Module 3 – Goin Someplace Special by: Patricia C. McKissack

PLOT:  The story begins with a young girl named Trisha Ann who has determination to go off on an adventure to go someplace special.  Trisha Ann is motivated by Mama Francis to always keep her head up as she makes her way through the city to get to her someplace special.  As she sets off she encounters racism and segregation.  She must sit at the rear of the bus, she is unable to sit at the park bench and she is not allowed into certain places.  All these rules are subject to the Jim Crow Laws that exist during that time period.  She becomes sad and has to decide whether to continue with her adventure or to turn back.  Once again she is motivated by the reminder of her grandmothers words “keep your head up”.  In the end she continues her voyage and makes her way to the Public Library where no Jim Crow Laws exist. 

McKissack, P. (2001). Going someplace special. New York: Athenum Books for Young Readers.

IMPRESSION OF THE BOOK:  This is a very powerful book that can be used to teach segregation and racism to students.  I was a Social Studies teacher and I for one love this book because it describes the obstacles and harsh time in history that African Americans had to endure. The power of this book shows how Trisha Ann overcomes the unnecessary treatment towards colored people.   My favorite part of this book is when she reaches the Mission Church ruins and she meets Blooming Mary, an elderly woman who took care of the garden.  She converses with this woman and tells her that she cannot continue on with her voyage to her special place.  Blooming Mary tells her to listen closely and she will hear her grandmothers voice.  Trisha Ann begins to have faith and hears the special words of her grandmother and decides to continue her voyage.  The words that the grandmother says are so powerful that I wish more people would live by them.  “You are somebody, a human being- no better, no worse than anybody else in this world.”

REVIEWS:  Kirkus Reviews (2001)

In a story that will endear itself to children's librarians and, for that matter, all library lovers, 'Tricia Ann begs her grandmother to be allowed to go alone to Someplace Special. Mama Frances acquiesces, sending her off with instructions: " 'And no matter what, hold yo' head up and act like you b'long to somebody.' " 'Tricia Ann's special place is not revealed until the end, but on the way there, the humiliating racism she encounters on the city bus, in the park, and in a downtown hotel almost causes her to give up. " 'Getting to Someplace Special isn't worth it,' she sobbed." When she recalls her grandmother's words: " 'You are somebody, a human being-no better, no worse than anybody else in this world,' " she regains the determination to continue her journey, in spite of blatant segregation and harsh Jim Crow laws. " Public Library: All Are Welcome" reads the sign above the front door of Someplace Special; Mama Frances calls it "a doorway to freedom." Every plot element contributes to the theme, leaving McKissack's autobiographical work open to charges of didacticism. But no one can argue with its main themes: segregation is bad, learning and libraries are good. Pinkney's trademark watercolors teem with realistically drawn people, lush city scenes, and a spunky main character whose turquoise dress, enlivened with yellow flowers and trim, jumps out of every picture. A lengthy author's endnote fills in the background for adults on McKissack's childhood experiences with the Nashville Public Library. This library quietly integrated all of its facilities in the late 1950s, and provided her with the story's inspiration. A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questions and discussion that are sure to follow. "(Picture book. 5-9)"

Kirkus Review. (2001). [Review of the book Goin someplace special, by Patricia C. McKissack]. Kirkus Reviews Issue. Retrieved June 22, 2013, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patricia-c-mckissack/goin-someplace-special/.

USE IN THE LIBRARY:  After a read-aloud have the student’s think of their “someplace special” and then draw a detailed picture along with 5-7 sentences describing what their place is, where their place is, and how they found their place.