Yankee Girl

Title: Yankee Girl

 

Author: Mary Ann Rodman

 

Summary: In 1964, Alice Ann Moxley and her parents have moved to Jackson, Mississippi from Chicago, because of her father's FBI-agent job. Alice is called "Yankee Girl" and the group of girls in her grade are not exactly welcoming. Her only sort-of-friend is her next door neighbor who is also a boy and does not want to really be seen hanging out with a girl.
Alice is surprised to see that a negro girl, Valerie Taylor - whose father is the Reverend Taylor, is going to go to her school and be in her class. Her parents tell her to be nice to Valerie, but Alice is swept up in the other girls in her class, who do not like Valerie and are against integration; like most of those that Alice knows in the south.

But then something tragic happens to Valerie and at the last minute, Alice longs to set things right.

 

Comments: I had been wanting to read this book for such a long time, and I am so happy that I finally got to read it. My all time favorite book based in this era in history is The Lions of Little Rock. So of course, I had very high standards while reading this book. All of that aside, I really did enjoy reading it. Alice seemed realistic, and unfortunately the mean girls in her class were realistic too.

I felt bad that Alice did not stand up for Valerie, even when Alice knew deep inside that it was the right thing to do. I suppose this made the book more realistic, and then at the end, at the new school when she met Valerie's cousin, she was granted a new chance to do the right thing.

The one piece of information that sealed the deal was reading the author's note and hearing that this book was based off of the author's life. I love books like that - and hearing that put the whole book in a new light.

There are some rather tragic events in this book, yet I think that a mature 10 year old would be okay reading it - maybe 12+ because then the book would be better understood.

 

Rating: 5 stars