{"product_id":"a-friendship-for-today-9780545065634","title":"A Friendship for Today","description":"\u003cp\u003eMcKissack dishes up a palatable blend of fact and fiction in her semiautobiographical story of Rosemary Pattersons pivotal sixth-grade year (1954-55). The landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision closed the doors of Rosemarys colored school in Kirkland  Missouri  and dispersed students into two white elementary schools. Determined to prove she does not need remediation  Rosemary excels academically and refuses to be racially intimidated or stereotyped. An unlikely friendship with mean Grace Hamilton  labeled \"white trash\" by snobby classmates  opens Rosemarys eyes to shared experiences of prejudice  parental strife  peer pressure  and loneliness. Both girls develop a mutual respect for the hardships they face. Rosemary gets emotional support and comfort from storekeeper Mr. Bob  an ex-Tuskegee Airman; her independent  enterprising seamstress mother; her fair-minded and compassionate teacher; and Rags  a rescued  injured cat that finally emits a \"meow.\" As her parents grapple with marital problems and her polio-stricken best friend  J.J.  struggles to walk again  Rosemary learns the value of tolerance and perseverance. A wealth of historical references  from civil rights to polio vaccine to early TV  is embedded in the narrative. Readers will enjoy the protagonists spunky  resilient response to adversity and her candid  often amusing observations of human nature.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279973572661,"sku":"ByrdShop_0545065631","price":27.27,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780545065634.jpg?v=1780616951","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/a-friendship-for-today-9780545065634","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}