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Overview
Gabriel King is afraid of everything: spiders, the rope swing over the lake, andmost of all, going to fifth grade.
Frita Wilson, his best friend, decides Gabriel needs some liberating from his fears, so they make a list and plan to tackle each one. But one of the reasons Frita is so determined to help Gabe is that she needs his help too. Hollowell, Georgia in 1976 isn't exactly the most integrated place, and Frita's the only black student in school in a town with an active Ku Klux Klan.
Synopsis
Gabriel King believes he was born chicken. He’s afraid of spiders, corpses, loose cows, and just about everything related to the fifth grade. If it’s a choice between graduating or staying in the fourth grade forever, he’s going to stay put–only his best friend, Frita Wilson, won’t hear of it.
“Gabe,” says Frita, “we got to do something about you.” When Frita makes up her mind, she’s like a locomotive–there’s no stopping her. “First, you’re going to make a list. Write down everything you’re afraid of.”
Gabe’s list is a lot longer than he’d like Frita to know. Plus, he can’t quite figure out how tackling his fears will make him brave. Surely jumping off the rope swing over the catfish pond can only lead to certain death . . . but maybe Frita knows what she’s doing. It turns out she’s got her own list, and while she’s watching Gabe face all his fears, she’s avoiding the fear that scares her the most.
With wisdom and clarity, K. L. Going explores the nature of fear in what...
Kirkus Reviews
Strong voice, lively dialogue, humor and important themes make this a winner.
Editorials
Kirkus Reviews
Strong voice, lively dialogue, humor and important themes make this a winner.Publishers Weekly
Using shades of a southern drawl, Keefe effortlessly slips into the character of Gabriel King, a boy who's fearful of just about everything, especially fifth grade (and the older bullies who await him)-exactly where he's headed after the summer of 1976. Luckily, Gabe's spunky best friend, Frita Wilson, understands his situation and is determined to use the school break to help Gabe overcome his fears. But even though she doesn't seem a whit fearful, Frita, who's black, has big concerns of her own, including facing the prejudice against her in a town where the Ku Klux Klan is alive and well. Keefe captures the brisk pace of Going's story, and all the right notes of genuine childlike emotion, whether it's apprehension, disillusionment or the warmth of friendship. Issues of racism, tolerance, courage and what it really means to be a friend are skillfully woven into the tale, as is some historic background (such as mention of then-Governor Jimmy Carter). Ages 10-up. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Gabriel has decided that he will not move up to 5th grade with his best friend, Frita, because doing so will put him on the same wing as Duke Evans, the 6th grade bully. Frita decides to spend her summer making Gabriel brave and has him compile a list of all of the things he is afraid of. Together they tackle the seemingly endless list of fears but Gabriel shows no emerging signs of courage. When Frita is accosted by Duke's father and is threatened with a Ku Klux Klan visit (she is African-American), fear takes on a whole different look. This quiet novel of real bravery holds a nice message for children: real courage is not about conquering a fear of spiders but in standing up for what you know to be right. Going's story of a strong, supportive friendship between two children from very different backgrounds that grows in ways they never knew to be possible is refreshing in its backdrop of ordinary life. It is ordinary people, after all, that affect some of the greatest changes of all. 2005, Putnam, Ages 9 to 12.—Joan Kindig, Ph.D.