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A Friendship for Today
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A Friendship for Today
The year is 1954, the place is Missouri, and twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson is about to make history. She is one of the first African American students to enter the white school in her town. Headstrong, smart Rosemary welcomes the challenge, but starting this new school gets more daunting when her best friend is hospitalized for polio. Suddenly, Rosemary must face all the stares and whispers alone. But when the girl who has shown her the most cruelty becomes an unlikely confidante, Rosemary learns important truths about the power of friendship to overcome prejudice.
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A Friendship for Today
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A Friendship for Today
by Patricia C. McKissackRosemary, one of the first African American students to enroll in an all-white school, forges some unlikely new friendships. "A real, at times raw, tale."—Publishers Weekly starred review Mature content
$5.95
Paperback Book | Grade 6
Grade 6 $5.95
Interest Level:
3-5
Lexile Framework:
670L
Grade Level Equivalent:
4.1
Guided Reading Level:
R
Age:
8-10
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Subject:
African American, Divorce, Remarriage, Blended Families, Friends and Friendship, Prejudice and Tolerance Experiences, School Life, Disease and Illness
Spirited twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson is about to make history. She is among the first African American students in her town to enroll in what had once been the all-white school. Rosemary is ready for the challenge, but when her best friend is suddenly diagnosed with polio, Rosemary must face the frightening first day of school alone.
Stares and whispers follow Rosemary wherever she goes, and the worst offender is Grace Hamilton, a girl who makes no secret of her and her family's racism. But as the school year progresses, and Rosemary must deal with the fallout of her parents' rocky marriage, she forges a most unlikely friendship with all people, Grace Hamilton herself.
This timely, lyrical, and important book reminds us of the power of friendship to transcend all barriers.
Praise for A Friendship for Today
* "A real, at times raw tale about a winning and insightful young heroine during a bittersweet era." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Patricia C. McKissack has written over one hundred books about the African-American experience, on her own and in collaboration with Fredrick L. McKissack. Before becoming a full-time writer, Patricia McKissack worked as a teacher and then as an editor of children's books.
