The Liberation of Gabriel King

Starred review from June 27, 2005
Gabe King, Going's (Fat Kid Rules the World
) sympathetic narrator, has a list of fears longer than he is tall (No. 29 is that he'll never get any taller). All manner of bugs make him antsy but his biggest worries, justifiably, are two sixth-grade bullies. He's so intent on keeping his distance he's willing to stay in fourth grade rather than move up to fifth, where he'll once again have to share a cafeteria and playground with bullies Duke and Frankie. Gabe's best friend, Frita, the only black kid in his class, has other ideas: she plans to spend the summer of 1976 "liberating" Gabe from the things that scare him (she gives him a spider for a pet and makes him try the rope swing over the catfish pond). In solidarity, Frita makes her own "fear list"; chillingly, the Ku Klux Klan takes the top spot, and, poignantly, the list includes "not having Gabe with me in the fifth grade." Full of humanity and humor, this well-paced novel offers a dollop of history with its setting in rural Georgia at the moment local boy Jimmy Carter's presidential bid is gaining momentum. The villains' credibility makes them scary, and both Gabe and Frita's refreshingly functional families are exquisitely drawn, especially Terrance, Frita's menacing older brother (No. 6 on Gabe's list). Although Gabe gets the title role, wise, brave Frita is clearly the star. Ages 10-up.

October 10, 2005
Using shades of a southern drawl, Keefe effortlessly slips into the character of Gabriel King, a boy who's fearful of just about everything, especially fifth grade (and the older bullies who await him)—exactly where he's headed after the summer of 1976. Luckily, Gabe's spunky best friend, Frita Wilson, understands his situation and is determined to use the school break to help Gabe overcome his fears. But even though she doesn't seem a whit fearful, Frita, who's black, has big concerns of her own, including facing the prejudice against her in a town where the Ku Klux Klan is alive and well. Keefe captures the brisk pace of Going's story, and all the right notes of genuine childlike emotion, whether it's apprehension, disillusionment or the warmth of friendship. Issues of racism, tolerance, courage and what it really means to be a friend are skillfully woven into the tale, as is some historic background (such as mention of then-Governor Jimmy Carter). Ages 10-up.