Kizzy Ann Stamps is starting at a new school, the just-integrated public school, and she’s worried. She’s worried that the white students won’t like her, and she’s worried they’ll stare at the scar that runs from the tip of her right eye to the corner of her smile—the scar a neighbor boy gave her, in a farming accident.
But now this same boy won’t stop following Kizzy and Shag, her beloved border collie, everywhere they go—even when they’re practicing for an upcoming herding competition. And though Kizzy and Shag have been training hard, Kizzy and her coach aren’t sure they’ll even let her, a black girl, enter the competition.
In this tender—and often humorous—debut novel, Kizzy Ann discovers that almost everyone has scars to bear and that with a dog at your side you can find the courage to face them head-on.
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"Told through letters and diary entries, Kizzy Ann Stamps details what it is like to be one of the first black students to integrate at a formerly all white school. Her dog, Shag, is her faithful companion through it all, helping her reach out to other members of her community." — Julie (4 out of 5 stars)
"Told through letters and diary entries, Kizzy Ann Stamps details what it is like to be one of the first black students to integrate at a formerly all white school. Her dog, Shag, is her faithful companion through it all, helping her reach out to other members of her community."
" I like the rural nature of this school integration story, and the characters are interesting and well written. "
" This is interesting and quick read for the ages 8 and above. The narration style in the form of writing letters. The entire story is narrated in a series of letters. The story of a girl and her dog is and the family is narrated by the girl in her letters to a teacher. "
" I liked how in this book it showed how she was afraid of the white people and it was just not the white people afraid of the colored people, it was the other way around too. Also i liked how some people rise to the occasion in the book. "
" "How can I do less than believe and hope and fight and try?" "
" Sweet story that deals gently with discrimination and injustice in a historical setting (integration in the 1960s). For the older audience for this book (ages 11-13), it might be well-paired with My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow for a very different school integration story. "
" I fell in love with Kizzy Ann and her dog, Shag. I would recommend this book to a boy or girl in fourth or fifth grade, especially if they want to learn more about integration in Virginia in the 1960s. "
" An enjoyable epistolary middle grade novel set in 1963-64 and featuring an endearingly charming protagonist. "
" dog story and she doesn't die!! Love. "
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