Night on Fire

In a powerful historical story that confronts uncomfortable truths about racism, 13-year-old tomboy Billie Sims feels she has outgrown Anniston, Ala., where she lives with her family and their African-American maid, Lavender. It's 1961, and while Anniston is still segregated, Billie doesn't think of herself, her family, or the town as racist until the activist Freedom Riders are viciously attacked while traveling through Anniston. Billie begins to take a hard look at her family's relationship with Lavender and the reasons for continued segregation, while forging a slow connection with Jermaine, Lavender's daughter. Jermaine initially resents Billie for what she perceives as her privilege and complacence, yet they bond over career dreams and, finally, a shared goal of following the Freedom Riders to Montgomery. Kidd (The Year of the Bomb) creates strong-willed, contemplative heroines while capturing period details and the energy of the civil rights movement. As Billie acknowledges the insidiousness of the prejudice within herself and her community and makes steps toward uprooting it, her transformation is painful and profound. Ages 9%E2%80%9313. (Sept.)