Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues [Paperback]

Harriette Gillem Robinet (Author), Raul Colon (Illustrator)

Book Description

"Oh, I'm singing the bus-rider blues,

the Alabamy bus-rider blues.

I got me a feeling, deep down inside,

It ain't never ever gonna be the same."

During the Alabama bus boycott, six months after Rosa Parks made her famous bus protest, Alfa Merryfield and his family struggle to pay the rent. But someone keeps stealing their rent money -- and now someone is accusing them of stealing!

With only a few days left before rent is due, Alfa and his sister, Zinnia, know they don't have much time. To solve this mystery, they must "walk the walk and talk the talk of nonviolence" that Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders preach -- and what they discover may be more than they dreamed...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this quasi-mystery set during the 1956 Montgomery bus boycott, 12-year-old Alfa relies on the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. to get through some strange times. PW said this novel "may well inspire readers to discover more about this important chapter in civil rights history." Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Six months into the Montgomery bus boycott in 1956, resourceful 12-year-old Alfa Merryfield, his older sister Zinnia, and his devoted grandmother, Big Mama, walk everywhere, pooling their meager wages to pay the rent on their tar-paper home. When their money begins disappearing, the siblings are determined to solve the mystery and to keep their home. Struggling to make ends meet, they take a house-cleaning job that leads to accusations of theft. Persevering and observant, Alfa solves this second mystery, confronts the white establishment with the truth, and saves his home. In the process, he discovers that financial and domestic troubles can be found in the homes of whites as well as "coloreds." He also discovers that his own estranged, drug-addicted mother has been secretly extorting their precious rent money from Big Mama. Local echoes of the civil-rights era permeate the story. Alfa feels the pain of injustice when white boys steal his wages, his longtime grocery-store boss fires him for being implicated in a theft, and guards threaten and beat him for attempting to use the local library. And yet, with idealism and personal conviction, he rises above these abuses and proves to himself and the "System" that through nonviolence and persistence, truth can prevail. Despite the emphasis on racial inequities, both black and white characters are shown as vulnerable and capable of change. Ingredients of mystery, suspense, and humor enhance and personalize this well-constructed story that offers insight into a troubled era.
Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689838867
• ISBN-13: 978-0689838866
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscent of Watsons Go to Birmingham, December 7, 2002

By 

Julia S Longnecker (Riverdale, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues (Paperback)

The characters are so real and the story so well-written that I felt like I was walking right along with them. It's a wonderful book for children to get the feel of what it was like during the Civil Rights movement. I'm a middle school teacher, and I highly recommend this book for grades 4-8.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fiction And Fun, March 29, 2004

By 

Fola Richardson (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues (Paperback)

Do you know what many white people were doing to Blacks during segregation? Well, this book "Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues" by Harriet Gillem Robinet will answer your questions. It's fiction, but it is based on historical records which tell how African Americans were treated during segregation. During the time of the main character Alfa's life, boycotting buses in Montgomery, Alabama was a hard struggle for African Americans. Many of them had to walk for miles in hot weather, listening to whites telling them to stop causing trouble.
In the book, Alfa is a strong black young man who tries to clear his name after being accused of stealing a lot of money. He also has to deal with racism and taking care of his elderly grandmother and his older sister.
The writer's style is very descriptive. You can imagine in your mind what everything looks like just by her words. One thing I really liked about this book is that it tells you about history. At the same time, there is an exciting fiction story to read.
"Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues" will be a great book for people who likes books that have enormous suspense in it and also people who love history. Why not give this book a try?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and moving, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Walking To The Bus Rider Blues (Hardcover)

Montgomery, Alabama, 1956. The historic, courageous, terrifying bus boycott had started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person. Just what this meant to most people becomes very clear in this edgy, uncomfortable book. Alfa, aged 12, and his sister, age 15, live in dire poverty with their great-grandmother Merryfield. Alfa's mother left them there years before, and has never communicated with them since. Their great-grandmother is very elderly, some say maybe even ninety years old, and beginning to be forgetful. She makes about $40 a month; Alfa makes another $20 a month working hard in a grocery store. Rent is $50 a month, but part of the rent money is regularly disappearing. Alfa determines to solve the mystery, but stay within the system that keeps African-Americans perpetually in fear and victims of anyone who wants to get them in trouble.