Cirlce of Gold

Circle of Gold
Book Review II

Author: Candy Dawson Boyd
Cover Artist:
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Realistic
Primary Characters: Mattie and Matt Benson, Mama, and Toni
Secondary Characters: Mrs. Stamps, Reverend Harris, Angel and Charlene
Publishing: Scholastic Inc Apple Paperbacks 1984
Awards: Coretta Scott King 1984

Theme: Family unity is a part of a happy life.

Summary: Mattie Benson's father recently passed away, and since then things around the house have not been the same. She was really close to her father and no feels alone and unloved in her family, but she wants to change this feeling. So she decides to get her mother a super special Mother's Day gift in hopes that it will fix things and make her mother love her more. Mattie faces a challenge of getting enough money to pay for her gift so she enters an essay contest. Her best friend Toni helps her and writes one for her. Mattie is forced to decide which essay she will turn in as her own. She decides to turn in the one she wrote and wins the contest. However, the prize is not what she was expecting. Instead of money, the prize was the gold circle pin she wanted so badly to give her mother. In the end, Mattie feels as if her family is back to normal and is unified once again.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book could serve as a silent reading book, or it could be used as an aid or introduction to a lesson on determination or families.