Crossing Jordan

By Adrian Fogelin, Suzy Schultz (Illustrator)

Two girls defy family prejudice to forge a forbidden friendship through a fence.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 454 ratings

140 pages

$7.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Cassie faces a lonely summer until Jemmie moves in next door. Despite a fence built by their prejudiced families, the girls connect through a small hole, sharing interests and dreams. As their friendship grows, parental disapproval threatens to tear them apart. Can a crisis and a celebration bridge the divide and challenge the biases that separate them?

From the publisher

Twelve-year-old Cassie’s life is changed when Jemmie, a Black girl, and her family move in next door. Can she and Jemmie overcome family prejudice and cultural differences in a small, working-class town? Cass is dreading a long, lonely summer until Jemmie and her family move in next door. The only problem: their families don’t want them socializing with each other and they have deeply help prejudices, exemplified by the fence Cassie’s father builds between their two houses. Despite their parents’ warnings, Cassie and Jemmie start communicating through a hole in the fence and find they share more similarities than differences. Mutual interests in reading and running draw them together, and their wariness of each other disappears. But when their parents find out about the burgeoning friendship, each girl is forbidden to see the other. A family crisis and celebration provide opportunities for the families to reach an understanding. With unforgettable characters, author Adrian Fogelin addresses the complex issues of bigotry and tolerance with sensitivity and intelligence, poignantly reminding readers of fences that too often separate us from one another.

At a glance