Set in 1924 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this historical fiction book follows the story of ten-year-old, Addy, and her friends as they grow up in a time frame when many kids are orphans due to the WWI and the flu epidemic. Addy's friend, Vi, is not too keen on the time Addy's been spending with a Jewish girl who moved in next door. Some people make rude comments about Jews, but Addy has compassion for the new Jewish girl who's grieving the loss of her parents and trying to learn to live in a new culture with a language barrier. |
I wasn't sure how the subject of the Ku Klux Klan could be introduced in a manner that is appropriate for elementary students, so I read the entire book myself before reading it aloud to my children. Just as the issue of slavery, hatred, and mistreatment of individuals of dark skinned races had been presented tastefully in the earlier books in this series, I found it was handled well in this book. Very little information about the Ku Klux Klan is introduced. They're a secretive group that hates many different people groups that are different from themselves, including black people and Jews (but not exclusively those groups). They meet late at night and wear white robes with hoods that come to a point and have holes cut for their eyes. They have burned crosses on people's yards and have even been violent toward the people they hate. The initiation which causes great concern to the main characters is that the boy would be expected to kill a chicken and place it on a doorstep where a Jewish family lives, and also paint hate speech onto the door. The character who is supposed to do this is appalled and terrified. He tells his friends who bring adults and authorities into the picture.
The morals woven into this book are wonderful because they are presented in such a relatable, realistic fashion. The kids don't always behave perfect or get the hint to shape up immediately, but by the end of the book, characters have gone through real transformations. Vi, who was jealous of the new Jewish girl due to her insecurities, learns to be considerate and compassionate toward her. Addy, the main character, struggles with a desire to keep everyone happy but is unable to and also overcomes her apprehension to express herself to others. An older boy involved in the KKK repents upon learning he has Jewish heritage and an elderly recluse rejoins her family.
With limited paraphrasing during the few sections about KKK's violence, this book was appropriate for me to read with my 5-10 year old boys all in the room together. We discuss matters and I answer questions. I felt it was a good introduction to the difficult historical subject matter and the book was well balanced to not cause them to be anxious, in too much suspense, or fearful. If you have young and/or sensitive kids, please read it yourself first since you know your kids best, but we found it to be a great resource.