Author(s): Sharon M. Draper

9-12 Years Middle Readers

When the Ku Klux Klan s unwelcome reappearance rattles Stella s segregated southern town, bravery battles prejudice in this Depression-era tour de force from Sharon Draper, the "New York Times "bestselling author of "Out of My Mind." Stella lives in the segregated South in Bumblebee, North Carolina, to be exact about it. Some stores she can go into. Some stores she can t. Some folks are right pleasant. Others are a lot less so. To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn t bothered them for years. But one late night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something they re never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come, unwelcome change by any stretch of the imagination. As Stella s community her world is upended, she decides to fight fire with fire. And she learns that ashes don t necessarily signify an end."