Just Finished: You Know You Love Me: A Gossip Girl Novel, Book Crush: For Kids and Teens-Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Interest, Ten Green Bottles: The True Story of One Family's Journey from War-torn Austria to the Ghettos of Shanghai, Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny, You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons - The World on One Cartoon a Day, Friendship For Today
Ok, first things first, you should all check out Good Reads, a website my writer-friend Sarah just told me about today. Basically, you have a bookshelf of all the books you've read and rate them and review them and then you read your friend's reviews, because we all trust recommendations from our friends more than some random dude on Amazon, right? It's pretty cool and I'm just getting used to it, but check it out and be my friend.
I like this in addition to Library Thing (which I love) because I'm using Good Reads for books I've read, and Library Thing for books I own. There's a world of difference there.
I went down to Savannah this weekend for a most beautiful wedding. It was lovely and I found out Abby reads this thing, so here's a little shout out to the beautiful and wonderful bride. And her husband, Jack. (Hey Abby-- did your 'rents tell you that were were on the same flight at stupid o'clock Monday morning?)
Also, a shout out to Ruth and Kristin and Tom and Mark, because it was really, really good to see you all and trade books! :)
And, I got a lot of reading done! Because reading is good and lovely and airports are boring.
Anyway... here's a book review, because that's what we're all about here on Biblio File, right? Here's one I just had to read after the great review that Fuse #8 gave it. Thanks for the head's up on that one-- it didn't disappoint.
This book provides a wonderful child's-eye view of school integration in the St. Louis area.
Rosemary is not entirely sure why all the adults in her life are so excited about integration. All she knows is that she will be the only black kid in all of 6th grade at her new school. Plus, she has to sit by Grace the Tasteless, the white girl from the next street over that torments her all the time. At school, Rosemary finds out that Grace is also an outcast, because she's "poor white trash" and an uneasy friendship blooms.
McKissack is a wonderful (and prolific) writer and this book is an excellent example of her talent. Rosemary's voice rings true even today and I spent a lot of the novel rooting for Grace to stand up and do the right thing. And when she did, it was honest and true, which is hard to do and you don't see it done well all that often. The author's note at the end explains it's a highly autobiographical novel.
A nice story of friendship and change for readers 9-13.
3 comments:
Thanks for the good reads..U read Friendship for Today? My emotions stuck in the meck when I read the page where Grace and Rosemary broke apart...racial discrimination sucks! which part of the book u liked most?
I think the part I liked most was not necessarily a part, but the fact it seemed that the friendship was much more important to Grace than it was to Rosemary. Rosemary other friends from her old school and church, but Grace didn't have any other friends.
Which part did you like best?
Did my parents tell you that they were really not supposed to be on the plane at so god forsaken early? Ah well.
I'm glad you thought the weddign was super. I did too and seeing you was SO great. I can't wait for you to get to my books. I read a zillion more on the honeymoon and started one more. I couldn't resist!
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