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Summary
Summary
When a segregated North Carolina town gets its first black teacher, two girls--one black, one white--come face-to-face with how prejudice affects their friendship.Everything's changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin's tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren't the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there's talk in town about the new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek. Word is spreading quickly--Mrs. Smyre is like no other teacher anyone has ever seen around these parts. She's the first African American teacher. It's 1969, and while black folks and white folks are cordial, having a black teacher at an all-white school is a strange new happening. For Sarah Beth, there are so many unanswered questions. What is all this talk about Freedom Riders and school integration? Why can't she and Ruby become best friends? And who says school isn't for anybody who wants to learn--or teach? In a world filled with uncertainty, one very special teacher shows her young students and the adults in their lives that change invites unexpected possibilities.
Author Notes
Shannon Hitchcock is the author of the critically acclaimed The Ballad of Jessie Pearl , hailed for its immediacy and cadenced voice. This novel's story is based on Shannon's real-life experience and the teacher who inspired her as a child. Shannon's picture book biography Overgrown Jack , was nominated for the Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award. Her writing has been published in Cricket , Highlights for Children , and Children's Writer magazines. She lives in Tampa, Florida.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
It is the summer of 1969, and things couldn't seem worse to 12-year-old Sarah. Her six-year-old sister, Robin, has been seriously injured in a car accident that Sarah is certain was her fault (she had been reading while babysitting Robin), and Sarah called her best friend, Ruby Lee, the worst thing you can call a black person. Sarah's inner struggles take place against the background of integration in a rural North Carolina community; Hitchcock (The Ballad of Jessie Pearl) depicts her guilt, anger, and grief with credibility and the important people in her life in sympathetic, fully dimensional fashion. The contrast between Ruby Lee and Sarah's friendship and that of the girls' grandmothers effectively reflects the differences in their generations' approach to race relations; the uneasiness created by the arrival of the elementary school's first black teacher, Mrs. Smyre, is also treated realistically. While Mrs. Smyre is a little too good to be true, an endnote explains the roots of the book are in the author's connection to just such a teacher. Ages 8-12. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Twelve-year-old Sarah Beth was in charge of watching her little sister Robin when a car hit the six-year-old, and now everything is uncertain. Will Robin walk again? How can Sarah Beth admit her guilt when her family may blame her? Sarah Beth must go stay with her grandparents while her parents guide Robin through the healing process, and with the integration of her new school, life takes on even more challenging questions. This endearing story set in 1969 is reminiscent of the charming friendship seen in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Faith, Hope, and Ivy June (2009) but with a feel similar to that of the Little House books. As in The Ballad of Jessie Pearl (2013), Hitchcock deftly weaves her narrative through history to gently bring important past events to light. Excellently written, the novel's characters avoid stereotyping and are well developed, and Hitchcock perfectly captures Sarah Beth's voice as she wrestles with big questions. The somber themes of race relations and personal guilt are handled sensitively and with a good dose of flour, courtesy of Sarah Beth's grandmother's baking lessons, and hope for racial healing is offered. A heartening and important offering for younger readers.--Moore, Melissa Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-After a tragic accident leaves her younger sister Robin hospitalized, 12-year-old Sarah must move in with her grandparents. Miss Irene is Granny's neighbor and friend, and her granddaughter Ruby Lee has been Sarah's best friend since she can remember. The trouble is, Sarah is white and Ruby Lee is black-and it's 1969 in North Carolina. The local school will be integrated this year, and the first black teacher has been hired. Tension is high in the tiny town of Shady Creek. Forced to leave her home and start over on her grandparents' farm, Sarah must come to grips with her guilt about her sister, her anger and confusion about Ruby Lee, and the uncertainty of relationships among whites and blacks in the rural South. Balancing the heavier topics are home-style recipes, strong storytelling, and Southern charm, which will engage younger middle grade readers. The characters are well developed and the historical setting realistic. VERDICT Tenderly told, this appealing story explores racial tensions during a key moment of the civil rights movement.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It's 1969, and 12-year-old Sarah's life is in turmoil. Sarah is overcome with guilt after her sister is involved in an accident, and life in Shady Creek is turbulent as racial tensions peak. Everyone's talking about integration, and Sarah fears it will affect her friendship with Ruby Lee, a stereotypically sassy, pushy black girl who lives nearby. Despite the title and setup, the story is more about sibling love and self-forgiveness than it is segregation and friendship. Unfortunately, the book introduces such subjects as the N-word (unarticulated on the page but clear in intent) and Emmett Till but keeps its treatment on the surface, failing to assertively wrestle with them. Sarah acknowledges that she's been sheltered from racism and feels guilty that Ruby experiences it, but her feelings about segregation seem similarly superficial. Though she promises to remain Ruby's friend after the schools integrate, the book ends before she can complete her commitment. The book also contains unlikely scenarios: Mrs. Smyre, the new black teacher, invites white students to touch her skin and hair, and after a racially motivated crime, a crowd of black and white bystanders sing "We Shall Overcome" together. Hitchcock's intent is obvious, but these scenes do not paint a realistic portrait of the time period for young readers. The story is acceptable as a book about familial relationships and self-forgiveness, but it fails as the historical narrative it purports to be. (Historical fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
