111 pages 3 hours read

Sharon M. Draper

Fire from the Rock

Fiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Character Analysis

Sylvia Patterson

Sylvia Patterson is the protagonist in this story. She is 15 years old and beginning to question the world around her. She has a good relationship with her family, but she is not sure how she feels about the idea of growing up to keep a house like her mother or being a devout Christian like both of her parents. Sylvia is an excellent eighth-grade student who looks forward to high school and someday going to college. She astutely notices that TV shows and magazines do not feature people who look like her, and when they do, the representations are limited and stereotypical. She also observes the separateness of a racially segregated country that divides musical groups, church members, neighborhoods, and schools. She spends her days in the company of a loving family, a solid church, and a nurturing school. When she hears that her school wants her to represent them in the racial integration of Central High School in the fall, Sylvia is both excited and scared: “Integration! Here in Little Rock. Finally. And she and her friends could be the ones chosen to do it. What a terrible, horrible, wonderful decision this would be” (38).

Related Titles

By Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Copper Sun

Sharon M. Draper

Copper Sun

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Darkness Before Dawn

Sharon M. Draper

Darkness Before Dawn

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Double Dutch

Sharon M. Draper

Double Dutch

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Forged By Fire

Sharon M. Draper

Forged By Fire

Sharon M. Draper

Plot Summary

logo

Just Another Hero

Sharon M. Draper

Just Another Hero

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

November Blues

Sharon M. Draper

November Blues

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Out of My Heart

Sharon M. Draper

Out of My Heart

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Romiette and Julio

Sharon M. Draper

Romiette and Julio

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Stella by Starlight

Sharon M. Draper

Stella by Starlight

Sharon M. Draper

Study Guide

logo

Tears of a Tiger

Sharon M. Draper

Tears of a Tiger

Sharon M. Draper

Plot Summary

logo

The Battle of Jericho

Sharon M. Draper

The Battle of Jericho

Sharon M. Draper

Teaching Guide + Study Guide

logo

We Beat the Street

George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Sampson Davis, Sharon M. Draper

We Beat the Street: How A Friendship Pact Led to Success

George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Sampson Davis, Sharon M. Draper