The transition to integration is not without pitfalls and difficulties, but Rosemary slowly finds her niche at Robertson. contracts polio and is moved to a special treatment center far away, leaving Rosemary as the only black child in her grade. But she loses much more than a race when J.J. beats her fair and square in a foot race, and Rosemary discovers she does not like to lose. Shortly before school begins Rosemary's best friend J.J.
McKissack draws from her memories of her experience as the first African-American in an integrated elementary school to tell a fictional tale of Rosemary Patterson, a young black girl whose world is radically altered when the all-black school closes in 1954 and she enrolls in 6th grade at a brand-new school. I remember back to my elementary school years in late 1960s Oklahoma City, when we had one black student in the whole school, a girl who was probably a lot like Patricia McKissack. I cried while reading her Author's Note, and I can't remember the last time a book made me cry.
Patricia McKissack reveals that A Friendship for Today is autobiographical in many respects. The Author's Note is the true gem of the book. An intimate look into the early years of an educational system our students now take for granted. Discussion topics abound-bullies, racism, prejudice, treatment of African Americans before Civil Rights, polio. This historical fiction is a great opportunity to let kids know about the years of early school integration. Wonderful story, great messages to be the best you can be, don't give up, and find friendship in unexpected ways. Rosemary is also nursing an injured cat, Rags, who refuses to give up and die despite her run-in with a train. Rosemary's parents' marriage is floundering.
But to make matters worse, her worst enemy-Grace "the Tasteless" Hamilton-is seated right next to her, and the teacher won't change their seats. should have been in her class, but he was stricken with polio on Labor Day and will be out all year. This book is set in Kirkland, MO, during the 1954-1955 school year, when Rosemary Patterson finds herself at a brand-new school, in the first year of integration, as the only African-American student in her 6th grade class. It looks contemporary, and that might help to get more kids (girls?) to read it. Looking at the cover, you'd never guess that Friendship for Today is historical fiction.
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