Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

Seedfolks is a wonderful novel by Paul Fleischman. The story is told from the perspective of thirteen different characters. This is a very unique and interesting way to tell a story in a children's book, and it's extremely effective for this particular novel. The different vignettes give the story a very fleshed out and realistic feeling because the reader gets the perspective of so many different characters. My two favorite characters in particular are Curtis, a man who is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend, and Maricela, a pregnant teenager trying to cope with the pressures of her new life. It's also worth noting that sometimes characters will contradict each other throughout the story, which makes all of the narrators feel very human and realistic. The story itself is extremely engagaing and has a very hopeful, human theme to it: an abandoned lot is turned into a garden that unites a community full of people who were once untrustworthy and skeptical of each other. I would reccomend this book to both children and adults alike as it is very well written and a fun, interesting read.