Share this "harrowing and painfully honest historical novel"* at
home or in the classroom. Through this "extraordinary" debut effort from
the Sydney Taylor Award winner Robert Sharenow, readers will explore how
"ingrained prejudices--whether acted upon or not--help destroy lives and
shatter a community."**
In 1960 New Orleans, thirteen-year-old Louise is pulled out of class by
her mother to protest court-ordered integration of her school. Louise's
mother is one of the jeering "Cheerleaders." Each morning the
Cheerleaders gather at the school to harass the school's first black
student, six-year-old Ruby Bridges, as she enters the building.
After a mysterious man from New York named Morgan arrives in town and
takes up residence in the family's crumbling boarding house, Louise's
acceptance of "the way things are" begins to crumble.
Through conversations with Morgan and firsthand observations, Louise
begins to wonder about the morality of the Cheerleaders' activities--and
everything Louise thinks she knows about her mother, her world, and
herself will change.
In a starred review, Booklist commented: "Readers will be held fast by
the history told from the inside as adult Louise remembers the vicious
role of ordinary people."
*School Library Journal (starred review); **Chicago Tribune