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"When I Crossed No-Bob" by Margaret McMullan

Author:

Margaret McMullan

ISBN:

978-0-618-71715-6

Publisher:

Houghton Mifflin Company

Reviewed by:

Lisa Langsdorf, Children's Services, Kenosha Public Library

Grade 5 and up. Ten years after the Civil War has ended, twelve year old Addy O’Donnell is abandoned by her parents. The school teacher Mr. Frank and his new wife find her abandoned at their wedding supper and they decide to take her in. This is a dangerous time in the South with: the Ku Klux Klan, senseless murdering, and the destruction of property belonging to freed slaves and those who support them. Addy comes from No-Bob, a place where nothing good ever seems to happen. As a group of men terrorize the community, Addy and Little Bit witness first hand the burning of the school house and the subsequent death of their friend in the fire. Addy’s father returns and she is forced to move back home. After witnessing firsthand her father’s disregard for the law, and his lack of respect for other people, Addy decides to leave No-Bob for good. Addy runs away and chooses to try to live a better life on her own. While on her own, Addy once again witnesses the members of the Ku-Klux-Klan capture and attempt to kill a former slave. Addy has to decide if she can stand up against these men, and testify against them to save Mr. Frank, who is now accused of being the killer. What can she do, she is only a child?