Mississippi Morning

“Brings urgent politics into personal life.” 
― Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

“Cooper is at his best with action, emotion, and perspective…Vander Zee’s dialogue crackles with import.” 
― Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)

A young white boy in Depression-era Mississippi confronts ugly truths in this powerful coming-of-age story of family, friendship, and racism.

It's the middle of the Great Depression, yet James William enjoys his life in rural Mississippi. But his happiness starts to unravel when he discovers the fire that burned down the local preacher's house wasn't an accident, but a hate crime. 

When his friend LeRoy ― a Black boy whose family sharecrops on the land next to theirs ― tells him about the Klan and their hanging tree, James William has a hard time grasping this harsh reality. That is, until an unexpected encounter brings the issue close to home.

Ruth Vander Zee’s Mississippi Morning, inspired by a sermon and Illustrated by Coretta Scott King medalist Floyd Cooper, will challenge assumptions and create meaningful discussion among young readers. It was named a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and Children's Book Council (CBC).

Ruth Vander Zee, teacher and writer, is also the author of Erika's Story, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti (Creative Editions). She lives in San Jose, California with her husband.

Floyd Cooper (1956–2021) won many prestigious awards for his illustrations, including the 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for The Blacker the Berry, written by Joyce Carol Thomas (Amistad), and three previous Coretta Scott King Honors, a Da Vinci Award, and an NAACP Image Honor. Throughout his over thirty-year career, Floyd illustrated more than ninety books, including Unspeakable by Carol Boston Weatherford (Lerner), Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes (HarperCollins), Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation by Pat Sherman (Eerdmans), and Mississippi Morning by Ruth Vander Zee (Eerdmans). Floyd lived in Pennsylvania until his death in 2021.