A Friendship for Today

"Hook"

"For sure, and your gangster name will be Jumping Jack Stenson in a Stenson hat. 'Or maybe you want to be G-man.' 'What will it be?

     'I haven't decided yet,' J.J. says, managing a weak smile.
      He hasn't opened his report card. So I take a chance and encourage him. 'Go on. Look at your grades. It is what it is. Get it over with.'
       J.J. shrugs. 'I don't care what my grades are.'
       Of course he does. 'Want me to look for you?
        J.J. hands me his card without a fuss. I open it. Part of me wants to tease him and make him suffer for giving me such a hard time. But this is not joking time. J.J. might keel over if he thinks he's failed.
       'You passed,' I say. 'Your grades are awful-mostly C's and D's, but you made enough to pass onto the sixth grade. 'But what really makes me happiest is that he's been assigned Robertson, too. 'Were going to the same school next year.'
          'I passed! I passed!' That is all J.J. needs to know. With a whoop and a holler he takes off down the street, yelling at the top of his voice. 'School's out! School's out!'  'The teacher wore her shoes out.' (page 24 and 25)

    "By noon, every kid who's going to the carnival has gathered in front of Daddy's garage. As we're loading up in the back of the truck. I realize J.J. isn't with us. I can't imagine going to Grant-Lasalle without him. But Daddy's about to pull off. 'Wait!' I shout. 'Let me go see if J.J. is coming. I'll be right back.'
            'I'm leaving in ten minutes with our without you two,' Daddy yells, knowing all the time that he won't leave us-I hope not. That's just his way of saying hurry up.
.              Hopping off the back of the truck. I take off like a missile. As soon as I turn the corner of Rosebud and Harrison, J.J. comes barreling out of his house, head down and legs churning.
               'Your gonna get left,' I shout, changing directions, heading back to the garage. 'Come on!'...At first we jog along side by side. Turning the corner, we see he truck full of our friends. I wave. They wave back and call for us to hurry. Daddy starts the motor and pretends to pull off. Then he stops and yells, 'Go, go, go!' (page 59 and 60),

    But J.J.'s not giving an inch. He stays close on my back. A few feet from the truck, I feel him beside me...and then ahead by a step or two. I pump harder, but my legs won't move me any faster. And J.J. wins by a toe.( page 61)

   'Tell them J.J., ' I keep saying. 'Tell them!'
       'Tell them what Rosemary? Your the one talking.'
         I give J.J. a hard look. He drops his eyes. 'You're not my friend anymore, I don't like you, and I may never speak to you again.'

The next morning J.J. wakes up with polio. (page 62)

Recommendation

Have you ever been picked on because of your race? If so, you can relate to Rosemary. Rosemary is black and going to an all white school with her best friend J.J. But after a race and a broken promise, J.J. wakes up with polio. This means Rosemary will have to face 6th grade and the Hamilton's alone. When Rosemary gets to school she faces name calling, sitting next to a Hamilton, missing J.J. and the worst of all-Katherine. Katherine is the meanest spoildest person there is... Or so they think. But when someone she knows is in trouble she will have to do something she never thought she would. Will Rosemary and J.J. make up? Will Rosemary be able to survive 6th grade, and maybe even make a friend on the way? You will have to read this book to find out.

Blog By: Julia C.
Book By: Patricia C. McKissack
Genre: Realistic Fiction