Soon Gabriel learns why it's so dangerous for Meriwether to talk about his heroism in front of white people, and Gabriel's eyes are finally opened to the hard truth about Birdsong-and his understanding of what it means to be a hero will never be the same. After the accident, Gabriel and Meriwether become friends when they both start working at Gabriel's dad's auto shop, and Meriwether lets a secret slip: He served in the army's all-black 761st Tank Battalion in World War II. Meriwether Hunter hadn't been around to push him out of harm's way.
It all starts when he comes face-to-face with one of the worst drivers in town while riding his new bicycle-an accident that would have been tragic if Mr. But on his twelfth birthday, his point of view begins to change. Meriwether Hunter, an African-American mechanic who is looking for work, saves him. On the day that Gabriel, who is white, receives a new bicycle for his 12th birthday, he runs a red light and is nearly struck by a car. For Gabriel Haberlin, life seems pretty close to perfect in the small southern town of Birdsong, USA. Woods (Zoe in Wonderland) contemplates American history in this sobering novel set in Birdsong, S.C., during the summer of 1946. The South being the way it is, there's no guarantee that the police will help - and Gabriel doesn't know what will happen if Meriwether feels forced to take the law into his own hands.The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South. Sadly, danger finds Meriwether, anyway, when his family receives a frightening threat. Meriwether is proud of his service, but has to keep it a secret because talking about it could be dangerous. Gabriel and Meriwether become friends, and Gabriel learns that Meriwether drove a tank in the Army's all-Black 761st Tank Battalion in WWII. Gabriel's dad hires him with some hesitation, however, anticipating trouble with the other mechanic, who makes no secret of his racist opinions. As a thank you, Gabriel gets him a job at his dad's auto shop. Fortunately, a Black man named Meriwether pushes him out of the way just in time, and fixes his damaged bike. This middle-grade novel takes place in the aftermath of World War II in Birdsong, near Charleston, South Carolina, and explores racial conflicts and the disparity in the reception white veterans and black veterans receive, all told through the lens of twelve-year-old Gabriel, a white boy who befriends a black veteran, Meriwether Hunter.
On Gabriel's 12th birthday, he gets a new bike - and is so excited that he accidentally rides it right into the path of a car. The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South.
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