KIZZY ANN STAMPS

Cranky, incredulous Kizzy is perfectly captured by narrator Quincy Bernstine. In 1964 the 12-year-old farm girl launches herself from a one-room black schoolhouse into a newly integrated school with real reference books and real racial animosity. Watts crams Kizzy’s letters and journaling with details of segregated life as Kizzy records her school year, which is highlighted by winning a spelling bee that she cannot attend since there are no accommodations for black students. Another plot element is her training of her beloved border collie, Shag, which leads to new friendships, one with a well-accented Scots mentor and another with a surly neighbor. The story is irresistible and educational. Even when Kizzy’s insights are a bit too wise, Bernstine keeps the pace and tone just right. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2012]