Kizzy Ann Stamps

by Jeri Watts

Overview

“A powerful story of strength and self-acceptance. . . . The vivid historical setting will leave readers feeling they have experienced life in Kizzy Ann’s world.” — Kirkus Reviews

In 1963, as Kizzy Ann prepares for her first year at an integrated school, she worries about the color of her skin, the scar running from the corner of her eye to the tip of her smile, and whether anyone at the white school will like her. She writes letters to her new teacher in a clear, insistent voice, asking questions with startling honesty. The new teacher is supportive, but not everyone feels the same. Her brother, James, is having a far less positive school experience, and the annoying white neighbor boy won’t leave her alone. Shag, her border collie, is her refuge, but opportunity continues to clash with obstacle. Kizzy Ann knows she and Shag could compete in the dog trials, but will she be able to enter? From Jeri Watts comes an inspiring middle- grade novel about opening your mind to the troubles and scars we all must bear — and facing life with hope and trust.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763669768
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/06/2013
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	1,091,452
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	920L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Hurray for Kizzy Ann! This funny, no-bow, dirt-on-her-hands, dog-with-her girl will lead you through her unforgettable experience as one of the first black students at the integrated school in her Virginia town. Combining humor, modern history, and heart, Jeri Watts has created a lovely novel that is gentle, honest, and full of hope.
—Meg Medina, Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author

KIZZY ANN STAMPS is a tender and captivating story set in rural Virginia in the early 1960s that speaks of courage, friendship, and the pursuit of one’s dream. I wept good and grateful tears throughout. Thank you, Jeri Watts.
—Gigi Amateau, author of "Come August, Come Freedom"

Through epistolary fiction, Jeri Watts conjures a reluctant yet headstrong heroine who has been scarred by racism. With her devoted dog, Shag, Kizzy Ann navigates the color line, confronts her nemesis, and conquers her own doubts. This child’s-eye view of 1960s school desegregation resonates with warmth and humanity.
—Carole Boston Weatherford, author of the NAACP Image Award winner "Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom"

This is a touching story with a sharp and insightful protagonist. One hopes that it will find its way into the hands of feisty girls looking for a strong role model.
—School Library Journal

A story full of adventure and laughs for anyone who has ever had to face down tough times.
—Discovery Girls

Editorial Reviews

Hurray for Kizzy Ann! This funny, no-bow, dirt-on-her-hands, dog-with-her girl will lead you through her unforgettable experience as one of the first black students at the integrated school in her Virginia town. Combining humor, modern history, and heart, Jeri Watts has created a lovely novel that is gentle, honest, and full of hope.
—Meg Medina, Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author

KIZZY ANN STAMPS is a tender and captivating story set in rural Virginia in the early 1960s that speaks of courage, friendship, and the pursuit of one’s dream. I wept good and grateful tears throughout. Thank you, Jeri Watts.
—Gigi Amateau, author of "Come August, Come Freedom"

Through epistolary fiction, Jeri Watts conjures a reluctant yet headstrong heroine who has been scarred by racism. With her devoted dog, Shag, Kizzy Ann navigates the color line, confronts her nemesis, and conquers her own doubts. This child’s-eye view of 1960s school desegregation resonates with warmth and humanity.
—Carole Boston Weatherford, author of the NAACP Image Award winner "Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom"

This is a touching story with a sharp and insightful protagonist. One hopes that it will find its way into the hands of feisty girls looking for a strong role model.
—School Library Journal

A story full of adventure and laughs for anyone who has ever had to face down tough times.
—Discovery Girls

From the Publisher

Watts, author of the picture book Keepers, displays sure footing in this strong foray into middle-grade fiction, about a 12-year-old black girl from Virginia navigating significant life changes. Set over the course of a year starting in the summer of 1963, Watts’s epistolary novel consists of candid letters Kizzy writes to Miss Anderson, her soon-to-be teacher at a newly integrated public school, and journal entries addressed to her teacher during the school year. Kizzy is apprehensive about sharing a classroom with white students: she wears the hand-me-down dresses of one white girl, and another classmate is responsible for the accident that left her with a prominent facial scar. Prevalent racism threatens Kizzy’s aspirations, as well as those of her athletic older brother, but with help from within and without—as well as the support of her beloved border collie, Shag—Kizzy prevails, and does so triumphantly. Watts offers an evenhanded, insightful evocation of a turbulent time and of a girl’s perseverance, with Kizzy’s writing exposing both widespread prejudice and the determination and will that countered it. Ages 9–12. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

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

JULY 2012 - AudioFile

With the abundance of stories about a boy and his dog, it's refreshing to see a tale of a girl and her dog. Outspoken Kizzy Ann Stamps is used to overcoming difficulties, from navigating the prejudice in her town to coping with the attention brought on by the scar on her right cheek. Now a new hurdle has arisen for Kizzy Ann: integration. Armed with a belief in facing problems head-on, Kizzy Ann writes to her new teacher, sharing that much of her strength comes from her extraordinary border collie, Shag. So Kizzy Ann is disheartened when she finds that Shag is ineligible to compete in dog shows. But hope unexpectedly comes in the form of neighbor Donald McKenna. Under his guidance, they train to enter a dog trial--a perfect choice for a "no-bow" girl and dog like Kizzy Ann and Shag...if Kizzy Ann can enter, despite the discrimination that would block her path. Through Kizzy Ann's letters to her teacher (from July 1963 to May 1964), Watts weaves a powerful story of strength and self-acceptance in the face of injustice. Though her introspective narration slips in and out of an adult voice, it always presents a strong, thoughtful and likable protagonist. The vivid historical setting of this short and satisfying read will leave readers feeling they have experienced life in Kizzy Ann's world. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews