Goin' Someplace Special (edition 2008)

A poignant tale from author Patricia McKissack's childhood, Goin' Someplace Special is a record of a time of great injustice, when racial segregation was a fact of life in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee; but it is also a tribute to the resilience and courage of those effected by that injustice, and a pean to the hope offered by that special "someplace" mentioned in the title. Setting out on her own, for the very first time, young 'Tricia Ann makes her way through Nashville, encountering both hostility and help from those around her, as she makes her way to the one desegregated place in town, where all are welcome on equal terms: the public library.

I was quite interested to learn, from McKissack's afterward, that Nashville's public library board had voted to integrate all their facilities in the late 1950s, before any outside force or law compelled them to. Having just recently read another tale concerning segregation and the library - Ron's Big Mission tells the story of astronaut Ron McNair's determination to gain a library card of his own as a child, in his segregated South Carolina town, where African-Americans weren't allowed to officially use the library - I found the parallels fascinating! Any books which speaks to the power for good of the public library, its role as a refuge in troubled times, is pretty much guaranteed to be OK in my book, but 'Tricia Ann's tale is even more appealing, in that it also opens a window into a troubling aspect of our history, and highlights how family love, and friendship, helped people to survive that time. Highly recommended, to all young library lovers, and to anyone searching for children's stories that can be used to introduce children to the realities of segregation. ( )

This a moving story about a young girls journey to someplace special. This is based in the time of segregation and she has a lot of courage as she faces the world without her grandma. ( )

Based on the life of author McKissack growing up in Nashville, this book tells how little Patricia took the bus downtown to go to “Someplace Special.” Along the way, she experiences discrimination of the 1950s South—buses, hotels, restaurants. But she arrives at her Someplace Special: The Nashville Public Library.

Going someplace special is a great Historical Fiction book. This book is about a young african american girl, Tricia Ann, who's grandmother finally allows her to go by her self to "someplace special." The young girl fasces many prejudice obstacles through her journey but remembers her grandmother telling her the prejudice signs tell them what to do but not what they can think. The young girl makes it to the special place in the end which happens to be the public library. In this library is a sign that says, "All is Welcome." I loved reading this book and thought it was a very good book to have in the classroom. I think this book would teach young children a little about african american history and also would help them relate to real life situations today.

One thing you could do in the classroom with this book is have a short lesson on a famous african american role model, for example, Rosa Parks. You could have the students then do a coloring sheet that had to do with what they learned that day.

'Tricia Ann is a young girl who gets to venture out by herself to visit her somewhere special. Along the way she encounters the harsh reality of the Jim Crow laws and their affect of African American people. She is saddened by the limitations her race causes her and the cruel ways she's treated by the white people. She eventually makes her way to somewhere special- the public library. She finds peace there because all are welcome. This is a beautifully illustrated story that reminds us of our past and the civlil rights issues we have overcame. It reminds the reader that all are equal, but it's not always been like that.

Genre Critique: This is a great historical fiction book. It tells a story about an African-American girl growing up in the time of the Jim Crow laws that prevented her from having the same freedom as whites. As far as I can tell the historical information is accurately portrayed. I like how this story focused on the girl's strength and courage to face the inequalities and still think high of herself.

Plot conflict: The conflict in this story is between 'Tricia Ann and the world. She is struggling to live in the time of segregation. She wants to prove herself and why colored people are just as deserving as white people. Although segregation isn't ended in this story, 'Tricia Ann gains courage to be a strong and confident girl regardless of how the world sees her. 'Tricia Ann's coming of age story is relatable to not just minority groups, but everyone. Every person has to realize their self-worth and gain confidence to make it in the world today. There is so much in society that will discourage us and put us down, we have to be ready to fight for our dreams.