The $66 Summer - Softcover

Armistead, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1571316256 ISBN 13: 9781571316257

Publisher: Milkweed Editions, 2000

Synopsis

For $66 or not very much more, George Harrington thinks he might be able to buy a used Harley-Davidson motorcycle and ride to Alaska, New York, or any of the other places he dreams about while fishing with his father every Saturday morning. When his grandmother invites him to visit for the summer and help out at her store in small-town Obadiah, Alabama, he sees a way to earn the money he needs. In Obadiah, George hooks up with Esther and Bennett, the children of the cook at his grandmother's lunch counter. An unusual trio in 1950s Alabama, they roam the countryside together, sneaking onto Mr. Vorhise's land to go fishing, looking for lost treasure, and avoiding the hooded old woman who seems to follow them through the woods. George, Esther, and Bennett find more than fish, however, on Mr. Vorhise's land - evidence that leads them to some chilling conclusions. As currents of racism and bigotry come to the town's surface, George must reassess his priorities and learn a lesson about sacrifice.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A coming-of-age story set in Alabama during the summer of 1955. George, 13, desperately wants a motorcycle, so when he gets the opportunity to work at his grandmother's store in Obadiah (three hours from home), he jumps at it. While living there, he spends time with Bennett and Esther Garrison, who are black. The three friends accidentally discover that the siblings' father, believed to have run off four years earlier, was actually murdered by a local bigot. When the truth is revealed, their house is burned down as a warning not to pursue justice. George's grandmother does not believe in segregation and tries to instill a sense of fairness in her grandson. Her strength enables him to selflessly give the $66 he has earned to Esther so that she can afford to go to the Negro high school in Adamstown. Armistead reveals the nature and cruelty of racism; at the same time, he shows that individuals can reach out to one another in times of need. The characters are made believable by their interactions and increased understanding of one another. Like Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 (Delacorte, 1995), the novel weaves a powerful message into a poignant narrative.
Tracey Ansley, Cary Academy, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1955 Alabama, this carefully developed first novel explores a white boy's introduction to the devastating effects of racism. The summer he turns 13, George yearns to earn enough money to buy a motorcycle and ends up staying in Obadiah with his grandmother, earning a dollar a day at her store. There he becomes reacquainted with some of the folks who live near or on his grandmother's land: two "colored" children, Esther and Bennett, whose father, Staple, ran off unexpectedly a few years ago; George's alcoholic, bigoted father's old friend, scary Mr. Vorhise, who raises fighting dogs; and Auntie Hoosilla, a disfigured old woman reputed to be a witch. Although the book is somewhat slow-going at first, introducing the players and establishing their views on race, none of it is superfluous. Stories told to George by friends and relatives provide clues about Staple's unexplained departure, a mystery that gradually becomes the central focus. Armistead's honest dialogue and believable characterizations add resonance to the timeless theme of injustice. The climax, conveying the tragic fate of Esther's and Bennett's father, will leave a searing impression. Ages 8-13. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1571316256
• ISBN 13: 9781571316257
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 230
• Illustrator: Pate James