Glory Be

( 12 )

Overview

A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool.

As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they ...

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Glory Be

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More About This Book

Overview

A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool.

As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.

Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
The hot summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Miss., is the setting for Scattergood’s modest debut, featuring high-spirited Glory, who is looking forward to celebrating her 12th birthday on the Fourth of July with her traditional party at the town pool. But the civil rights movement is sprouting throughout the South, and a group of Freedom Workers has arrived in Hanging Moss, causing consternation among many townspeople and resulting in actions that dismay Glory—like the closing of the segregated pool. Scatter-good divides the characters a little too neatly into the good guys (Glory’s preacher father and her sister, Jesslyn; their loyal housekeeper, Emma; and the town librarian) and the bad guys (the high school football star; his town councilman father; and prejudiced busybody Mrs. Simpson), but she aptly portrays Glory’s emotional confusion as she struggles to understand and cope with the turmoil. Also well done is the changing relationship between Glory and Jesslyn, as well as her roller-coaster friendship with her best buddy, Frankie. Scattergood’s effective snapshot of the fight against segregation, one town at a time, makes personal the tumultuous atmosphere of the times. Ages 9–12. (Jan.)
Children's Literature - Sue Poduska
Gloriana June Hemphill is eleven and soon to be twelve years old and living in Mississippi in the days of the Freedom Riders. The author does an amazing job of presenting all the issues of racial integration during the 1960s while still maintaining the eleven-year-old point of view. The story begins with Glory befriending the Yankee daughter of a doctor at the free clinic. Her new friend, Laura, doesn't realize or care that some facilities are meant for whites only. Glory's beloved swimming pool is closed days before her traditional poolside birthday party. She's saddened, angered, and confused by the closing. Is it because of invisible cracks or because of a planned integration? Glory's sixteen-year-old sister, Jesselyn, has a new boyfriend, Robbie. He's visiting his aunt because he dared eat next to a colored friend at a North Carolina lunch counter. Glory's life is further complicated by her old friend, Frank, whose family the reader can identify as racist; by her colored maid, Emma, who is like a mother to Glory; and by her preacher father, who wants to do the moral thing. The subtle ways the issues are demonstrated make this an enjoyable and readable book. As Glory's father, Brother Joe, says, "Books don't care who reads them." Reviewer: Sue Poduska
School Library Journal
Gr 5–8—Spunky, engaging Gloriana Hemphill, 11, describes the "freedom summer" of 1964 in Hanging Moss, MS, where winds of social change are beginning to upset the status quo. In a series of eye-opening adventures, Glory learns that her sheltered life as a preacher's kid has overshadowed her awareness of injustice and intolerance in her town. When the segregated community pool is closed indefinitely, her predictable world is upended. A new girl arrives from Ohio with her mother, a nurse who will be running a Freedom Clinic for poor black people. Big sister Jesslyn's new boyfriend reveals that he was once jailed in North Carolina for sitting with a "colored friend" at a white lunch counter. Meanwhile, best friend Frankie spouts dislike of Yankees and Negroes but is clearly manipulated by a racist father and an abusive older brother. Although Glory's ingenuous, impulsive behavior often gets her in trouble at home and in the community, she learns the importance of compassion, discretion, and self-awareness. A cast of supportive adults helps her mature: her patient, widowed father; her beloved African American housekeeper; and the open-minded local librarian. This coming-of-age story offers a fresh, youthful perspective on a pivotal civil rights period. Historical references to Attorney General Robert Kennedy's visit, the influx of civil rights workers, and Elvis vs. The Beatles popularity are included. But the richness of this story lies in the Mississippi milieu, the feisty naïveté of the protagonist, and the unveiling of the complexities of human nature. Glory is an appealing, authentic character whose unflinching convictions, missteps, and reflections will captivate readers.—Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC
Kirkus Reviews
The closing of her favorite swimming pool opens 11-year-old Gloriana Hemphill's eyes to the ugliness of racism in a small Mississippi town in 1964. Glory can't believe it… the Hanging Moss Community Pool is closing right before her July Fourth birthday. Not only that, she finds out the closure's not for the claimed repairs needed, but so Negroes can't swim there. Tensions have been building since "Freedom Workers" from the North started shaking up status quo, and Glory finds herself embroiled in it when her new, white friend from Ohio boldly drinks from the "Colored Only" fountain. The Hemphills' African-American maid, Emma, a mother figure to Glory and her sister Jesslyn, tells her, "Don't be worrying about what you can't fix, Glory honey." But Glory does, becoming an activist herself when she writes an indignant letter to the newspaper likening "hateful prejudice" to "dog doo" that makes her preacher papa proud. When she's not saving the world, reading Nancy Drew or eating Dreamsicles, Glory shares the heartache of being the kid sister of a preoccupied teenager, friendship gone awry and the terrible cost of blabbing people's secrets… mostly in a humorously sassy first-person voice. Though occasionally heavy-handed, this debut offers a vivid glimpse of the 1960s South through the eyes of a spirited girl who takes a stand. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780545331807
  • Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
  • Publication date: 1/1/2012
  • Pages: 208
  • Sales rank: 41,666
  • Age range: 8 - 12 Years
  • Lexile: 680L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.70 (w) x 8.50 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Former librarian and children’s book reviewer Augusta Scattergood has devoted her life and career to getting books into the hands of young readers. Her reviews and articles have appeared in THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, DELTA MAGAZINE, the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, and other publications. Additionally, Augusta is an avid blogger. Please visit her at ascattergood.blogspot.com. She lives in St. Pete Beach, Florida.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 12 )
Rating Distribution

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(11)

4 Star

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3 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 12 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 27, 2012

    This was one of my favorite books this summer. A great story of

    This was one of my favorite books this summer. A great story of relationships, with a social background of changes occuring in the south in the mid 1960s. Keep a tissue in your pocket!

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 16, 2012

    Good book

    Its a realy good book

    2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted March 30, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Review title: Changes. A lesson from America's history as seen t

    Review title: Changes.
    A lesson from America's history as seen through the eyes of an eleven year old, is in the pages of Glory Be" by Augusta Scattergood. "Outside agitators" is a term used in this chapter book, "What are they coming into Hanging Moss to agitate?" Who is Laura Lampert? And why has she come to Hanging Moss? Find out how it felt to be living in Hanging Moss during 1964. Where is Hanging Moss located? You'll learn the answer to these and other questions as you see Hanging Moss during the summer of 1964 through the five senses of the protagonist. A variety of emotions are expressed by the protagonist as changes come to Hanging Moss, a town of 8, 003. Join the Hemphill Family and learn about what was happening across America in 1964. *Enlightening. *Informative. *Educational.

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 2, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    A Southerner charmer

    An important story of sisterly love, friendships, racial tension, all wrapped up in a pitch-perfect Southern setting. Scattergood is a debut author to watch. Add this one to your list.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 8, 2013

    I loves this book personally, it was a wonder though the past. W

    I loves this book personally, it was a wonder though the past. With this being said I would recommend this book to anyone. If you like to read about the 1960s and your interested in segregated times, then this is the book for you. This book is about a girl named Glory who is fighting for what she believes in. Her pool is closing (to be exact its the towns pool not just hers) her best friend and herself are fighting. Can she stand up for what she believes in or will she be in the hot summer sun?? This book has suspense, love, and hope for a change.  

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 29, 2013

    I Also Recommend:

    Close to Famous
    Flyaway

    I just finished this book and I loved it!!! It was an eye-openin

    I just finished this book and I loved it!!! It was an eye-opening book and I loved the storyline. All of the characters seemed so real. I loved some of them and some, not so much. I liked how it ended. I think that sometimes you need to have something different, where everyone doesn't turn all good and happy in the end, because it doesn't always happen that way. I would highly recommend this book. I think that people of any age would love this book and all that it has to offer.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 9, 2012

    Terrific read

    It's 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, coming on the Fourth of July. 11 year old Gloriana Hemphill is up to her red, white & blue in secrets~~hers and everybody else's. Augusta Scattergood plunks young readers smack into Glory's unforgettable summer as the Civil Rights Movement unfolds. Glory Be is jam packed with characters we care about & adventures to keep the pages turning, set in an era of change we need to remember.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 13, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 1, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 26, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 5, 2012

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 29, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

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