Reviews for A Friendship For Today

The average rating for A Friendship For Today based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-07-10 00:00:00 Jean-sebastien Vey Looking at the cover, you'd never guess that Friendship for Today is historical fiction. It looks contemporary, and that might help to get more kids (girls?) to read it. They will be glad they did. 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. Her best friend J.J. should have been in her class, but he was stricken with polio on Labor Day and will be out all year. 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. Rosemary's parents' marriage is floundering. Rosemary is also nursing an injured cat, Rags, who refuses to give up and die despite her run-in with a train. Wonderful story, great messages to be the best you can be, don't give up, and find friendship in unexpected ways. This historical fiction is a great opportunity to let kids know about the years of early school integration. Discussion topics abound--bullies, racism, prejudice, treatment of African Americans before Civil Rights, polio. An intimate look into the early years of an educational system our students now take for granted. The Author's Note is the true gem of the book. Patricia McKissack reveals that A Friendship for Today is autobiographical in many respects. I cried while reading her Author's Note, and I can't remember the last time a book made me cry. 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.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-08-11 00:00:00 Zeffir Ford 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. Shortly before school begins Rosemary's best friend J.J. beats her fair and square in a foot race, and Rosemary discovers she does not like to lose. But she loses much more than a race when J.J. contracts polio and is moved to a special treatment center far away, leaving Rosemary as the only black child in her grade. The transition to integration is not without pitfalls and difficulties, but Rosemary slowly finds her niche at Robertson. Sadly, while Rosemary is successfully integrating, her parents' marriage is disintegrating. An injured cat, a caring teacher, a wise principal, a rock-solid loving mother, and the most unlikely friendship Rosemary could ever imagine nurture her through all the changes of a tumultuous year.