Monday, May 14, 2012

"A Friendship for Today" by Patricia C. McKissack

On the first day back to school, many people get that feeling in the pit of their stomach -- the irrational fear that no one will like them. For Rosemary Patterson, that fear is definitely not irrational. Why? Because she knows for certain that at least half the kids in her class will hate her before they even meet her. Because she is African American and the rest of her class is white. Because this is the 1950s. Rosemary must be a pioneer at her new school, Robertson Elementary, all by herself. I definitely recommend this story to all who enjoy learning about this period of history and to everyone (hopefully anyone reading this blog) who loves a great book.

Appropriate for: advanced young readers and early teens
Rating: pretty good

4 comments:

  1. It's hard to believe that your grandparents lived through this time period -- even though this book is about race, I think we can all identify with feeling like we don't fit in. I'm looking forward to reading it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a beautiful review! I will save this one for my daughter to read when she's just a bit older. :)
    - Suzanne Beiner

    ReplyDelete
  3. After reading your thoughts about A Friendship for Today, I thought about how that time in history seems so removed from today, that a student would assume that she would be "hated" because of her race. I will be recommending this book-and your blog-to future teachers in the fall. I can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for doing this blog.
    I was in High School in the 1950s and well remember those years. Not only was race an issue but there were so many other ways that people could exclude "The Others". I am encouraged by the present young people. I know that they will change the world for the better.
    xxx ooo

    ReplyDelete