STELLA BY STARLIGHT, by Sharon Draper

The story: Stella lives in segregated Bumblebee, North Carolina. It's the Depression, and times are tough. Even worse, the Klu Klux Klan has suddenly come to life in her small town, and Stella sees something she shouldn't--something dangerous. What do you do when there's something bad hanging over your head, and there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to change it?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG-13; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (segregation, prejudice, mob action, hate crimes) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: This is a quiet story that lets the history speak for itself, showing how racial injustice and its resulting tensions influenced the lives of those who experienced it, including children. Draper doesn't need to use bold print, or beat any drums, to expose how difficult those times were, and thoughtful kids who read this book will get it without having to have a history teacher belabor the subject. It would be nice to think that some kid will pick this book up and read it on his own, but historical fiction is a hard sell at the middle-school level. Still, it's an important book to have available in the collection: this is historical fiction for younger readers at its best.