In crafting a reading list for this summer, we thought a focus on community spirit and simple acts of kindness would be time well spent. We hope you do, too. You are required to read two books, including a short, heartwarming story by Paul Fleischman called Seedfolks. Though published 30 years ago, Seedfolks carries a simple, yet timeless message of strength through community. Seedfolks continues to be assigned for middle school, high school, college, and graduate students. Thirteen diverse voices tell the story of the flowering of a vacant lot in a tired Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood,
recording through the garden’s progress “the growth of its most precious crop – a sense of community.” It is a beautiful testament to people coming together and is indeed a metaphor for the very idea of kindness and compassion.
Students are required to read Seedfolks and one other book from the list below.