As the author of engaging nonfiction and historical fiction for young people, Andrea Davis Pinkney (Sit-In) seems like a natural choice to pen a Dear America novel, and this stands out as one of the finest in the series.
With the Might of Angels takes readers to the heart of the battle over school integration in the fictional town of Hadley, Va. (inspired by the integration of a school on the Fort Myer military base). Seventh-grader Dawnie's diary entries begin May 18, 1954, the day after Brown v. Board of Education made public school segregation illegal, and cover the events of one year. Dawnie is determined to become a doctor, though she has "never seen a colored doctor." She calls her plan "Dawnie Rae Johnson's Intention." When she is chosen, as one of the three brightest students at her school, to attend the town's previously all-white school, Dawnie is thrilled that she'll have access to a science lab. She ends up integrating the school alone, however, when the parents of the other two students chosen are too stubborn or afraid to send their children. In the face of discrimination from her classmates and teachers, Dawnie Rae Johnson's Intention grows ever stronger, and her courage is inspiring and convincing.
Historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. make cameo appearances, and Dawnie composes letters to her idol, Brooklyn Dodgers star Jackie Robinson. Excellent historical and author notes provide further insight, as does an epilogue and period photographs. This is historical fiction for young readers at its best, with a brave and unforgettable narrator at its center. --Molly McLeod, middle school librarian