POINT OF VIEW

The story is told in first person, entirely from CassieÂ’s perspective.

The author uses gossip and story telling as devices to provide Cassie with information that a nine year old would not usually have. She also does things that a child would do such as following her brother to the forbidden store, making an excuse to get out of the classroom so she can peer in at the windows of her motherÂ’s classroom, and refusing to be left behind in anything that looks like excitement or danger.

On the rare occasions when she cannot be in the middle of things, she is able to get Stacey to tell her almost everything. What he does not tell her, she is clever enough to figure out for herself. She is as reliable as a child can be, and her candid observation of the effects of racial prejudice creates a vivid image for the reader.

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