The Setting: Maycomb, Alabama 1935

Recommended Grade Level: 7–12

Suggested Areas of Study and Discussion: The Novel, Coming of Age, Racism in America, Racial Discrimination and the American Legal System, American Literature, American History, The Great Depression, The Hierarchy of Southern Society, Roles of Women

The Story: Your students will walk the streets of Maycomb with the unforgettable Scout, Jem and Dill as they form friendships, enjoy the endless summer, weave tales about Boo Radley, and learn about the world. Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, has been asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman. As the trial advances, it becomes evident that Tom is innocent and his accuser has created a malicious lie to cover up his own violent attack on his daughter, Mayella. Atticus fights with all he has to get Tom acquitted and protect him from the angry mob of men who want to lynch him. When the innocent Tom is convicted and acts of revenge are exacted on Jem and Scout, Atticus’ children see that Maycomb is a deeply racist community and that their preoccupied, uninteresting father is indeed a man of great courage.