LOST GOAT LANE

Previously presented as the film The Sweetest Gift, this tender story features a family abandoned by its father and on the brink of losing its tiny farm. When their goat wanders over to the African-American Wilsons’ house, 13-year-old Kate begins to wonder about the roots of prejudice. As she decides if she and her brothers should interact with the elderly Wilsons, she overhears their daughter, Ruby, call them “white trash.” When Kate needs help making do with her old, too-tight clothes and boosting her self-esteem, and Ruby needs assistance with her budding candy business in a small town still known for its racial discrimination, the two form an unlikely bond as business partners and friends. Jordan complements Kate’s genuineness with an interesting locale, filled with threatening alligators and wily farm animals, intergenerational friendship, and a meaningful lesson in tolerance. A treat for middle readers. (Fiction. 9-13)