The Laura Line by Crystal Allen (review)

Seventh-grader Laura Dyson is ashamed of the fact that the slave shack her ancestors inhabited still stands on her grandmother's property. When Laura's teacher schedules a field trip for the class to tour the shack and learn its history, Laura is completely mortified, despite admonitions from her mother and grandmother that the shack does not represent her family's shame but instead showcases the successes of a long line of proud African-American women, all named Laura, who made their way in the world; they're especially proud of the first Laura, who willingly sacrificed her freedom to ensure the freedom of four other young Africans aboard the Amistad. The successes of Laura's other namesakes over the years are fairly programmatic (the first Laura's story is apparently entirely fabricated, and there's no note to clarify the real Amistad history), and Laura's responses to them are overplayed as she moves from abject embarrassment to enthusiastic pride; in fact, Laura's responses to all situations, big and small, good and bad, are consistently over the top, which is sometimes funny but sometimes a little relentless. This is a lively approach to an issue that's come up recently in the news, however, and the historical aspect could help readers consider their own family lore that may not have made its way into written accounts. Laura reflects openly on the lessons she's learning throughout her experience about friendship and family legacies, a practice which, if not entirely credible as a seventh-grader's earned wisdom, nevertheless provides careful guidance for young readers and gives them something to reach for in their own development.