Crow

Crow takes place during an overlooked period of the South's history. In 1898, Wilmington, North Carolina was on its way to fulfilling the promise of the Civil War and Reconstruction: the town had elected African American representatives to Congress, and four of its ten aldermen were black. But during that year's election and following it, white supremacist forces joined together to take away Negro rights, culminating in the Wilmington Race Riot, which succeeded in destroying the new black middle class. An author's note provides additional historical detail.

Like his father, Moses values education, but he also enjoys school and learning for their own sake. He loves books and reads Treasure Island aloud to his grandma, who was born a slave and is illiterate. His day-to-day quandaries are relevant to today's reader, such as when he mistakenly steals a bike and then must return it to its rightful owner with an apology. Moses is kind to others and protects his friends. His respect for his family is strong, and he tries to stay true to both his grandma's old-fashioned sensibilities and his father's more modern ideas about education. He never loses hope, even after the tragic Wilmington Race Riot.