The Red Pencil

Pinkney, A. (2014). The Red Pencil. New York City, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

The Red Pencil is a 308 page story about a girl from Sudan named Amira who finds hope in drawing and writing. Amira is given a writing twig to write with in the ground on her 12th birthday. She writes with it to express her feelings of one day being something greater than her cultural traditions allow her to be. One day, the Janjaweed attack her village, killing her father and destroying her livestock and food supply, and worst of all, her special writing twig. She was so distressed, she could not speak, not even if she tried. Her family is forced to relocate to a city called Kalma. In Kalma, Amira struggles to stay alive and endure hardship in her new homeland. Things change when a Sudan Relief Officer comes and gives Amira a red pencil, where she can once again write. Amira's life transforms because of her writing, giving her hope and allowing her to speak again.

The Red Pencil is a wonderful read. It's packed with graphic images that will change your perception and world-view. The Red Pencil depicts scenarios of both an average village in Sudan, as well as a village that has been destroyed, and a refugee site that has rationed water and food. These different settings encourage the reader to see a broad spectrum of what life might be like for some people in Sudan. The Red Pencil gives you an eye into the culture of Sudan and includes many original Arabic words inside the text.

The back of the book contains a glossary of Arabic terms including pronunciation, definitions of important words that appear in the text, and a character pronunciation guide. There is also an author's note included, as well as an acknowledgement section. These assets further the assumption of high quality literature, and rightly so. The Red Pencil offers an inside look into the mind of a twelve-year old girl in Sudan and what they may be thinking as they are forced into traditions that they may or may not agree with or like, but sometimes have no choice.

I would say, there is some rather graphic sounding scenes, which I would be careful with for sensitive readers, however, the book is overall a high quality read. The book has a rather sad tone, with glimpses of humor. I would recommend this book for a child 11+ who is able to comprehend and deal with hard emotions. Some children may be ready to handle death, relocating, and burning of property; whereas some children may be sensitive. I would be cautious of these elements, and make sure you understand the child you are giving the book to.

Lexile Level: HL620L  - This reading lexile suggests this book be given to struggling readers, grades 7 and up. This text is written at an elementary level, but the themes and content are written for 7th grade and up, according to lexile.com

Age Level: 11+

Literay Elements-
Setting: Sudan, 1940's, hot weather, war zone, refugee camp, poor, destruction
Tone: Mellow, Sad undertones, Hopeful-slightly
Character: Bold, Hurt, Inspired, Non-traditional, "Going against the norm", Brave