NEW BOY

Sixteen-year-old Rob Garrett is the first black student in the 87-year history of Draper, a Connecticut boarding school. He imagines himself another Jackie Robinson, breaking a barrier, making history. But history is about to be made at home in Virginia, too, as students plan lunch-counter sit-ins at the local Woolworth’s, and Paul is torn about his role and place. Houston effectively mines the layers of prejudice at Draper and probes the varied responses of the African-American community to the burgeoning civil-rights movement. The volume is stuffed with characters, dramatic scenes and ruminations on race and history, and even Malcolm X and Joe Louis play their parts. Houston would do well to return to them in future novels or short stories. Rob is a character to care for as he finds his way in school, meets a girl and participates in history-making events. (Fiction. YA)