Module 5: Goin' Someplace Special

Summary:
'Tricia Ann really wants to go to "someplace special" by herself and Mama Frances finally allows her to go. She gets on the bus and reads a sign that says "colored section." She is unable to enjoy sitting on a partk bench looking at a fountain because the bench states "For whites only." As she tries to enter a hote she is thrown out my the manager. She almost gives up on going somewhere special until Blooming Mary talks her into completing her trip. Someplace special turns out to be the public library, a place that decided to open its doors to all people even though segregation ruled in the city. Although racism exists, 'Tricia Ann finds the freedom to read in her library - someplace special.

Reference:
McKissack, P.C. (2001). Goin' Someplace Special. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

My impressions of the book:
I've read a lot of stories about segregation, but this one was different. It involved a girl out on her own searching for her own freedom, yet she learns she isn't free while out and about on her journey. In all of the unjustice and hate, the public library opens its doors to her and lets her have all of the freedome in the world she craves just by opening pages of a book. The book has a nice message to send to children. The library is a welcoming place that opens its doors to everyone regardless of race. The watercolor pictures in this book are enjoyable, eye-catching, and soothing to view.

Reviews:
Wilms, D. (2001, August). [Review of Goin' Someplace Special]. The Booklist Starred, Vol. 97, No. 22.
Ages 5-8. Tricia Ann excitedly gets her grandmother's permission to go out by herself to "Someplace Special"--a place far enough away to take the bus and to have to walk a bit. But this isn't just any trip. Tricia's trip takes place in the segregated South of the 1950s. That means Tricia faces sitting at the back of the bus, not being allowed to sit on a whites-only park bench, and being escorted out of a hotel lobby. She almost gives up, but a local woman who some say is "addled,"but whom Tricia Ann knows to be gentle and wise, shows her how to listen to the voice inside herself that allows her to go on. She arrives at her special destination--the public library, whose sign reads "All Are Welcome."Pinkney's watercolor paintings are lush and sprawling as they evoke southern city streets and sidewalks as well as Tricia Ann's inner glow. In an author's note, McKissack lays out the autobiographical roots of the story and what she faced as a child growing up in Nashville. This book carries a strong message of pride and self-confidence as well as a pointed history lesson. It is also a beautiful tribute to the libraries that were ahead of their time.

Use in a library setting:
This book would be perfect to share in February for black history month. It sends such a positive message for students. They'd probably love to guess where her someplace special was. This could lead into a writing activity where students could write about their someplace special and it could be displayed in the library.