2003 - 2004 Texas Bluebonnet Books
In Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956, just six months after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, twelve year-old Alfa Merryfield, his older sister, Zinnia, and their great-grandmother known affectionately as "Big Mama", who has raised them since their mother deserted them when they were young, are struggling to pay the rent on their $50 per month tar-paper shack. They all work hard and save almost every penny that they earn, but Alfa and Zinnia discover that someone is stealing from them.
The problems of the Merryfield family are compounded when they are accused of stealing from the Williams, a prominent Montgomery family. Alfa's efforts to prove their innocence are made difficult by his refusal to ride the city buses during the boycott.
Author Harriette Gillem Robinet says in the Author's Notes that follow the book, "This story stirred my emotions. I lived under segregation." Her honest look at this period of history is a "must read" for those who are too young to remember and a reminder of the inequity of segregation for those who do. As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Robinet, Harriette Gillem. 2000. Walking to the bus-rider blues. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
ISBN: 0689831919.
Life is simple for the Beckett family living on a small farm in rural Illinois just before the turn of the 20th century until a letter containing train tickets for four arrives from their Aunt Euterpe in Chicago inviting them to come to Chicago and visit the 1893 World�s Columbian Exposition, otherwise known as the Chicago World�s Fair. Thirteen-year-old Rosie Beckett, her older sister Lottie, and younger brother Buster, board the train for an adventure that will forever change their lives. They are surprised and a little dismayed to encounter their grandfather, eccentric Silas Fuller and his old dog Tip on the train too.
The trip to the fair opens new worlds for the Beckett children as they discover details about the history of their grandfather that they could not imagine and are exposed to the first time to new inventions and famous people. Richard Peck, author of Newbery Award winning A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago has written another wonderful yarn, told with warmth and humor, in Fair Weather. Readers are introduced to historical figures Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Lillian Russell, allowed to ride the first Ferris wheel, and sample the first hamburgers served in America. Reading Fair Weather is like being allowed to travel back in time and attend the fair in person, an unforgettable experience.
Peck, Richard. 2001. Fair weather. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN: 0142500348.