Loved this book. It has so many great "takeaways" in it. Harry "Dit" Sims is a kid growing up in 1917. He's from a town in Alabama. A new postmaster and his family are coming to town, and Dit hopes there is a boy. Bummer. There's a girl, and not just any girl, a colored girl, Emma. It doesn't take too long for Dit and Emma to become friends, though.
The story is about the friendship between Emma and Dit and how the kids and adults in town respond. There are also racial tensions between some of the adult whites and blacks. I wasn't alive during that era, but the book gave me what I believe to be a pretty realistic picture of what it might have been like.
The story took me through a range of emotions including laughter, anger, frustration, and sadness. It'd be an excellent choice for a book discussion/group. There are many things to talk about.
My favorite sentence from the book is, "Next time you see an injustice, take a stand. It's worth the risk." (pg 164) I think this summarizes the biggest takeaway from this book.
Topics: Alabama, racial issues, bigotry, baseball, Indian burial, 1918 influenza outbreak, taking a stand, injustice, family, fishing, school life, growing up, driving, hunting, medical care, court system, friendship, big families
Genre: historical fiction
Audience: boys or girls, grade 7 and up (some disturbing elements)
Mrs. Beckwith's rating: 5 of 5
Cautions: contains the "n*" word, but it's used contextually and by a man the reader can easily identify as despicable; violent in parts
Amazon Reviews
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