The Goatnappers
Page 18
Justin laughed, “No way! The college has some kind of farm out in the country. Little Billy lives out there, and he just gets brought in for the games. I didn’t get to see it, but Booker says it’s beautiful.”
“I bet he misses his mama and sisters, though,” Chip said, reaching through the fence to pet Go-Girl, Honey, and Sugar.
“Probably. But he’s not alone,” Justin pointed out. “He’s got the other animals out on the farm, and when he comes to town, there’s Booker and a bunch of cheerleaders to keep him company. Plus the entire baseball team.”
Justin leaned against the fence, idly tossing a ball into the air. “Any time you’re on a team, after a while it gets to be like a family, too.”
ALSO BY ROSA JORDAN
LOST GOAT LANE
FOR THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD KATE, being poor in a small rural Florida town means feeling ashamed and isolated. At school, her classmates laugh at her old clothes and worn shoes. Things are not much better at home. Kate’s mother is working long hours at a dairy farm to keep food on the table. Kate has to keep an eye on her brothers—Justin is old enough to talk about running away, and Chip is young enough to keep wandering off.
But one day, the family’s goat gets loose and wanders down the road. That’s when Kate meets the Wilsons, a tight-knit, middle-class African-American family. Kate is particularly drawn to Ruby, the glamorous grown daughter who has returned home from New York City. As Kate begins to spend time with Ruby in town she becomes aware of the undercurrent of discrimination and prejudice that runs through her community, and the complex roles of race and class in her own relationships.
Rosa Jordan offers readers a gripping, empathetic tale of how two families come together despite small town prejudices and cultural differences. In doing so, she provides a window into the larger problems in America, where class and race often divide people.
PRAISE FOR LOST GOAT LANE
“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.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A tender, satisfying offering.”
—School Library Journal
“Jordan packs a lot of moral complications and wisdom into a well-crafted and often suspenseful story … Her characterizations are multilayered and believable.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
2005 Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List
2006-2007 William Allen White Children’s Book Award Master List (KS) nominee
2005 Silver Birch Award (Canada) finalist
2005 Red Maple Award (Canada) shortlist
2006-07 Chocolate Lily Award (Canada) nominee
ROSA JORDAN holds degrees from Santa Monica Junior College, UCLA, and the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. She is the author of the novel LOST GOAT LANE, as well as CYCLING CUBA and DANGEROUS PLACES: TRAVELS ON THE EDGE. Jordan is the director of the social justice program for Earthways Foundation. She lives in British Columbia, Canada.