Review
"Between Us Baxters is an important page-turner. I found myself wondering how a novel with so much heart could be so heart-stoppingly suspenseful!" --Tim Wynne-Jones, author of A Thief in the House of Memory<br /><br />"In Between Us Baxters, Bethany Hegedus has created that most difficult and wonderful thing in literature -- a real family complex -- people who are loving, quarrelsome, generous, impatient, foolish,wise and ultimately courageous. The reader will not only recognize each of the Baxters, but come to root for and even love them." --Norma Fox Mazer, Newbery honor award winner, and author of Ten Ways to Make My Sister Disappear and The Missing Girl<br /><br />Times are hard in 12-year-old Polly's small southern town in 1959, and her white family is struggling to get by, especially after Daddy loses his job. Mama works as caregiver for the Judge's ailing mother and gets a housekeeping job in the same home for her close friend, Henrietta ("Henri"), who is black. Polly's best friend is Henri's niece, Timbre Ann, but the girls have to keep their relationship secret as racial tension builds, black stores are torched, and even the Sheriff condones local violence. Is Polly's dad part of the group that is setting fires? The cast is huge in this first novel; just about everyone in town plays a role, and it is hard to keep all their relationships straight. But Polly's first-person narrative shows the heartbreaking family and friendship drama, making personal the n-word insults, the struggle and the fury of poor whites, and the shocking persecution of blacks. The good guys are not idealized. Polly's quarrels with Timbre Ann run deep, and healing the hurt takes more than just saying sorry. --Booklist
"...The tension between the races, between the family members and ultimately between two friends is palpable and builds to a suspenseful crescendo....The depiction of the historical times is realistic and gut wrenching....Readers will be drawn into the many characters in this story of friendship under challenging circumstances. Recommend it to readers looking for historical fiction, discussions of racial discrimination, family, and friendship." --Voice of Youth Advocates
Times are hard in 12-year-old Polly's small southern town in 1959, and her white family is struggling to get by, especially after Daddy loses his job. Mama works as caregiver for the Judge's ailing mother and gets a housekeeping job in the same home for her close friend, Henrietta ("Henri"), who is black. Polly's best friend is Henri's niece, Timbre Ann, but the girls have to keep their relationship secret as racial tension builds, black stores are torched, and even the Sheriff condones local violence. Is Polly's dad part of the group that is setting fires? The cast is huge in this first novel; just about everyone in town plays a role, and it is hard to keep all their relationships straight. But Polly's first-person narrative shows the heartbreaking family and friendship drama, making personal the n-word insults, the struggle and the fury of poor whites, and the shocking persecution of blacks. The good guys are not idealized. Polly's quarrels with Timbre Ann run deep, and healing the hurt takes more than just saying sorry. --Booklist
From the Inside Flap
It's hard to be a "Black Sheep Baxter," at least for 12-year-old Polly. From a poor white family, Polly's best friend, Timbre Ann Biggs, is black, making them the only "salt-and-pepper" friends in town. Her mom keeps secrets, her dad turns to the "devil's drink," and her rich, mean Meemaw makes Sunday dinners a chore. But in that fall of 1959, life in quiet Holcolm County starts to heat up. One by one, thriving colored businesses burn to the ground. When a tragic fire brings everything to a head, the spotlight falls on Polly's family and Polly fears her friendship with Timbre Ann will never be the same. Sensitively painting a vivid portrait of the Jim Crow South, Polly's story captures the defiant spirit of youth in an oppressive small town as the seeds of the Civil Rights Movement begin to sprout.
About the Author
Bethany Hegedus graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Augusta State University, with a major in English and a minor in education. In addition to performing in community and professional productions in the Augusta area, Bethany taught high school English and theatre. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College. Between Us Baxters is her first young adult novel.
