A moving, coming-of-age story of a young white girl who overcomes family prejudice and cultural differences when she befriends a black girl in a small working-class town.
Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families' prejudices, they build a strong friendship around their mutual talent for running and a pact to read Jane Eyre.
Next thing I knew, a brown eye was looking back at me through the hole.
"Do you like to run?" I asked.
"Run? Girl, I don't run, I fly. Can't nobody beat me."
"Bet I could."
I heard a whoop of laughter from the other side of the fence. "Dream on, girl."
Then the eyeball looked me up and down. "Got some long legs on you, but I'd still beat you."
"Would not," I said.
"Would too," she said.
--BACK COVER JACKET.
SamStar
Posted September 30, 2010
The author of this came to my school today even though I never read her books.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged."Good fences make good neighbors." That's what Cass's dad said when he found out a black family was moving in next door. Cass even helped him build the fence. But as the new neighbors moved in, Cass couldn't help but be curious. Watching through a peephole in the fence, Cass's blue eye found a brown eye staring back at her. <BR/><BR/>Cass asked Jemmie, "Do you like to run?" <BR/><BR/>Jemmie responded, "Run? Girl, I don't run, I fly. Can't nobody beat me." <BR/><BR/>The race was on. They both sneaked out of their homes the next morning to find out who was fastest, and instead found "Chocolate Milk." <BR/><BR/>This is the story of their friendship. It's also a story of crossing boundaries, change, and eventual acceptance. Theirs is a natural friendship, a friendship that's tried by the bigotry of Cass's dad, and the stubbornness of Jemmie's mother. It takes the misfortunes of a tiny baby for the parents to begin tearing down their mental fences. <BR/><BR/>Adrian Fogelin does a beautiful job of portraying tenuous relationships that exist among people trying to understand cultures different from their own, The girls are sweet and fun; their dialogue is well-written, immersing the reader in the long, hot, dog days of summer in Tallahassee, Florida. <BR/><BR/>CROSSING JORDAN leaves the reader with hope for future generations, that they will be inspired to appreciate each other, just as Cass and Jemmie were inspired to call themselves Chocolate Milk. This is the first book of Adrian Fogelin's that I've read, and I'm sure I'll be looking for more of her titles.
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Posted September 5, 2006
Crossing jordan is about two young girls who are two diffrent races. They love to run. They have many obstacles that they have to go through.
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Posted April 30, 2005
Two Girls explore what it means to be friends in spite of grown ups' prejudice. These girls are well written characters other kids can relate to. It gives racism a face and talks about it without being 'Preachy¿. It would be a great book to start a discussion about prejudice of any kind and how it affects the person with the prejudice as well as the person on the receiving end. They are also full of local color about the real Florida (not Orlando or Miami Beach)!! My son's 4-5 grade teacher read this book to the class and you could have heard a pin drop as she read it aloud! The kids begged her to read more! My son refused to leave early because he would have missed a chapter of 'Crossing Jordan¿. This author really knows kids and what hooks them into a story. I would recommend any of her books, especially the others in the series: 'Crossing Jordan', 'Anna Casey's Place in the World', and 'My Brother's Hero'. They make great read alouds too. This author takes on issues and wraps them in a story.
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Posted July 1, 2004
This book was really cool because it's showing younger people not to be prejudice towards others. I thought the author did a good job overall.
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Posted May 30, 2003
This excellent middle-grade novel shows Cass Bodine spying on the new neighbors through a knothole. She hears the mother say, 'I'm sorry. I can't love a bunch of crackers who put up a fence as soon as they hear a black family is moving in next door.' But Cass and Jemmie soon meet. Even better, they discover they're the same age, twelve, and both are 'way better than average runners.' They keep reading Jane Eyre together and running track in the early mornings, meetings that must be kept secret, except from Nana Grace, Jemmie's grandmother. She tells them about the Civil Rights movement, lets them know 'crossing Jordan' was code in slave times for reaching freedom. Adrian Fogelin's characters are spunky and competitive, and her portraits of the prejudiced families are drawn with a loving hand--they're good folks who accept equal rights in theory without knowing how to put them into practice. The incidents chosen to illustrate prejudice's myriad subtleties may evoke a jolt of recognition. Compliments to Fogelin for a smoothly written story that will keep kids good company as they struggle to excel as runners or make friends across racial lines. 2000, Peachtree Publishers, Ages 9 to 13, $14.95. Reviewer: Nancy Tilly
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Posted January 11, 2003
My teacher-daughter-in-law brought me the book from her school library. I couldn't put it down! A wonderful story which I hope will be read by people of any age, living north or south; east or west.
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Posted October 1, 2002
This book was outstanding. I have read alot of books and this is 1 of my favorites. It is an awesome book for 11-13 yr. olds. If you dont read this book your missin out on alot of fun.
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Posted January 29, 2002
This book shows a true friendship. Even though they were forbidden by racism. This is a highly reccomended book!!
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Posted May 26, 2000
Should be a required reading book for children. Easy to relate to and enjoyable to read. First book I've read for children that dealt with race issues in a straightforward manner without being either 'preachy' or 'tiptoeing around' the issue. Wonderful illustration of how we can bond with others based on common interests not shade of skin, and how we still yet have far to go.
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Posted June 14, 2010
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Overview
A moving, coming-of-age story of a young white girl who overcomes family prejudice and cultural differences when she befriends a black girl in a small working-class town.
Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families' prejudices, they build a strong friendship around their mutual talent for running and a pact to read Jane Eyre.