Friendship For Today

There is a common saying which suggests that some friendships are for a lifetime while others are for just a season. In A FRIENDSHIP FOR TODAY, author Patricia McKissack shares the story of Rosemary, an African-American girl, and Grace who is white. The story is set in 1954 just after the Supreme Court has made the desegregating of schools a requirement. As the book opens, Rosemary and her best friend J.J., whom she can... Read Full Review

Patricia C. McKissack's A FRIENDSHIP FOR TODAY tells of pre-teen Rosemary, one of the first Afro-Americans to enroll in an all-white school. She and her friend are ready - but when her friend is diagnosed with polio before the first day, Rosemary finds herself entering school alone - and facing racism throughout the year, as well as her parents' struggling marriage. A realistic story of courage and black identity emerges in... Read Full Review

Rosemary is not entirely sure why all the adults in her life are so excited about integration. All she knows is that she will be the only black kid in all of 6th grade at her new school. Plus, she has to sit by Grace the Tasteless, the white girl from the next street over that torments her all the time. At school, Rosemary finds out that Grace is also an outcast, because she's "poor white trash" and an uneasy friendship blooms... Read Full Review

You can't help but like Patricia McKissack. It's part of the human experience. One glance at her books or a gander at her titles and you're sold. She's a remarkable author with that rare ability to switch gears between folktales, picture books, non-fiction, and novels without so much as a hitch. But as with any established author, you can't just assume their latest book is going to be all that great. I mean, sure "A Friendship... Read Full Review

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States made a historic ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education: Segregation of public schools was declared unconstitutional. And, like so many others, the life of twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson was forever changed. Rosemary doesn't really care for the idea of her school being closed just because of the decision. "If white people want to go to school with us so... Read Full Review