A review by carolineinthelibrary
Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack

4.0

Goin’ Someplace Special told the story of Tricia Ann, who wants to go Someplace Special by herself for the first time. She experiences racism and bigotry along the way, but remembers comforting words from her grandmother that help get her to Someplace Special.

That Someplace turns out to be

Spoiler

the library. As a future librarian, I was touched that the author noted in her Author’s Note that this was her childhood experience, but as someone studying librarianship, I know this wasn’t universally true of libraries everywhere during Jim Crow segregation. That shouldn’t negate McKissack’s experience, but I’m always a little weary of historical fictions that put libraries on such a high pedestal when our history certainly isn’t squeaky clean.