Yankee Girl

Yankee Girl, Mary Ann Rodman

SYNOPSIS:

When her FBI agent father is transferred to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964, eleven-year-old Alice wants to be popular but also wants to reach out to the one black girl in her class in a newly-integrated school.

GENERAL REVIEW:

Yankee Girl is based on the author’s childhood experiences and has a very realistic feel for the time and place. Alice has moved many times since her father is a FBI agent and she has always been able to make friends. This move is different and she is unprepared for life in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964. The southern accents and customs are puzzling, the relationships between the races shocking, and the power of the popular click intimidating. Her struggles to fit in and the compromises she makes to be accepted come back to haunt her by the end of the year. This book gives a very interesting glimpse into a troubled time.

THEMES: Race Relations, School Integration, Friendship, Civil Rights Workers

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

This is Mary Ann Rodman’s first book and is based on her childhood experiences growing up in Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement. She is a librarian and has since written a second book, My Best Friend. She lives in Alpharetta, Georgia. Her website is www.maryannrodman.com

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Standard 3 Benchmark 3

1. What were the people in the South afraid would happen if the schools integrated? Are some of those fears still present today between different races or groups of people?
2. Alice thought that you could tell bad people by how they looked or acted. That wasn’t true in this story. Who was a surprise to Alice? Have you ever been surprised by what you have learned about someone you know or someone in the news? How?
3. Alice had difficulty understanding the southern accent. What accents do you find hard to understand? Do you think you have an accent? Why or why not?
4. Different radio stations play different music. Alice loved the Beatles, Valerie preferred the Supremes, who do you like and what type of music do you listen to?
5. The “Cheerleaders” were the popular girls in the sixth grade. They had power over most of the class. Are there groups in your class that are that popular? What would you be willing to do to be popular?

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

1. Make a timeline of the real events mentioned in this book. Research these events and find non-fiction books that give more information about the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s. Standard 3 Benchmark 2
2. Different parts of the country have different customs, foods, and styles. Make a chart that shows some of the common or traditional ways to know you are in the Northern, Eastern, Western or Southern United States. Which of those areas do you find most fun to live in or visit and why? Standard 3 Benchmark 4
3. Explore the clothing, music and customs of the 1960’s. Write a report about what you find and how you would be different if you were living in the 60’s. Standard 3 Benchmark 1
4. Talk to your parents and/or grandparents about the 1960’s, where they were living, what they were doing, and how the Civil Rights movement affected their lives. Write a report of your findings. Standard 2 Benchmark 2

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