1. I enjoyed this book because it had lots of mixed emotions in it such as sadness and much more. The main character is a twelve year old boy named Red; I really liked this character because he showed his emotions more than people often do.

I thought this book was realistic in a way but not in others because it is not every day that someone's dad dies so it wasn't something I had experienced or could imagine happening to me but I know it is possible.

This book made me want to find out more about history because I found this book very historical so it made me interested and curious to read about other things in history.

I would like to read more books by this author because I liked the emotion. Reading this book had its ups and downs in that some bits were better than others and it didn't have that many interesting or unusual words but it had some so that's better than none.

I would definitely give this book a four stars!

By Grace

2. Seeing Red is set in a small town called Stony Gap, Virginia, America.  The book was set in the 1960s when racism was at its worst and really needed to stop.  The story was about a boy called Frederick Porter, but people called him "Red" because he had red hair.  Red's dad had recently died and his mama was moving to Ohio and taking Red and his brother J along too.  Red and J did not want to leave Stony Gap so Red did everything he could to find reasons to persuade his mama of why not to leave.  On his mission he undertook other small tasks to do for friends and loved ones as well as dealing with very upsetting events throughout the book. 

Red, J and Beau were my favourite characters in this book and this is why.  I liked J because I thought we were alike and could be great friends.  We were around the same age and I felt that out of all the characters I empathised with him the most.  Beau was one of my favourite characters because although I didn't find him to be a very clever character, I did find him to be very wise.  He came out with one of the most wisest and thoughtful ideas in the book and did really helpful things for everyone around him.  I also felt great compassion for him in some parts of the book because a lot of things didn't quite go to plan for him.  Red got into my top three because he was brave and stood up to whoever he needed to unlike most twelve year olds.  He was very caring and always protected his friends in different ways - looking after them both verbally and physically.  He was a persistent boy who wouldn't surrender at anything he tried to do.  Red would not give up in his plight to stop his mother moving to Ohio and finding Freedom Church.  As a result of his persistence he achieved both.

The plot of this book definitely grabbed my attention.  The storyline was to stop J and Red's mother moving to Ohio and dragging them along too.  I think this is an interesting plot, but could have been improved if something catastrophic would have happened that affected everyone in Stony Gap if they had left.

My highlights of the book were happy and sad but these all made the book such a wonderful read.  Here they are:-

• Red and J's Mama decided to stay in Stony Gap - this is a happy scene and Reds hard work finally persuades his mama to stay.
• Miss Georgia dies - when we discover Miss Georgia dies I felt like a bomb had just exploded in my body and I could not feel anything but utter sadness. Although this was a tragic event, it made the book very compelling to read.
• Darell get sent to juvie - this incident is both good and bad. Darell is cruel and you want something bad to happen to him but this event also upsets a lovely character in the book called Rosie as Darell is her brother.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a doomsday book and has an interest in history.  Personally when I first got given this book and read about it I was not too keen to read it.  However, about ten pages after starting this book I loved it and could not put it down.  I would say to anyone definitely give it a read!

By Coby

3. Seeing Red is set in America in the early 1970s. It is about twelve year old Red Porter who lives with his mother and seven year old brother J. Red's father has died, leaving Red to look after the family car repair shop with the help of Beau, who works there. Red and his mother have very different ways of grieving, Red's mother can't bear to be around her husband's old stuff and wants to move to Ohio where her family live, whereas Red finds it comforting to be around his father's possessions and will stop at nothing to convince his mother not to move them up to Ohio. During the course of the book Red tries everything he can to stop his mother, he pulls the `For Sale' sign out from the ground, vandalises the house so no one will want to buy it and many more extremely risky schemes. But Red learns that you will never get your way in life by being rude or angry.

Red is a very strong-minded character. He is determined to make his mother stop and think about whether she is making the right decision. J is a mummy's boy, he has no opinions and doesn't really care whether they move. Their mother is quite weak and sometimes just sits down and cries, she finds it hard to cope when her husband dies.

There is a very clever and completely unexpected twist near the end of the book which, in my opinion, really added something to the plot as this is the sort of book where you think you know exactly what's going to happen but get it completely wrong. I was so glad happy ending as so many unfortunate things happen to Red. I could really sympathise with the characters and this book really moved me. I like the fact that there were two plots, although this story is actually about the Porters, it sneaks in little bits about racism.

I grabbed this book whenever I had a spare moment. I most definitely recommend it but maybe for slightly older children (10-12 year olds) as there were numerous words I didn't know or understand the meaning of. It would help when reading this story to have some prior knowledge on the subject because I didn't know very much about racism or segregation in America and found it quite confusing at times.

By Talia

4. I enjoyed this book because it had lots of mixed emotions in it such as sadness and much more. The main character is a twelve year old boy named Red; I really like this character because he showed his emotions more than people often do.

I thought this book was realistic in a way but not in others because it is not every day that someone's dad dies so it wasn't something I experienced or could imagine happening to me but I know its possible.

This book made me want to find out more history because I found this book  very historical so it made me interested and curious to read other things in history.

I would like to read more books by this author because I liked the emotion. Reading this book had its ups and downs in that some bits were better than others and it didn't have many interesting or unusual words but it had some and that's better than none.

I would definitely give this book  a four star rating and would recommend it to people my age.

By Grace

5. This book was a must read for all. Older children may find it more entertaining. I would always recommend this book to everyone.

This book is set in the 1950s. In this book Red Porter (the main character) shows all his strengths and weaknesses. Red has a younger brother named J, who is 7 years old. He is still trying to learn about when and how a close family relative died. Red is also left with his Mama, she is still trying to find her feet from the death. Red tries to fit in better but with the wrong crowd... This book was one of the best from this Genre as the book was full of descriptive writing and so much adventure.

My favourite character was Red because he was full of strength and courage. Red faces a lot of hurdles in front of him but manages to clear them all. Reading this book was like being at the Olympics and seeing the hurdle sports. Some of them get cleared but others just knock you off your feet and make you get back up.

My favourite part was when Red was suspicious of a past time... Read this book to find out... It was full of description and fun words. A marvellous story that contained wonderful words and sizzling sentences.

Overall this book was amazingly set out; an amazing in fact awesome, storyline. I liked every part of it and would really like to read it again if I get the chance to, I rate this book a 10/10 and would recommend it to everyone in the world!

By Issie

6. Seeing Red is a powerful and important thriller. Red aged twelve and his brother J aged seven are finding it hard to live life when a close family member dies and Red gets into big trouble to do with racism, his best friend, and his families' enemy's son Darrell's group. Still Red is feeling suspicious about his families' secret and tries to find it with help from his teacher, his mama, a woman called Miss Georgia and his families' enemy's daughter Rosie. But will he ever find it??????????????

The reason this book is so important is because of where it's situated and when it's situated. This book is situated in the 1970's during the civil rights movement in the U.S.A in Virginia America (one of the most affected states in America). This book explains the importance of racism in a powerful and important way.

 

My favourite character in this book is Rosie, his families' enemy's daughter. Rose is a kind and caring specimen and helps Red on his journey.

The only thing I don't like about this book is it's too good.

It makes makes my heart warm and my blood start flowing, it's like swimming in a calm collective reservoir!!! Which is why I rate it 10/10 

By Lucas

7. Seeing Red is an experiencing book . This is experiencing , because you feel like you're a black kid in the racism times , trying to fit in with people who are white and they bully you about it . This is how I interpret the book so how do you interpret it ? Red has had a bumpy ride since his relative has died. 

My favourite character was Thomas. This is because he tried to fit in with all the others even if they were white . It made me feel really happy for him , because he was so brave . Red has a mind of the past , because he speaks to his dead relative and try's to do things his dead relative wants him to do. The brotherhood has a heart of evil . They don't care about anyone or anything , just what's right for themselves . Over all I think this book was good , because  it had lots of description , but I think the author could of made it less complex. I would rate this book:  5/5 

By Millie

 8. Seeing Red has to be one of the most emotionally moving books I have ever read. 

Life will never be the same for Red Porter. He's a kid surrounded by white fence paint, black car grease and the backward attitudes of the townsfolk who live in his home town. 

Although Seeing Red doesn't contain any pictures you can mentally think up the pictures in your mind due to the 
language use by Kathryn Erskine. 

I would personally recommend to you to go and pick up a copy of Seeing Red. I, myself, am not really into reading but from the first chapter I was almost unable to put the book down, I was so addicted.

I hope you are inspired to read Seeing Red. I am sure you will enjoy this book like me!!!!!

By Evie