Don't Miss

• 2008 Holiday Catalog
• Powell's Gift Packs
• Mrs. P's Magic Library
• Indiespensable™ #7:
  The Lit-Journal Collection

More at Powell's

• Rare and Collectible Books
• Out of the Book™: State by State
• eBooks | Audio | DVDs

---

Report Comment

---

You are reporting a comment on the following title:

---

You are reporting the following comment:

johnsongini, September 4, 2008

I purchased this book for a child, but what struck me as I read it was the brilliant symbolism that could connect to our social studies curriculum in middle school. For me, it was a flash of realization like the light the rat saw as Gregory the jailor lit the match with the nail of his thumb.

Even though, for Roscuro the rat, the flame was extinguished in a second, the light continued to dance inside him. The idea was born that "light was the only thing that gave life meaning." Once he had seen it, nothing was ever the same again. No longer was he content to be confined to the darkness of the dungeon. He was willing to brave anything to find the light. There are other threads and other lessons as well in this story. All one has to do is look for them.

As a curriculum specialist, I am recommending that teachers in our district use this wonderful book with all of its symbolism about light and darkness and people being kept "in their place" to connect literature to the issues of slavery and human rights in social studies. The glimmer of light, the hope of freedom -- and all is changed forever!

I highly recommend the book for middle school language arts and social studies as a collaborative piece.

---

Your email address:

---

Reason for report:

---

Are you a robot? We didn't think so. But just to be sure, please type what you see in the following image into the box below.

---

Confirmation:

Are you certain you wish to report this comment?

---

Terms and Conditions

We welcome your comments and ideas, but we ask that you refrain from:

• Obscenity
• Spam
• Illegal content
• Copyrighted material
• Commercial solicitations

By posting your comments you are granting the good people of Powells.com the right (but not the obligation) to make your comments available to others over the Internet, and to copy and distribute your comments via other media, in each case on a royalty free basis. These terms govern the rights and obligations of the person posting comments and Powells.com; there are no intended third party beneficiaries of these terms.

Posted comments are subject to monitoring, editing, and removal at any time. Please see our Terms of Use for our complete terms and conditions.

---

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

In accordance with The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, you must be at least 13 to submit comments on Powells.com.