Posted by Miss Dewey at OrendaFive paw prints! She was small and quiet and she looked like a good kid who would do what she was told. Well, she was all of those things, except for one: she would not always do what she was told. She was told she had to give up her seat on a bus. But not just any bus, this was a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. So why would she have to give up her seat? Claudette Colvin was a black teenager growing up in the segregated south. But Claudette knew her rights and she knew she shouldn't have to give up her seat to a white woman. You might be wondering why Claudette's story is so important. It's important because she refused to give up her seat nine months before Rosa Parks. Not only did she refuse to give up her seat, she challenged the laws of Montgomery, Alabama stating that being separate can really be equal. AND SHE WON! I love this book. Growing up I had heard there was a girl who challenged the bus rules in Montgomery, Alabama before Rosa Parks, but I could never find any information about who this girl was. I was beginning to believe I had imagined the story, but the author managed to find Claudette and interview her in New York City. Most people know the story of the many adults who helped end segregation, but not many people know of the children who also helped. Hopefully, with this book, now more people will learn about Claudette and the sacrifices she and other children made. This isn't the only wonderful book by Philip Hoose. If you would like to read more books by him, visit: http://www.philliphoose.com/ to see his other award winning titles.
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