The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon should be taught to next year's 6th graders. I was very detailed and seemed real. I learned a lot about the 1960s and the Civil RIghts Movement that I did not know before reading the book. The characters were real and so were the setting and the conflict. Plus, I enjoyed the story. I cared about Stick and I realy was appalled when he was killed in the novel. I think next year's students will enjoy. It is one of the best written historical fiction novels I have ever read.