I'm still stuck on the fact that the era I grew up in is now historical fiction, but I am old. As an elementary school librarian, I feel it is my duty to help kids understand times that their social studies classes don't cover to see how far we have come. This is a book I would recommend to kids. It's better when the series is read in order, but as a stand-alone book, it would still have an impact on those who read it.

When I first started this I didn’t realize it was a sequel until I encountered a character from Countdown. She plays a small role in this one, but brings a connection. I am a privileged white woman in her early 40s and knew only a snippet of what life was/is like in the south for people of color. I was so so ignorant and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to read this book to gain a better understanding of post Civil War, Jim Crow, pre-Civil Rights Mississippi. Wiles’s writing had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. She is an incredible storyteller and her attention to factual details is amazing. I loved how this book was broken up with quotes, news articles, pictures, and song lyrics to really put you into Mississippi in 1964.

Good historical detail. Will be interesting to see if the students like it as well.