But she's black - will they let her compete?

I loved the title character in Kizzy Ann Stamps by Jeri Watts!  The year is 1963; Kizzy Ann is black, and she's nervous about starting at a new school that has just been integrated.  She's already faced hatred and bigotry, and she doesn't know what her white classmates will think of her.  Fortunately, KIzzy Ann has her beloved dog Shag.  Shag is a border collie, a type of dog that loves to work and is especially good at herding sheep.  With Shag at her side, she gets to know the others at her school a little better, but when she learns about a herding competition, she's not sure if she should go for it: what if a black girl isn't allowed to compete?  The story is told through letters to her new teacher and journal entries; although Kizzy Ann's voice sometimes sounds more like that of an adult than a child, she's a likable character and teaches us about an important part of our country's history.