This middle grades book is a must read in my book! It also answers the question lots of students ask me when we study the Civil Rights Movement: what about the other minorities? Were they discriminated against just like black people?
It’s 1970 in Alabama, and Lu Olivera is stuck in the middle row of her 6th grade class. Her school recently integrated, so the black students sit on one side of the room, the white kids sit on the other side of the room, and the kids who don’t quite fit in with either sit in the middle row. Lu’s parents immigrated to America from Argentina, and she is the only kid in her class that knows Spanish. Lu is shy and has a few friends, but when the governor’s race heats up between Wallace (the governor in power when integration was forced on the state and focuses on “bringing back Dixie”) and Brewer (the liberal candidate who disagrees with segregation), Lu is forced to pick a side: white or black? Along with the politics, Lu is also prepping for a field day race, trying to figure out boys, and attempting to understand what makes a good friend.
The themes of this book hooked me from the start. Lu is trying to come to terms with her heritage and identity in her current culture. She’s also learning about gumption and what it means to stand up for what you know is right, even when people try to stand in your way. This book is one that I’ll recommend my students read, especially during our Civil Rights unit.
**Thanks Net Galley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!**
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