Betsy Brown

Betsy Brown was a great young adult novel. I really enjoyed the spin it took on the integration of education in America. I have never read anything taking an adolescents perspective on the situation. It definitely kept my interest. I felt bad for Betsy when her friends’ parents wouldn’t let her play in the house, and when they called her vulgar names. I can not imagine what that must feel like, especially from adults. The fear I felt when reading the night before school part, was overwhelming. The things she thought would happen to her and her family members were horrible to think of. Then she faced her fears and eventually made friends in her school. Yet her cousin did not have the same welcoming in his school. In my opinion, young children can be accepting of differences while older children have a harder time excepting change. Her poor cousin was jumped and beaten very badly for now reason other then that he was African American. At least in this situation, the children had family and friends to turn too. The adults in the Brown family were very supportive and helped them stay strong. Not every child had those luxuries. Reading about the integration of education from this perspective was very interesting, I truly felt for every child in the Brown family.

From The Inside Looking Out

Kerstin is a young girl around age 13, who lives with her mother in an upper-class neighborhood. Her parents have been divorced for the last three years and she hasn’t spoken to her father since he left. It was the first day of school and she was very nervous. When she approached the bus stop, there was a very attractive young man sitting there in a varsity jersey. She knew immediately he was too old to be interested in her. When the bus came he walked right up to her seat and said “Hey I’m Kyle, may I sit down?” From that moment on they were inseparable, and fell completely in love.
Kyle was a captain of the varsity football and wrestling team, he was a straight A student and three years older than Kerstin. She couldn’t believe he was head over heels for her. She was also a straight A student, cheerleader and extremely active in her school and community. His family was immediately crazy about her and once her family saw past the age difference, they loved him. They lived their own personal fairytale for two years.
Kerstin began to feel like she lost herself, like she had only become what Kyle wanted her too. She lost her roots, who she truly was. Kerstin was raised on a farm a country girl, who rode horses and loved to go mudding. Now she was a preppy cheerleader partying all the time. Kerstin had a hard time telling anyone how she felt, she felt guilty for feeling the way she did. Everyone she knew would kill for her life, yet she wasn’t happy.
Kyle was now a senior and about to go away to college. Kerstin saw this as the perfect opportunity to talk to Kyle about how she was feeling. This was her chance to be herself, be happy and go back to her roots. Matt was hurt at first and tried to convince her to stay with him but eventually moved on. So did Kerstin and now lives with the next boys he dated, Ken. They are both happier and still best friends to this day…