Walking with Miss Millie

Bundy, Tamara. Walking with Miss Millie
July 4th 2017 by Nancy Paulsen Books
ARC from publisher at ALA

Alice is not happy about moving from Columbus, Ohio to Rainbow, Georgia in 1968, and thinks that her mother is making too much of her grandmother's forgetfulness. When they arrive, however, Alice starts to realize that perhaps there are some problems. Still, it's a temporary fix, and soon her father will return to the family and they will all move back to Ohio, where Eddie can return to the school he attends because he is hearing impaired. Alice is forced to help a neighbor, Miss Millie, and walks her dog, Clarence. However, Clarence only wants to walk with Miss Millie, so Alice is able to learn a lot about the elderly woman's life. She also has run ins with the town bullies, as well as their sister, Pam, who takes a liking to Eddie and plays with him, trying to learn sign language. Alice begins to settle in to her new community when tragedy strikes. Will she be able to figure out life her new life?
Strengths: The information about Miss Millie's life is very interesting, and Alice's struggles are realistic. This was a quick and pleasant read that offered a brief taste of what life was like at this time.
Weaknesses: I wish that this hadn't been from the point of view of a young, white girl. More details about Civil Rights movement would have been helpful. Spoiler alert: Miss Millie is 94. Draw your own conclusion.
What I really think: I really, really need books about the 1960s for a unit one of my teachers does, so I will probably buy this one. I just wish it had more period details and was from Miss Millie's point of view.