he witnessed a shooting that was unfair. What happened was that two white cops shot a black kid for no reason. Well they had reason but it was more of an excuse, the reason was that they thought he was part of some gang and that he was going to hurt someone. When the two white cops asked the black teenager to put up his hands...more
Hush
Evie and her sister Annie weren't always unhappy. You see, they weren't even born Evie and Annie. Their father, a dedicated cop, chose to do the right thing and testify in a very dangerous case where an innocent boy was murdered. Now, the family is on the run. But life in the Witness Protection Program is far from a good time. Can you imagine leaving everything and everyone you know behind and being swept away to a place you did not choose and you know nothing about? Can you imagine having t...more
Evie and her sister Annie weren't always unhappy. You see, they weren't even born Evie and Annie. Their father, a dedicated cop, chose to do the right thing and testify in a very dangerous case where an innocent boy was murdered. Now, the family is on the run. But life in the Witness Protection Program is far from a good time. Can you imagine leaving everything and everyone you know behind and being swept away to a place you did not choose and you know nothing about? Can you imagine having t...more
Toswiah and her family are forced to abandon their identities and move after their father witnesses an innocent boy killed by two of his fellow policemen and testifies against them. Now named Evie, she is thrown into the difficulty of making all new friends while trying to cope with her beloved hometown and the separation of her best friend since birth and her grandmother. On top of this, her father becomes severally depressed, attempting suicide, and her mother becomes a devote Jehovah's Witnes...more
[NOTE: Spoilers ahead!]
CATEGORY SATISFIED: Jacqueline Woodson
Toswiah Green lives a happy and almost Edenic life in Denver, Colorado, with her parents and sister. But when her policeman father is a witness against some fellow cops who claim to have shot an unarmed black teenager in self-defense, the family begins to receive death threats, and they move into the Witness Protection Program. What follows is the surprising turn of events that changes Toswiah (now "Evie") and her family forever as the...more
CATEGORY SATISFIED: Jacqueline Woodson
Toswiah Green lives a happy and almost Edenic life in Denver, Colorado, with her parents and sister. But when her policeman father is a witness against some fellow cops who claim to have shot an unarmed black teenager in self-defense, the family begins to receive death threats, and they move into the Witness Protection Program. What follows is the surprising turn of events that changes Toswiah (now "Evie") and her family forever as the...more
This book was a young adult realist novel about an African-American family who has to join the witness protection program after the main character's father, a cop, testifies in court against two white police officers, his friends, who shot and killed a black teenager for no real reason. The book is thus about Toswiah Green, the protagonist, dealing with leaving their perfect life in Denver, Colorado, having to change her name to Evie, and dealing with their new, less-than-idyllic life in a new c...more
I couldn't stop thinking about Don't Look Behind You, because that's the other book about the witness protection program I've read. Of course, because this is Jacqueline Woodson, the focus isn't on the thriller elements but on the social consciousness and character growth. Leaving everything you've ever known is so incredibly sad. It's going to be sad for these people forever; they are permanently changed. But you pick up and you move on as the new person you are after a tragedy -- in this case,...more
Feb 14, 2013
Rebecca
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-seventh-grade
The book "Hush", by Jacqueline Wilson, is a good read for middle schoolers, who might enjoy historical fiction. It is a shame that after this book, they might no longer will be interested in that genre. Personally, I would not recommend this book to people, because I feel that there was no obvious plot. This book never got interesting. The whole time, I felt like the main character, Toswiah, was just complaining about how she wanted her life to be. Basically, there was no climax to the plot. No...more
Teton County Library Call Number: J WOODSEN
No rating
Imagine having a happy respected family in which both your parents are both successful professionals with lots of friends. then, one day, your father sees two of his good friends and working associates commit a murder. Your father tells the truth about what happened. Now you must leave your school, neighborhood, friends, and real identity in order that our family and you are not in danger of your lives.
The result: A desperately depressed, unem...more
No rating
Imagine having a happy respected family in which both your parents are both successful professionals with lots of friends. then, one day, your father sees two of his good friends and working associates commit a murder. Your father tells the truth about what happened. Now you must leave your school, neighborhood, friends, and real identity in order that our family and you are not in danger of your lives.
The result: A desperately depressed, unem...more
This book was enlightening. The author cleverly distributed the emotions and plot around, in a way that connected everything. With the simplicity of the characters and the complicated plot, it generates a whole new vibe to the story. About the story of a young girl who moves because their dad witnesses a crime, the young girl, now named Evie, goes on a journey through teenage years trying to combat her difficulties. A mom who's converted to Jehovah Witness, and a dad who cuts himself, every mome...more
JACQUELINE WOODSON
This is the story of a girl's struggles to cope with the hardships of being apart of the witness protection program. It's a lot to deal with, namely a loss of identity, friends, and the old family lifestyle. No one smiles anymore. No one is as jolly as before. Rather, there's a bleakness about the whole house and a tension in the air. I was intrigued by the idea and the prose that was used in the book. It was very engaging. Although, I found myself wondering when it was going t...more
This is the story of a girl's struggles to cope with the hardships of being apart of the witness protection program. It's a lot to deal with, namely a loss of identity, friends, and the old family lifestyle. No one smiles anymore. No one is as jolly as before. Rather, there's a bleakness about the whole house and a tension in the air. I was intrigued by the idea and the prose that was used in the book. It was very engaging. Although, I found myself wondering when it was going t...more
“Close your eyes and imagine the floor beneath your feet – cool hardwood maybe. Or softly warm and carpeted. Sit down and lift your feet up off of it and imagine you can never put them down on it again. Ever. See how quickly the feeling of that floor fades? See how much you want to feel it again? How lost you feel with no place solid to put your feet:?
After Toswiah Green’s father (a Denver police officer) testifies against his coworkers for shooting an unarmed African-American teenager, her fami...more
After Toswiah Green’s father (a Denver police officer) testifies against his coworkers for shooting an unarmed African-American teenager, her fami...more
I liked this story a lot. It gave you a look into what it might be like for a family to have to go from a level of comfort and happiness to a secret life that is a lower class lifestyle and everything you loved about your life before...can no longer be spoken of!I remember the main character saying she just wanted to say her name!!! wow.
and for the father once of such prominent position...all for the sake of protecting his family had to sink to what must have felt like a "nobody" in his eyes.
Th...more
and for the father once of such prominent position...all for the sake of protecting his family had to sink to what must have felt like a "nobody" in his eyes.
Th...more
Oct 03, 2012
Barbara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Barbara by:
EP Summer Reading List
Toswiah Green tells the story of how her family was forced from living a middle class American life in a mostly white Colorado neighborhood to living as Evie Thomas living in a mostly black neighborhood. Toswiah was one of two daughters of the Green Family. In the beginning, her father was a black cop in a mostly white precinct. Her mother was a school teacher. She and her sister had friends, were involved in school activities and lived a pretty normal life. It all changes when Toswiah’s father...more
Genre: Multicultural (Novel) Copyright 2002
This book was very interesting. Although I had almost nothing in common with anyone in this family, it sure did open my eyes to perspective. Espcially as an adult reading from a kids point of view. It makes me think about how my own children think when our family comes into crises. Toswiah had a very interesting take on how her parents were dealing with everything and I can relate, because many many times the true story is behind closed doors. Am I sure...more
This book was very interesting. Although I had almost nothing in common with anyone in this family, it sure did open my eyes to perspective. Espcially as an adult reading from a kids point of view. It makes me think about how my own children think when our family comes into crises. Toswiah had a very interesting take on how her parents were dealing with everything and I can relate, because many many times the true story is behind closed doors. Am I sure...more
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I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing.
I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories a...more
More about Jacqueline Woodson...
I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories a...more
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Jan 26, 2009 03:22pm