Synopsis
A moving, coming-of-age story of a young white girl who overcomes family prejudice and cultural differences when she befriends a black girl in a small working-class town.
Children's Literature
This excellent middle-grade novel shows Cass Bodine spying on the new neighbors through a knothole. She hears the mother say, "I'm sorry. I can't love a bunch of crackers who put up a fence as soon as they hear a black family is moving in next door." But Cass and Jemmie soon meet. Even better, they discover they're the same age, twelve, and both are 'way better than average runners.' They keep reading Jane Eyre together and running track in the early mornings, meetings that must be kept secret, except from Nana Grace, Jemmie's grandmother. She tells them about the Civil Rights movement, lets them know "crossing Jordan" was code in slave times for reaching freedom. Adrian Fogelin's characters are spunky and competitive, and her portraits of the prejudiced families are drawn with a loving hand--they're good folks who accept equal rights in theory without knowing how to put them into practice. The incidents chosen to illustrate prejudice's myriad subtleties may evoke a jolt of recognition. Compliments to Fogelin for a smoothly written story that will keep kids good company as they struggle to excel as runners or make friends across racial lines. 2000, Peachtree Publishers, Ages 9 to 13, $14.95. Reviewer: Nancy Tilly