In the rural South during the Depression, four Black children witness a frightening scene at the General Store. A respected elder in the Black community dares to call the white store owner by his first name and is verbally and physically attacked by a group of white men, who do not know of a decades-long relationship between the two. This spare, terse story is powerful and moving as it effectively shows Black children learning first-hand about racism, as well as about the strength, courage, and dignity of Black adult role models. (Ages 7-10)

Another powerful story in the Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor's Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Cassie Logan and her brothers have been warned never to go to the Wallace store. 

So they know to expect trouble there. What they don’t expect is to hear Mr. Tom Bee, an elderly black man, daring to call the white storekeeper by his first name. The year is 1933, the place is Mississippi, and any child knows that some things just aren’t done. Can a shared past between the two men make a difference?
 

"A powerful story…Readers will be haunted by its drama and emotion long after they have closed the book."—Booklist