Hansen, Joyce

Twelve-year-old Patsy keeps a diary of the exciting but confusing time following the end of the Civil War and the granting of freedom to former slaves.

Doris becomes friends with Yellow Bird as she helps him with his studies and his part in the school play and discovers that he has a problem known as dyslexia.

Amir, a gentle loner, is the new boy on the block. Doris is amazed the he doesn't seem to care about doing what everyone else does. But as Doris and amir become friends, he helps her to grow in self-confidence and in her understanding of others. When her father loses his job, it is Amir's influence that enable Doris to play an active role in keeping her family together-even though it means growing apart from her friends.

An account of African-American life in the period of Reconstruction following the Civil War, based on first-person narratives, contemporary documents, and other historical sources.

Twelve-year-old Patsy keeps a diary of the ripe but confusing time following the end of the Civil War and the granting of freedom to former slaves.