The Starplace

The Starplace by Vicki Grove
Publisher: Puffin Books
Copyright: 1999
Number of Pages: 214
Age: 13+
Genre: Contemporary

Summary:
In the story of Starplace, is about a town that has a huge history of racism. A girl named Celeste moves to a house that is near the border of the blacks and whites segregation line. Because Celeste's house is at the border line she has to go to an all white school. When she does everyone ignored her. One day Celeste was put into a group ensamble with a girl named Frannie. They quickly became friends. However, not everyone was open to the idea of a black girl and a white girl being friends. Through the book it shows the trials and tribulations that Celeste and Frannie have to go through. However, in the end the girls remained friends and they bother were able to fulfill their dreams. Celeste wanted to become a singer and Frannie wanted to become a writer. Celeste wears a clip in her hair that when she is done performing she touches it, and Frannie touches hers as well. That clip was a significant symbol of their friendship that was able to last through the trials of their school life. Everyone was able to eventually adapt to the idea of blacks being in their school and that it was OK to be friends with them.
My reaction:
I thought that it was a good book because it hits important points about how segregation was hard and that eventually through time, even though some things may seem hard, you can always hope for the best. The book was well written and the characters were well developed.
Who might benefit from this book?
I think anyone would benefit from this book because it points out an important part of our history and that there are people out there who aren't afraid to break normal trends.
What problems might this book cause?
Maybe in the beginning it may be hard for a younger reader to be able to understand that that was how blacks used to be treated.