Morning in a Different Place - A Book Review

Morning in a Different Place by Mary Ann McGuiganFebruary 2009 • Front Street Books/an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc. • Young adult fiction

I recently reviewed this book after it was posted on The Picnic Basket (and I am not receiving any compensation for this review). I would definitely give this book a rating of 5 (Strongly Recommend – This book is so delectable that it calls for a picnic just to read it. I might even skip dessert to read it or enjoy the book and the strawberry shortcake. Definitely part of the gourmet, decadent picnic basket).

This book takes place during the 1960s and focuses on two friends of different races. Each girl has her own problems and their friendship gives them strength to face their problems and make their friendship even stronger. Since I grew up during these times as the only Chinese girl in my school, this book really hit home. Yet, I think the feelings in this book of friendship, racism, abuse, dysfunctional families, tolerance, and acceptance knows no time boundaries. I think middle school and high school students will be able to relate to the events that take place in this book and will encourage open discussion about these topics. This would be a great book to anchor a unit around and have students complete projects about the main topics from the book. This could be used use in teaching subjects such as reading, writing, history, social skills, and character education.