Night on Fire

What I liked: This book does a wonderful job of getting into the emotional meat of racism. 13 year old Billie is a white girl in Alabama who doesn't even realize she's prejudiced. When she starts to notice how African Americans feel when other's are disrespectful, witnesses the awful treatment of the freedom riders in Anniston, she takes a stand. This book is beautifully written--the unlikely friendships seem not only possible, but inevitable. This is a book that I'm going to have my children read this summer. It's important for all of us to think about how we feel about and treat others who are different from us. Ronald Kidd does a great job of making this era come alive.

I recommend this to everyone...it's a fast, compelling and moving read.

This will post on my blog on 9/16/15.

Billie has never really thought about some of the details of her life in 1960's Anniston, Alabama. Loyal family retainer Lavender is like part of the family, but Billie starts to realize that Lavender has her own life, including daughter Jarmaine. Billie meets Jarmaine at the local spelling bee, which has excluded all of the children from the Negro schools. Billie and her friend Grant have been watching the news of the Freedom Riders with interest, and are starting to realize how very segregated their town is. Billie takes a liking to Jarmaine, and after a Freedom Riders bus is set on fire in their town, the two decide to band together and ride to Birmingham to be part of a rally that includes Dr. Martin Luther King. Billie wonders if her father is one of the men who would stand by while the black people are being accosted, and wonders if she will be able to be someone who instead helps out the cause of the downtrodden. Grant's father worked for a newspaper in Cincinnati before moving to the small town of Anniston to run the paper, so he is more progressive than many of the people. Billie and Jarmaine learn a lot about the Civil Rights movement on their journey and discover many things about themselves as well. Strengths: This had information about very specific incidents that occurred during the Civil Rights movement, and was not entirely from Billie's perspective, which was helpful. Having Jarmaine's perspective was very helpful, and the scenes of the two of them traveling together pointed out how difficult things were for black Americans in the south in the 1960s. The supporting characters (Grant, a local store owner, Lavender) added different facets to the book as well. I've always tried to get students to read books about the Civil Rights movement-- perhaps with the various situations going on currently, I can actually get some of these titles checked out. Weaknesses: Billie seemed overly eager for racial equality without convincing motivation. This is not uncommon (there are lots of spunky girls embracing Women's Rights in early 1900s historical fiction as well), but I was hoping for a book that showed a growing understanding and explained it.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. Love the cover, too. Anything with silhouettes!

Night on Fire gives a young teen view of the racial turmoil surrounding the Freedom Riders experiences in Alabama in 1961.

Growing up in Alabama I never even heard of the Freedom Riders until I was an adult. Hopefully schools in Alabama teach this history now and don't try to sweep it all under the rug the way they used to.

This book is a great vehicle for educating young teens about the history of the civil rights movement.

The Freedom Riders were a group of black and white students, who in the 1960’s decided they wanted to end segregation on buses by riding together through Alabama. In the small town of Anniston, Alabama, their bus was attacked by local residents who set the bus on fire and beat the Freedom Riders as they tried to escape. About a week later, in Birmingham, Alabama, there was a rally at the black First Baptist Church where a mob tried to burn down the building with over 1.000 people inside, including Martin Luther King, Jr.

This book takes the facts of these events and weaves a story around them. The story is told by Billie Sims, a 13 year old white girl who lives in Anniston. Billie has enjoyed a lovely childhood with her parents, younger brother, and the maid Lavender. Lavender is black. Billie has never thought much about the differences between the white folks and the black folks who live in separate parts of town in Anniston. Then one day she is at the local white people’s grocery store when a young black boy walks in. Suddenly all eyes are on him and the owner of the store refuses to serve his “kind”. This incident starts the wheels turning in Billie’s mind and she begins to have questions about prejudice and discrimination. She happens to meet Lavender’s daughter one day at a spelling bee; she didn’t even know Lavender had a daughter. Jarmaine tells Billie about the Freedom Riders who will be coming through Anniston in a few days. Billie is there when the bus is burned and she is horrified by the actions of people she has known all her life. People swinging bats and chains at the young people on the bus; police just standing by and watching it happen; her father watching it all from a distance. On the day of the scheduled rally, Billie and Jarmaine sneak out of their houses and board a bus for Birmingham. Billie likes Jarmaine and during their journey she gets a taste of what it’s like to be the minority in the crowd.

I found this book to be hard to put down. I so wanted to know how things were going to turn out for Billie and Jarmaine. They learn some valuable lessons as they journey together and Billie begins to dream of a world where black and white can be friends. Ronald Kidd has done a wonderful job telling this story. I was really able to feel like I was there with these girls as they witnessed how cruel people can be to each other and how scared the two groups were of each other. It is awe-inspiring to me to see the kind of courage it took for these young people to put their lives on the line in order to bring about change.

The book is intended for a young adult audience but I think anybody of any age would enjoy this story. The author has tried to stay true to the facts while creating his fictional characters and has done a wonderful job in that regard. The Freedom Riders were a group that we don’t often hear about in talks about the Civil Rights movement, but their spirit she live in hearts no matter what color we are. I would highly recommend this book.

This book of historical fiction takes place in Alabama in 1961 and is very carefully researched. The main character, Billie, has a strong, likable voice and asks herself a lot of really great questions. " Is what I've always known to be true the right thing? " This will be a terrific book to have in our school library to encourage conversation not only about the Civil Rights movement but also about injustices we see all the time.

I absolutely loved this book, and will defintely consider using it in school.

I actually initially assumed this was semi-autobiographical, which is testament to Kidd's skill in creating characters and using Billie's narrative voice to bring history alive.

The comparison with To Kill a Mockingbird is perhaps too obvious because of the setting and subject matter, but I felt that Billlie's story, like that of Scout Finch, is powerful because of its perspective. Billie is a kind, curious, precocious, somewhat spoilt child whose generally idyllic childhood is interupted by tumultuous events in her society. Her response is both heroic and believable, and she would be an inspiring heroine for readers of any age.

This is a really excellent book that I hope will help teenagers to recognise how we may not think we are racist, but sometimes it takes challenging our own privelege to see the bigger picture.

Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd basically blew me away for so many reasons! This book brings the past to life and allows us a glimpse of what it felt like to live back in the time of the Civil Rights movement with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Freedom Riders.

While some this story's message is bold and loud, other's are quietly subtle. Both are delivered in a way that is not preachy and leaves the reader with much to think about.

I can't say I loved reading this book - the topic was too painful to allow that but I do feel Night on Fire is a very good book with a message that is for everyone!

Rating for this book is 5 stars!

A definite thank you to Albert Whitman and Co. as well as Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent historical fiction about the Freedom Riders and the Civil Rights movement!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an interesting read, this book had me gripping the book tightly, and I cannot wait to see what this author has in store for us next.

Thirteen-year-old Billie Simms doesn't think her hometown of Anniston, Alabama, should be segregated, but few of the town's residents share her opinion. As equality spreads across the country and the Civil Rights Movement gathers momentum, Billie can't help but feel stuck--and helpless--in a stubborn town too set in its ways to realize that the world is passing it by. So when Billie learns that the Freedom Riders, a group of peace activists riding interstate buses to protest segregation, will be traveling through Anniston on their way to Montgomery, she thinks that maybe change is finally coming and her quiet little town will shed itself of its antiquated views. But what starts as a series of angry grumbles soon turns to brutality as Anniston residents show just how deep their racism runs. The Freedom Riders will resume their ride to Montgomery, and Billie is now faced with a choice: stand idly by in silence or take a stand for what she believes in. Through her own decisions and actions and a few unlikely friendships, Billie is about to come to grips with the deep-seated prejudice of those she once thought she knew, and with her own inherent racism that she didn't even know she had.

I was amazed by this book's unflinching presentation of racism in the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Told from the point of view of a bystander who looked on as the Freedom Riders bus and its riders were brutalized from attempting to break down the bus segregation laws that existed in Alabama and other southern states, this book brings both the historical events and the perspectives of people from both sides of what transpired in sharp focus.

What I found most impressive was how the author presented race relations. Kidd did a superb job showing the mistrust that existed between black and white community members through the eyes of a child. This book is deeply moving and memorable. While it presents racially charged hatred, it does it in a way that is sensitive to its readers. There are no examples of foul language or racial slurs with the exception of the use of the word 'crackers' in reference to white people in two places in the book. This is an honest, plainly outstanding piece of historical fiction that belongs in the libraries of elementary schools and middle schools everywhere.

I am adding a copy to my library as soon as I can. I encourage all librarians who read this to do the same. It should be in consideration for use in school curriculum as we attempt to teach this vital piece of American history. I don't know of a more compelling piece about the Freedom Riders. It's relatable and thought-provoking. Excellent book. A true pleasure to read. Given the chance, it could create engaging conversation in the classroom.

Night on Fire is a historical fiction novel that takes readers back to the Civil Rights Movement. We get to see the world from a young teenager’s eyes. Billie, our main protagonist, doesn’t fully understand racism, but as she experiences small incidents in her everyday life she starts to see the prejudice against African-Americans. She realizes it's wrong, and sees the hate behind people’s actions, but doesn’t know what to do.

After a huge violent outburst in her hometown Billie really starts to question segregation and feels that everyone deserves equal rights. As a result she transitions from a naive to a confident person who wants to join the fight for justice and equality.

This novel gives younger readers a somewhat in-depth look at what the Freedom Riders achieved during this era as well as showing why it was so significant to the Civil Rights Movement. I think it would make good teaching material in a classroom and will encourage readers to do more research on the entire movement.

The book also does a great job of highlighting the events from time period and condensing it in a roughly 300 page space that manages to keep the plot flowing smoothly. While it was based on actual events I felt like I was reading a story rather than a history book. This novel keeps the reader engaged while also teaching them about the Civil Rights Movement at the same time.

ARC-Netgalley