After his mother dies, "Sugar" Martin is sent to live with his gruff uncle Free, a crippled loner who makes his living fishing in a swamp in the Mississippi Delta in the early 1900s. As Sugar struggle
After his mother dies, "Sugar" Martin is sent to live with his gruff uncle Free, a crippled loner who makes his living fishing in a swamp in the Mississippi Delta in the early 1900s. As Sugar struggles to adjust to his new surroundings, the only bright spot in his life is watching the building of the new Sweet Kingdom Church, which will be adorned with a beautiful stained glass window his mother had scrimped and saved for.
One day Sugar discovers that the money for Mama's window is being spent for the construction of the church itself. Devastated but unwilling to give up on his mother's dream, Sugar finds affirmation and support where he least expects it.
With compelling characters and a rich sense of place, Mama's Window is ultimately a moving story of hope, dreams, and finding a place to call home.
Interest Level
Grades 4 - 8
Reading Level
Grade 4
Themes
Poverty, Middle Grade, Self Esteem/Identity, Family Traditions, Dreams & Aspirations, Coping with Death, African/African American Interest
Accelerated Reader
Level: 5.2
Points: 2.0
View Description for teachers/educators
Patricia McKissack has won numerous awards for her children's books, including the Coretta Scott King Author Award, Newbery Medal Honor, and Carter G. Woodson Book Award. Her friendship and professional relationship with Rubright date back thirty years, and she mentored Rubright through the many years Mama's Window was in development.
Lynn Rubright is a professional storyteller who has taught many storytelling courses over the past twenty years. She is the recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association and was awarded a regional EMMY for her work as a co-producer of the documentary Oh Freedom After While: The Missouri Sharecropper Protest of 1939.
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