NIGHT ON FIRE, by Ronald Kidd

The story: Billie Sims doesn't think her little town of Anniston, Alabama is segregated (or prejudiced)--until she sees the ugly reality of events in 1961, when a group calling themselves the Freedom Riders de-segregates a Greyhound bus and tries to go from Virginia to New Orleans. Right outside her hometown, the bus is stopped, set on fire, and the riders are nearly killed. Billie knows things need to change--but is she brave enough to stand up herself?

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, racial violence, prejudice, civil rights) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Don't let the front cover fool you: this isn't a book for little kids. They should have made the girls look like teens, not like 8-year-olds, because just the cover will limit its appeal to the middle school readers who are in fact the intended target (I'd say grades 5-8). I liked this a lot--Billie doesn't want to think her family or her town is prejudiced, but when she runs up against hard facts, she has to admit the truth. Her journey, juxtaposed against real-life events in 1961 Montgomery, will give kids a close look at the ugliness of prejudice and the price of making a change.