Down Sand Mountain

"A classic loss-of-innocence story. . . . Readers will be haunted by the drama of harsh secrets close to home." -Booklist (starred review)
It's 1966, and Dewey is determined to start seventh grade right. No more being the brunt of every joke. But after he stains his face mimicking the minstrel show's popular Shoeshine Boy, bullies call him Sambo and bar him from the - whites only - bathroom. The only kid who will talk to him is fellow outsider Darla, who wears her hair (and sings and dances) like Shirley Temple. Through their friendship, Dewey learns of issues bigger than himself and his small Florida town - like segregation, the Vietnam War, sexuality, abuse, and even death and grieving. Told in a voice at times comic and lighthearted, at others devastating and lonely, this novel will stay with readers long after the book is closed.