The Listeners

The Listeners

The Listeners is a gripping story about a young girl who is forced to endure to slavery. The listeners book is told through the eyes of children who were assigned to listen to the plantation owners after a long day of labor. Instances such as when the narrator overhears the plantation owner discussing the sale of her father. Also how blacks and whites were separated in church on Sunday, but sang "Amazing Grace" together will astound you. The Listeners book is an excellent read for second and third graders to help them understand the emotional realities of slavery. Kids will understand about times where even children were expected to work, how families were frequently torn apart. How education wasn’t legal for everyone. However, the strength of the listeners book lies in how slaves are portrayed: not as helpless victims, but as strong messengers who did their best to seek out hope in the midst of the darkness.