Crossing Jordan

Twelve-year-old Cassie’s life is changed when Jemmie, a Black girl, and her family move in next door. Can she and Jemmie overcome family prejudice and cultural differences in a small, working-class town?

Cass is dreading a long, lonely summer until Jemmie and her family move in next door. The only problem: their families don’t want them socializing with each other and they have deeply help prejudices, exemplified by the fence Cassie’s father builds between their two houses.

Despite their parents’ warnings, Cassie and Jemmie start communicating through a hole in the fence and find they share more similarities than differences. Mutual interests in reading and running draw them together, and their wariness of each other disappears. But when their parents find out about the burgeoning friendship, each girl is forbidden to see the other. A family crisis and celebration provide opportunities for the families to reach an understanding.

With unforgettable characters, author Adrian Fogelin addresses the complex issues of bigotry and tolerance with sensitivity and intelligence, poignantly reminding readers of fences that too often separate us from one another.

Adrian Fogelin earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked as a librarian and as an illustrator for the Baltimore Zoo. The author of several novels for middle readers and young adults, Adrian makes regular appearances in schools and libraries and teaches creative writing. Her special interests include managing family land for wildlife conservation, running a food bank and library for her neighborhood, and singing in a duo called Hot Tamale. She lives in Florida.

Suzy Schultz is an illustrator and fine artist. She lives in Georgia.