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Goin' Someplace Special

(2008, Fiction - Picture Book, Written by Patricia McKissack, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 6.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    Gentle story about facing prejudice with pride and strength.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 6 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Grandmother teaches her granddaughter that she is "somebody" no matter how unfairly other people treat her. Another older woman helps her in the garden when she is feeling overwhelmed by discrimination. When she reads signs that tell her to sit in back, or not to sit at all, older people tell her that those signs can tell her where to sit but not what to think.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Goin' Someplace Special

Parents need to know that this book speaks clearly to kids about the pride of growing up, the fear and sadness of facing prejudice, and the comfort of finding safe, special places in this world, like libraries.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how proud the girl feels as she goes off on her own for the first time. What makes her feel that she is ready? What lessons has she already learned? What does she do to prepare? Where do you think she is going? Then, they could discuss the experiences she has along the way, and how they made her feel. Why did she have to go to the back of the bus? Why couldn't she sit on the park bench? How did she feel when she got to the library? Why did she call it "someplace special"? Where do you go when you want to feel safe?
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