Frances meets all the major players-hard-bitten journalist H.L. Nursing both a strong crush on handsome teacher/coach “Johnny” Scopes and a conviction that the sun rises and sets on her businessman father, Frances rides an emotional roller coaster as the trial-engineered by her father and some cronies as a publicity stunt, with the reluctant cooperation of Scopes-quickly turns into a circus, with undertones of hostility and violence coming to the fore. 'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title.Drawing incidents, dialogue and all but a few minor members of the cast from the historical record, Kidd views the Scopes trial through the eyes of a teenaged local-weaving in a thoughtful coming-of-age tale in the process. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine The complexity of Francess coming-of-age experience entwined with the story of the trial over evolution is fascinating, thanks to Alberts easy pace, distinct vocalizations, and energetic reading. Albert also gives the Southern town the perfect ambiance through her treatment of Dayton residents, from Frances herself to the local judge. Mencken is rich and humorous-it leaves the listener wanting more dialogue from this provocative character. Ashley Albert narrates each of the main characters with distinction.

Soon, however, her hometown of Dayton, Tennessee, becomes the epicenter for the infamous Scopes Trial, and Frances faces a wider world in her own small town. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title.įrances Robinson wants to spend her summer practicing tennis with the love of her life, teacher Johnny Scopes. Readers will devour this colorful yet tender story - reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird - told from the perspective of a young girl as she evolves into a woman.

Overnight the world is flocking to Dayton to decide: Are people really descended from monkeys? Does the theory of evolution have a place in biology class? As Frances sees the man she loves crumbling beside her, she begins to question her town, her neighbors, and the father she has always trusted. Mencken, Clarence Darrow, and William Jennings Bryan. But when Frances's father, the school board chairman, has Scopes arrested for teaching evolution, the sleepiest place on earth becomes a hotbed for famous thinkers, including H. Scopes, summer vacation promises tennis, and Coca-Colas from her father's drug store. For Frances Robinson, a fifteen-year-old daydreamer with a crush on her teacher, John T. School is out in the summer of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee.

In a story rife with first love and the pain of growing up, master storyteller Ronald Kidd reincarnates the most enduring trial of the twentieth century.

Monkey town by ronald kidd