Status
Available
Publication
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (2016), Edition: Reprint, 352 pages
Library's review
"hen a young girl gains confidence from her failures and strength from what her community dreads most, life delivers magic and hope.
Stella Mills and her brother Jojo witness the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross late one starry night, setting off a chain reaction that leaves their entire community
A tale of the Jim Crow South that’s not sugar-coated but effective, with a trustworthy narrator who opens her heart and readers’ eyes. (Historical fiction. 9-13)" www.kirkusreviews.com, A Kirkus Starred Review
Stella Mills and her brother Jojo witness the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross late one starry night, setting off a chain reaction that leaves their entire community
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changed. During the Depression, North Carolina was less than hospitable for African-Americans forced to work more to earn less while being deprived of basic human rights. Through the perspective of Stella, young readers glimpse the nearly suffocating anguish that envelops this black community, illuminating the feelings associated with suppression. In a telling passage, Stella’s mother attempts to comfort her: " 'It's gonna be all right,' her mother whispered as she smoothed down Stella's hair. But Stella felt the tension in her mother's arms, and she knew that in reality, fear hugged them both.” Draper expertly creates a character filled with hope, dreams and ambition in a time when such traits were dangerous for a girl of color. While the use of language honors the time period, the author is careful to avoid the phonetic quagmire that ensnares lesser writers of the period, allowing the colorful idioms to shine.A tale of the Jim Crow South that’s not sugar-coated but effective, with a trustworthy narrator who opens her heart and readers’ eyes. (Historical fiction. 9-13)" www.kirkusreviews.com, A Kirkus Starred Review
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Awards
Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2017)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2017)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
Audie Award (Finalist — Middle Grade — 2016)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Grades 4-8 — 2017)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2018)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2017)
Sasquatch Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2018)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Ohioana Book Award (Finalist — Middle Grade & Young Adult Literature — 2016)
Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature (Honor Book — 2016)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2018)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2018)
Iowa Children's Choice Award (Nominee — 2018)
North Carolina Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Elementary — 2025)
Rhode Island Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 4-6 — 2017)
Horace Mann Upstanders Award (Winner — 2016)
Skipping Stones Honor Award (2016)
Lectio Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Charlotte Huck Award (Winner — 2016)
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work (Nominee — 2016)
CCBC Choices (2016)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Middle Grades — 2017)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Book (Junior — 2016)
Books From All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.!) (North Carolina)
Notable Children's Book (Middle Readers — 2016)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2015)
Teacher Favorites Award (2016)
Idaho Battle of the Books (2018)
El día de los niños / El día de los libros (3-5 — 2016)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2015)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-01
ISBN
1442494980 / 9781442494985