Going to a new school is scary, especially when your best friend dumps you.

In 1961, on a warm summer day in Jackson, Mississippi, a bus arrives in town that will spark change. White and Black people get off the bus and challenge norms that have been in place for decades.

All Trudy Scuffer wants for her birthday is a horse, and she’s worried about starting junior high—really worried. It’s a big change. She likes the familiar patterns and people of her life. The only change she really wants is a horse.

But on her birthday, she sees the bus full of Freedom Riders, and Trudy starts down a path to understand what they’re doing and why. At the same time, she struggles with her mother’s work as a civil rights activist, but learns why it’s so important. Unfortunately, Trudy also learns how divisive and mean people can be, which puts her relationship with her best friend in jeopardy.

Trudy must figure out where she stands regarding the changes that are happening in her town. But will her views keep her best friend away forever?

If you liked Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd or Ruby Lee and Me by Shannon Hitchcock, then you’ll love The End of the Sidewalk.