Red and Me

It's a hot and slow summer in Turtle Dove Junction, and as usual 10-year-old Marlene is spending it helping her parents with chores and playing with her younger brother Silas. When she visits the local grocery store to sell eggs, she catches sight of a stray coon dog and is determined to befriend him. She soon learns that a mean, old neighbor has been heckling the dog, and a dear friend. Marlene wrangles the stray and navigates clashing opinions in her southern town. Set in rural Tennessee in the 1930's, Red and Me is a heartwarming story of family, friends, and the special bond between human and dog. It also gives readers a glimpse into life in a rural southern town in the 1930's and the realities of racial discrimination. This story for young readers beautifully melds a child's innocence and sense of wonder with a confrontation of the real world.