Birmingham, 1963

Starred review from December 1, 2007
Gr 4-8-In understated free verse, an unnamed, fictional girl narrates the events that preceded the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. She relates how she marched with other children to protest white-only lunch counters, went to the Lincoln Memorial to hear King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and was present at the church when "Someone tucked a bundle of dynamite/Under the church steps, then lit the fuse of hate." The format of the book is small, and it makes the reading experience of an enormously tragic event an intimate experience. The poetic text appears on light-gray pages with photos of childhood objects, like shoes, barrettes, or birthday candles. The fateful Sunday is the narrator's birthday; she states, "The day I turned ten, /There was no birthday cake with candles;/Just cinders, ash, and a wish I were still nine." Opposite are full-page archival black-and-white photographs (which are cited in the back matter). The color palette is white, gray, and black, with enigmatic red design elements that appear on the pages of print. The book includes a section called "in memoriam" in which the four young girls who died in the bombing are profiled. The author's note provides additional historical background, and the end matter includes a list of photo citations. An emotional read, made even more accessible and powerful by the viewpoint of the child narrator."Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2007
In free verse, a fictional 10-year-old tells of actual events leading up to the Ku Klux Klan bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963, and of the four young girls who died in the explosion. On each double-page spread, a few lines of spare poetry (Someone tucked a bundle of dynamite / Under the church steps, then lit the fuse of hate) are placed opposite a stirring, unframed archival photograph. Together, the words and pictures show the horrific racism, the sit-ins and marches, and the churchs role. Finally, a brief personal profile of each of the four girls who died appears on a separate spread, accompanied by a photo of the child. A long note fills in the history, with references for further reading. There is no exploitation of the violence. The quiet yet arresting book design will inspire readers, whomay want togo on to Christopher Paul Curtis novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham1963 (1995) and to histories about the role of children in the civil rights struggle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)