Equal

Here is a riveting coming-of-age story about the importance of staying true to yourself and the essential power of friendship in this fifth and final title in the popular Bakers Mountain Stories series.

It's the summer of 1959 at the foot of Bakers Mountain in western North Carolina when 13-year-old Jackie Honeycutt first bumps into Thomas Freeman fishing on the riverbank. They hit it off, and Jackie hopes the two of them can be friends. But Jackie is white, and Thomas is Black -- and Jackie quickly learns their growing friendship won't be easy. North Carolina is the focus of the growing civil rights movement, and through his friendship with Thomas, Jackie experiences racism and prejudice first-hand through bullying at school, family turmoil and pressure from his community. Can Jackie free both his conscience and his voice - and ultimately do what's right?

About the Author

Joyce Moyer Hostetter is the author of historical novels, including Blue, winner of the International Reading Association Children's Book Award. She lives with her husband in Hickory, North Carolina, close to her two adult children and nine grandchildren. Visit her at joycemoyerhostetter.com.