Kristin Levine
GP Putnam and Sons
298 pgs.
In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism.
Levine created believable a story with historically accurate information concerning the closing of the schools in Little Rock, something that Northerner-me didn't know about. Also, she did an excellent job of presenting the tensions present during this struggle for integration of schools and created sympathetic characters. That said, I found some outcomes a little far fetched, such as Marlee suddenly talking in front of class, her involvement with stealling the dynamite out of Red's car and her just happening to see the Red's car in Liz's neighborhood. Perhaps children reading this book might not see these as a problem. All in all, a good, not great, book. Since I found the historical aspect of the book interesting, it's unfortunate that I can't see this book gaining many check-outs at our library, unless, of course, it wins an award.
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