In a racially polarized classroom in 1970 Alabama, Lu's talent for
running track makes her a new best friend -- and tests her mettle as she
navigates the school's social cliques.
Miss Garrett's classroom is like every other at our school. White kids
sit on one side and black kids on the other. I'm one of the few
middle-rowers who split the difference.
Sixth-grader Lu Olivera just wants to keep her head down and get along
with everyone in her class. Trouble is, Lu's old friends have been
changing lately -- acting boy crazy and making snide remarks about Lu's
newfound talent for running track. Lu's secret hope for a new friend is
fellow runner Belinda Gresham, but in 1970 Red Grove, Alabama, blacks
and whites don't mix. As segregationist ex-governor George Wallace ramps
up his campaign against the current governor, Albert Brewer, growing
tensions in the state -- and in the classroom -- mean that Lu can't stay
neutral about the racial divide at school. Will she find the gumption to
stand up for what's right and to choose friends who do the same?