Yellow Line

by Sylvia Olsen

Where I come from, kids are divided into two groups. White kids on one side, Indiands, or First Nations, on the other. Sides of the room, sides of the field, the smoking pit, the hallway, the washrooms; you name it. We're on one side and they're on the other. They live on one side of the Forks River bridge, and we live on the other side. They hang out in their village, and we hang out in ours.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Read For School, Ebooks, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Teen

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sylvia Olsen is a writer and public speaker living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. She is the author of several picture books, a number of first readers and novels for young adults and one non fiction—so far. Most of all she is a mother and grandmother and aunty to dozens of nieces and nephews.

Sylvia has spent most of her life living in Tsartlip First Nation, where her children and grandchildren now live. Because Sylvia is non native and her children are of mixed heritage most of her stories are about the place—the time—the experience of where different sorts of people come together. That’s one of the things that interests her the most. It’s one of the things she knows the most about—and like many authors—Sylvia writes about what she knows.

Her newest books are: a historical fiction set in the Gulf Islands called Counting on Hope (Sono Nis, Fall 2009) and A Different Game (Orca Books, Spring 2010). She is currently working on an adult non fiction and dreaming up a new story for a Young Adult novel (making it up is her favourite part of the writing process).

Writing is Sylvia’s most important hobby. She also loves to draw, sew, knit and design clothing. Her ‘real’ job is in housing. Her career, her dedication and her passion are to make sure everyone has a healthy place to live.

Reviews

[Riley Naughton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The yellow line was a pretty decent novel, or short novel. You can see the author Sylvia Olsen’s cultural touches due to her Vancouver origin and the plot of the book. At first when I picked up the book I thought nothing of it that is was a harmless good read, as short stories come, but then I realised that it wasn’t much more but there was more than just the surface. The Novel Yellow line is about this sophomore named Vinny in what at first seems like the western united states but now, looking back, seems as though it can be vancouver. The book tells about how the town that Vinny lives in is defined by the Fork river bridge. Vinny says in the beginning, “They live on one side of the Forks river bridge and we live on the other...White kids on one side and Indians on the other” (Olsen 1). Vinny has grown up that in the way he believes indians should stay with only indians and whites should stay within whites. Something that throws a wrench into his way of thinking, is his neighborhood friend Sherry, who Winny now finds her irresistible. Sherry has become the girlfriend of a reservation kid, or Indian, named steve and out of jealousy Vinny tries to make her come to her status quo, but she ultimately ignores him, with her liberal thinking of integration. But finally towards the end of the book Vinny finds out that he is in love with a reservation girl named Raedawn. But Vinny’s friends, who don’t change their bullying ways, tell her about his old ways and she turns him away for his crude thoughts. In order to fix this Vinny says, “Raedawn can I talk to you? I’m sorry for what my friends did. I’m not like them. I’m not.” (Olsen 81). Throughout this whole experience Vinny learns that not everything is what it seems and that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

[Cesar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was great because it talks in first person and it feels like he was in that time period that they judged you by your color by in reality he wasn't. The white Kids went in different School and black kids go to a different school. Also the same when out of school they have different water fountains and different seats in buses and also every thing that both raise do. I give this book a four out of five because this book is nicely made and i also like how he is telling it it in first person but he is in third person and remember all though memories.

[Kesla · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it in class

[Zoee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Yellow Line first it is segregated between white people and Indian people. Its about this boy Vinny which is white and he likes an Indian girl named Raedawn. His neighbor Sherry which they have been living next door since they were born. And she likes an Indian boy named Steve. Then her parents find out about her and they are going to send her to the city to live with her aunt and uncle. But Vinny’s parents don’t know he likes an Indian girl yet.My favorite character is Vinny because he cares about everyone and never gives up on them. My least favorite character would have to be Vinny’s parents because they don’t care about how Vinny sees that Sherry shouldn’t be sent away. My two favorite quotes are “There are a million stars out, and the moon is so bright I can see almost as were as if it were midday.” My second favorite quote is “Suddenly the sky explodes and rain starts beating down. I forgot my words, and only confidence I had runs down the road with the rain.” In conclusion everyone is happy. And mostly everyone got what they wanted.
This book I would recommend it to a person who likes action and adventure.
Vinny’s friends Nick and Justin did something really bad to Raedawn and she normally sits some what by Vinny on the bus and that day she wasn’t there that’s when Vinny found out what happened to Raendawn. He did not like it at all. So a few days later still Raendawn hadn’t been at school. So Vinny was in basketball at the time and he got called to the principal office and the wanted to know were Nick and Justin were and Vinny didn’t know. But they kept accusing him that he knew.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olsen, Slyvia. (2005). Yellow line. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers.


Yellow line is a high interest, low reading level novel about race relations. There are Indian teens and white teens and never the two shall meet. Well very soon, the line gets crossed. Sherry, a white teen, and Steve, a native boy from the reserve, start seeing each other. Vince, the narrator of the novel, feels slighted because he and Sherry used to be close friends and since she had become so pretty and is dating Steve, she won’t give him the time of day. Vince ends up being bullied by the other native boys, and he deflects his mother’s concern by telling them Sherry is “getting it on” with Steve. This concerns his parents a great deal, mainly because Sherry should know better than to date a native boy. Matters are further complicated when Vince falls for Raedawn, a native girl from the reserve.

I enjoyed reading this novel and I feel that many of the students in my school will make a personal connection with the characters and the situations they encounter. In the library, we have a mature section. I will put this novel in that section because of teen age drinking and drunkenness, smoking joints, swearing and allusions of rape. Does anyone have any thoughts about a mature section?

[Piera Delacruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didnt really like this book..but im going to tell you about it
The book Yellow Line it is between white people and Indian people. Its about this boy Vinny which is white and he likes an Indian girl named Raedawn. His neighbor Sherry which they have been living next door since they were born. And she likes an Indian boy named Steve. Then her parents find out about her and they are going to send her to the city to live with her aunt and uncle. But Vinny’s parents don’t know he likes an Indian girl yet.This book I would recommend it to a person who likes action and adventure. you can find this book in ms.stoddars library ..hope u like the book

[Chase Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yellow Line by Sylvia Olsen is the book that I have been reading and this Yellow Line means alot.
The yellow Line divides the white's and the Indians. You don't want to get caught on the wrong side. The back of the bus was for the Whites and the front was for the Indians.
One day a girl named, Sherry, decides to break the rule and date an Indian boy. Her bestfriend,Vince, doesn't like that and tells Sherry's parents about it. We all know the rule: Date inside your race.
Overall I recomend this book. It is a really good book about prejudice and equality.

[Rachel Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended by an 11th grader at Metro Tech High school. Yellow Line is a book about segregation of Indians and white people. "The white students sit on one side of the class, and the Indians sit on the other side. The teacher doesn't do anything to stop it," the student said. "The yellow line symbolizes this kind of segregation that still happens," he added. "I mean, we see this wherever we go -- on the bus, at lunch tables, whatever."

[Adan Galindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a very good book i recommend it. Its about 2 type of racie, the racie are white and native of americans. They are divided by a yellow line that is on the road. The white people think that theu shoud stay with there tyoe of racie.Eleventh-grader Vince He has lived with prejudices all his life and struggles to come to terms with his friend Sherry dating an Indian.

[Richard Van Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a short novel about reverse racism and a love story all wrapped into one, please check this unforgettable story out of love reaching across borders in a series designed for reluctant readers.

[Shawn Yeager · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book Yellow Line by Sylvia Olsen. I would give it a three out of five stars. People who are struggling with the difference between cultures would like this book. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when the mom and dad get in a fight in front of their kids.

[Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was nice of how detailed it is and how it makes you get the picture in your mind

[Joshelly Estrella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of don`t like this book because it talks too much on seperation and how Indian and Whites gets their own seperation side.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short read for teens! Theme of book is white and Indian relationships and dating.

[Janiyah Bembry · Rating 5 out of 5]

yellow line was a good book because it was about this boy who like this girl and she was like a sister to him and she met this boy named steve who was hot and they across from each other

[Melissa C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. i just like to read books like these.

[Young Woo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Doesn't even worth one star. Really.
Inappropriate words, inappropriate words, and racism.. Really?

[Stephen Jagba]

It was a very good book and really enjoy full to read it...

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good book

[Tyshawna dagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it looks towards the subject of race and African Americans subject and Caucasians

[Rj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that it shows a lot of diversity and it's definitely a good read.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hi-lo book. The subject matter is interesting, about a kid from a town that is basically split down the middle. The whites only interact with the white and the Natives only interact with the Natives. Of course, they are high schoolers, so that doesn't necessarily stay true when kids get interested in each other romantically.

Not a huge fan of the main character here, and his inaction when his friends do something really, really crappy kind of ruined him for me.

[Meghan Normandeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book with one of my kids got school. I think this story is an important one to tell but this felt far too brief and simple. Would be interested to see what materials and discussions are used in conjunction with this book that perhaps broadens the conversation.

[(Jacky) Yuxuan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kind of interesting book.

[Soobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

good fast read

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has an important and valuable theme, but I think the writing and the action are far too simplistic to appeal to most young adults. Perhaps it might be good for very young young-adults, or reluctant readers who will appreciate how short and easy to read it is. But even the protagonist, however well-meaning, seems incredibly naive, even after everything that happens. The plot-line isn't bad, but it's rather predictable from the first pages of the book.

[Florence thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved