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.

"Race didn't used to matter..."

Black, White, Other by Joan Steinau Lester was fascinating and thought-provoking.  Nina is biracial, with a black dad and a white mom.  It didn't used to be a big deal, but now her parents are divorced, and it seems that family and friends are all making racial boundaries.  Where does Nina fit in?  She finds comfort and inspiration in a book her dad is writing about Sarah, Nina's great-great-grandmother who escaped slavery.  When Sarah has a frightening time running away herself, she realizes the difference between running to something - freedom - and running from something.  The author does an amazing job of getting inside a teenager's head with authentic thoughts, fears, and emotions.  Excellent.

Why is the land so important?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor won the Newbery Medal in 1977, and it was a well-deserved honor. The story takes place in the Deep South in the 1930s. For Cassie's African-American family, that was a time of poverty and brutal racism, but also strong family ties and a sense of honor. The author describes in a painfully touching way how Cassie comes to understand the reasons she and her brothers are treated so differently from the neighboring white children. And now there are night riders and burnings and humiliation. Why is tall, towering Mr. Morrision really staying with Cassie's family? Why is the land so important to Papa? This is a powerful, moving story about racial prejudice and those who withstood it with pride and dignity.

Telling the truth or stretching it?

Reviews of Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon use words like "gentle," "brilliance," and "intriguing."  I have to agree.  This is a fictionalized account of one autumn in the childhood of author Zora Neale Hurston, and it's told in the first person by her best friend, Carrie.  Set in Eatonville, Florida, at the turn of the century, Zora is known for her fantastic storytelling talents.  When a murder occurs, she's convinced the suspect is Mr. Pendir, a reclusive neighbor who shape-shifted into a "gator man."  As Zora and Carrie slowly discover they truth, they also learn about secrets, family, and racial relations.  A terrific book for discussion, it's the only project endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust that wasn't written by Hurston herself.  

Can Armpit make the right choices?

I listened to this book, and it was great: Small Steps, written by Louis Sachar and narrated by Curtis McClarin.  In a follow-up to Sachar's well-known Holes, Armpit is home from Camp Green Lake and taking small steps to get his act together.  He's going to summer school classes, working hard at a landscaping company, and maintaining a really cool relationship with Jenny, the little girl next door who has cerebral palsy.  But then his buddy X-Ray tempts him with a money-making scheme - scalping tickets for a concert by teen rock star Kaira DeLeon - and Armpit's life takes a few steps back.  Sachar smoothly blends such unrelated topics as race issues (Armpit is black, Jenny is white), a behind-the-scenes look at the rock world, and making choices; McClarin's narration adds a beautiful depth to the story.

Take me out to the ball game

I just love the voice of author Deborah Wiles, and I wasn't disappointed in her book The Aurora County All-Stars.  It helps if you've read Love, Ruby Lavender, since many characters are the same, but this story still stands on its own.  House Jackson and his friends have a problem: the one and only game that the All-Stars play is scheduled for the same time and day as the county's Fourth of July pageant, which all the ball players are expected to participate in.  While trying to figure out what to do, House confronts secrets, betrayal, the powerful Mamas, a soap opera star, interesting facts about baseball and segregation, a dog named Eudora Welty, and the obnoxious Frances "Finesse" Shotz.  You'll love the feel of the slow Mississippi life, the hot summer sun, and the smooth combination of humor and loyalty. 

An unlikely (but wonderful) friendship

Friends sometimes come from the most unlikely places, as described in A Friendship for Today by Patricia C. McKissack. The date is 1954, and the U. S. Supreme Court had just outlawed school segregation.  Rosemary Patterson will soon be starting in a new school, but after her best friend is suddenly diagnosed with polio, Rosemary learns she'll be the only African-American in the sixth grade class.  She's horrified to learn that one of her classmates will be Grace Hamilton, who comes from a poor, white, and very racist family.  When the class queen bee tries to humiliate both Rosemary and Grace, they form an unexpected friendship.  With inspiration from the injured cat Rags and support from a loving mother, Mr. Bob from the grocery store, and a compassionate teacher, Rosemary learns to persevere.