Mildred Pitts Walter

JUSTIN is a fun and well-written story of a young boy's evolution into young manhood with
the guidance of his beloved Grandfather.

Unfortunately, it also features the extreme animal cruelty of a rodeo.
Neither Justin nor his Grandfather are sensitive to the animals, despite their earlier rescue of a fawn.

The Girl on the Outside, published twenty-five years after the 1957 events depicted, is a fictional but very apt story of the times in a southern town facing government-mandated integration of an all-white high school. I could feel the underlying terror in this understated book.: the thoughtless but not malicious selfishness of Sophia, as her eyes are opened even just a little bit to the injustice she has lived with her whole life; Eva who wants to experience and learn in a good school but show more is afraid - of violence, of not being smart enough, of losing her boyfriend. Eva's father who certainly had every reason to not allow his daughter this choice, but wanted her to decide for herself. So many currents going every which way...and which girl is it, anyway, who is "on the outside".? show less

I was very surprised to see the "n-word" (it's on page 82 in mine) in a book geared toward such young children. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I would not have known about it if I had not been reading the book with my son. They did not discuss it in school or let the parents know which is a shame, as it led to a few great discussions in our home about racism and the power of words. Overall, a great book. It was nice to see some diversity in my son's required reading and to have a show more completely boy-centric book where the main character is not sickeningly perfect. show less

Ten-year-old Justin hates that his sisters and his mama are always fussing at him. They make him feel stupid because he can't clean his room or cook. But why should he? He'd rather be outside playing. After all, cooking and cleaning is just "women's work." That's why Justin is glad when his grandfather invites him back to his ranch for the summer. Justin is sure he can get away from all the women and do some actual "men's work," such as cleaning fish, mending fences, and riding horses. But show more back at the ranch, Justin learns some unexpected lessons and soon realizes that anyone can do anything once they learn how. show less