written by: Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
illustrated by: E.B. Lewis
ages: school aged
All that Virgie wants to do is attend school with her five older brothers, George, Will, Nelson, Val, and C.C. They keep saying that she is too small to walk the seven miles, that she'll miss her parents too much, and that girls don't need to go to school anyway. Virgie proves them wrong with her desire to learn to read and go to school.
Set in the post-Civil War South, this true story is beautifully written and illustrated. Virgie's story takes place during Reconstruction when schools were created to educate newly freed slaves and their children. Fewer than 10% of slaves were literate and schools offered an unprecedented opportunity to learn. During Reconstruction, only boys were allowed to go to school, but that doesn't stop Virgie. This book has a rich message of education and freedom and can be a real jumping off point for conversations with kids about the Civil War, slavery, determination, and the value of education.
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