Who knew? Rosa Parks started the Montgomery bus boycott in 1956, right? Well, no, she was preceded by sixteen-year-old Claudette Colvin who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. Claudette had grown up in rural Pine Level, Alabama, and moved to inner-city Montgomery as a young teen. She was nurtured by wise parents and wise teachers who gave her courage to see right from wrong and justice from injustice. Twice Toward Justice carefully outlines the discriminations present at the time through the testimonies of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and other leading residents at the outset of the Civil Rights movement as well as testimony from Claudette herself. Step by step we are led through Claudette’s determination to tackle the injustice, the reactions of her friends and neighbors, and eventually her successful court appearance to win equality and courtesy on the Montgomery busses.

NOTE:
Several events threated the lives and safety of Black citizens of the time. Corrupt police officers and false reports fueled these fears. Rocks were thrown through home windows and Molotov cocktails onto front lawns. In addition, women and girls feared rape from white men, police and citizens. While these are not explicitly described, they are discussed. In addition, as a 16-year-old, Claudette becomes pregnant and is expelled from school. These events seem somewhat appropriate for high school discussion not junior high. In this Newbery Honor book, Hoose tells the story of Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl who took a stand for civil rights just months before Rosa Parks. Photos.