The Parker Inheritance

 Bibliography: Johnson, V. (2019). The Parker Inheritance. Scholastic Inc. ISBN 978-0-545-94617-9


Plot Summary: After her parents separate, Candice is forced to move to Lambert (South Carolina) for the summer. Living with her mother in her grandmother’s old house, Candice and her new friend  Brandon uncover a mystery that led to her grandmother’s downfall, and still needs to be solved. A wealthy philanthropist, James Parker has left a treasure hidden in the city, and whoever finds it will get a share. But the clues Parker left uncover the racial discrimination of the 1950’s, and require the two friends to bring to light the social injustices that occurred. 


Critical Analysis:  This work of historical fiction is brilliantly written as a suspenseful mystery.  The reader is immediately drawn in by the puzzle that Abigail Caldwell, Candice’s grandmother, was desperate to solve.  Every new discovery leads to another clue to the puzzle, and makes the reader want to keep reading to find out more. Johnson alternates between the stories of the people behind the puzzle and the story of the two friends, giving the reader background into the reasoning behind various clues. Johnson brings to light issues of discrimination against blacks as well as the LGBTQIA+ community that are still occurring today to demonstrate the injustices these people regularly suffer through.  The historical references made, such as Althea Gibson, the first black woman to win at Wimbledon and the case of Briggs v. Elliott,  are historically accurate.  The author’s note demonstrates the extensive research the author did to ensure historical accuracy and includes various references to actual events that the fictional parts were based on. The book was a great read, not just for children and young adults, but older adults as well.  It was difficult to put down.


Reviews:


Kirkus Reviews: “ Holds racism firmly in the light…. A candid and powerful reckoning of history.”


Publisher’sWeekly.com: “Johnson (To Catch a Cheat) addresses important issues gracefully, particularly having the freedom to live a life of one’s choosing and the long-lasting effects of discrimination. “



Awards:


Odyssey Award Nominee, 2019


Coretta Scott King Book Award Nominee for Author, 2019


Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Nominee for Fiction & Poetry, 2018


Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee, 2021



Connections:


Use in a middle or high school English class. Create writing prompts for each unit of reading (whether it be one chapter or more) that have students analyze issues of social injustices and discrimination that occurred in the book and the real world.


(From Scholastic.com): Use in a middle or high school History class. “Work with students to diagram and create a detailed timeline of events for the novel, layering in relevant national and world events for each decade.”


(From Scholastic.com): Use in a middle or high school Art class. “Discuss chapter 31 and the series of paintings that depict the 1957 tennis match between the schools (p. 52, p. 188, pp. 191-201). Challenge students to reproduce one or all of the tennis paintings in a medium of their choice based on the descriptions. “

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