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Glory Be

by Augusta Scattergood (Goodreads Author)

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 889 ratings · 207 reviews

A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool.

As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then

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Hardcover, 208 pages

Published January 1st 2012 by Scholastic Press

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Lists with This Book

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

Newbery 2013

31st out of 137 books — 676 voters

2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

278th out of 795 books — 4,504 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jan 29, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-novel, children, historical-fiction, realistic-fiction

It's the summer of Glory's 12th birthday and all she can think about is celebrating with her friends and her older sister at the community pool. Everything changes when the town council unexpectedly closes the pool for repairs. Glory can't understand why repairs are needed when nothing is broken. Though the adults in her life are reluctant to explain the real reason for the closure, slowly Glory realizes that the pool is actually closed because the council would prefer to close the pool for good...more

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May 16, 2012 Barb Keister rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Read this one following another great read set in the 1960s - Dead End in Norvelt. Great read aloud for 3rd - 4th grade showing the perspective of a child during the civil rights movement. Great attention to specific details that reflect the 60s - transistor radios, Nancy Drew books, and my favorite, double-dog dare you. Also, loved the message about writing to create change - no matter what your age, you can use your voice to express your opinion and encourage others to do the right thing. Grea...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hmmm, how to begin?

First off, from the reviews I have read here I have found that a lot of people didn't like it for whatever reason. Why? Well ask them. But I honestly think its because people forget what this book is supposed to be. They have made it into something it isn't. They have simply forgotten that this book was made for middle schoolers and elementary school kids. It isn't for political adults. Or adults at all, really. I'm not saying it is bad for an adult to read it, I'm just tryin...more Hmmm, how to begin?

First off, from the reviews I have read here I have found that a lot of people didn't like it for whatever reason. Why? Well ask them. But I honestly think its because people forget what this book is supposed to be. They have made it into something it isn't. They have simply forgotten that this book was made for middle schoolers and elementary school kids. It isn't for political adults. Or adults at all, really. I'm not saying it is bad for an adult to read it, I'm just trying to say that it is important to remember who this book is meant to be for.

Moving on, I'm going to start with the good. There really is a lot I liked about this cute pre-teen book.

- the characters were well developed and enduring. I thought glory, the main character was sweet.

-the setting was vivid and authentic. I think the author really covered the time frame.

-the first person narration was a good touch. You could understand glory better that way.

- the racist time period was very compelling. At first, glory wasn't sure about it the problem and would believe what anyone told her. At the end however, I think everyone understands it is a big issue and that people needed to be treated equally. By the end of the book it still hasn't been resolved but I left knowing that they would defiantly do something about it.

Now for the bad,

-I read things saying glory was selfish, and the truth? Well, yes she was. However by the end of the book i think she was learning to put others first. Plus, she is supposed to be just eleven. I think that is yet another lesson kids can learn from this story.

-now, this is something I want to settle. I saw things saying the book was to simple? And Yes the book is a very easy read, but again you have to remember the book was made for elementary school kids. Not adults looking for fault in the book.

-the ending was the only real thing I had trouble with. I like happy endings ( for the most part:) and this book was a happy ending. Sort of. And by that I mean, everything ended on a good note but not everything was resolved. Like glory and her 'ex-best friend' never exactly made there friendship great again. Instead Freddy ( her friend) left her a note saying to meet him. So no, you never see them becoming best friends again. Also the racist issue never exactly ends. But it ends on a good note, with them going to do something about it. Even though I wish in the long run the author would have done more with the ending, it makes you think and assume that good things are in the near future.

This is my opinion. Thank you for reading!!
Mary K. (less)

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Feb 21, 2013 Alex Baugh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: randomly-reading

I read Glory Be last summer during a very hazy, hot, and humid stretch of weather we were having.* It was the perfect book for the season - it, too, is loaded with heat and humidity, but not all of it is weather related.

Set in a place called Hanging Moss, Mississippi, Glory Be is a work of historical fiction set in 1964, a volatile time and place at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and much of it is drawn from the author's own recollections and experiences. It was during the summer of 19...more I read Glory Be last summer during a very hazy, hot, and humid stretch of weather we were having.* It was the perfect book for the season - it, too, is loaded with heat and humidity, but not all of it is weather related.

Set in a place called Hanging Moss, Mississippi, Glory Be is a work of historical fiction set in 1964, a volatile time and place at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and much of it is drawn from the author's own recollections and experiences. It was during the summer of 1964, called the Freedom Summer, that the Civil Rights Act was signed into law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin. It is also the summer when mostly white volunteers went to Mississippi to register black voters.

For Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory, the summer of 1964 means a 12th birthday celebrated at her beloved Community Pool on July 4th. But before the summer even gets going, things begin to change. First, big sister Jesslyn, her best friend, in more interested in a boy now than in doing things with Glory. And then Frankie, Glory's other best friend, tells her the pool is going to be closing for repairs, even though there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Even Frankie is changing, but not in a very nice way.

No sooner said than done - the pool does indeed close before Glory's birthday party. According to the new Civil Rights Law, the pool should now be integrated. So rather than allowing blacks to swim in it, the town council closed it down under the guise of repair work. But as summer goes on, no repairs are done. And much to Glory's chagrin, it looks like the worst is coming out in Frankie and he may be following in his racist father's footsteps.

For something to do, Glory heads to the library, another favorite place. There, librarian and friend Miss Bloom introduces her to Laura Lampert, in Hanging Moss with her mother, a nurse running a Freedom Clinic and a Civil Rights worker. Glory had never given much thought to things like segregation, she had always just accepted things as they were: thing such as different water fountains, different lunch counters, and ever different pools for blacks and whites. But the closing of the white pool on the hottest day of the year, just days before her big party, and her friendship with Laura and Miss Bloom begins to bring the unfairness of separate and definitely not equal into her consciousness and action for Glory. And along the way, she finds that there are all kinds of bumps in the roads and unexpected friends to help.

I really liked this well-researched, well-written novel. The writing is lively and energetic, the characters are realistic and the story has real depth. It is also one of my favorite kind of middle grade novels - the kind where the reader experiences the slow process of the main characters growth as a person, where there is no Eureka moment, but rather the steady unfolding of understanding, that coming-of -age process where they puzzle thing out for themselves and finally figure out. For Glory, that process starts at the closed sign on the Community Pool and ends in the library.

In addition, Scattergood has done a wonderful job of portraying the time period she is writing about. References to ducktail hair cuts, Elvis Presley, charm bracelets, Rock and Roll music and the Beatles are just some of the things that were so popular in the summer of '64 and add realistic flavor to this novel.

I have seen Glory Be and its heroine Glory, frequently compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, and its heroine Scout, but I think it should be only to the extent that they are such well written examples of historical fiction with truly wonderful characters. To go beyond that is to rob each book and character of their own charming individuality.

There is a helpful Glory Be discussion guide available from Scholastic's Mother/Daughter Book Club

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from Webster Branch of the NYPL

*FYI - I reread Glory Be during a recent cold snap in NY and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.
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Feb 13, 2013 Warnie B. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Warnie B. by: Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2013

Shelves: historical-fiction, plano-public-libraries, juvenile, texas-bluebonnet-books, read-in-2013

For the most part, I found the story pretty compelling, and for the most part I liked the characters; at the same time, however, I thought this somewhat simplistic and, at times, kind of unbelievable. For instance, main character Glory goes straight from being super mad about the local pool being closed, mainly because her birthday is coming up and she wants to have her party there like she always does (me, me, me!) to writing this impressive letter to the editor of the newspaper about how terri...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Amy Sherman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-lit-reviewed

What is there to like?
▪ Well-written prose, with a Southern lilt to the (first-person) narration and dialogue.
▪ Although it is written from a white perspective, I don't think it's a White People Solve Racism story. Racism certainly isn't solved by the end of the book, and the "good" white people aren't magically accepted into the black community. Rather, Glory gets only glimpses of the work that the African-American community is doing for themselves through stories from Emma, the cook.
▪ Glory's...more What is there to like?
▪ Well-written prose, with a Southern lilt to the (first-person) narration and dialogue.
▪ Although it is written from a white perspective, I don't think it's a White People Solve Racism story. Racism certainly isn't solved by the end of the book, and the "good" white people aren't magically accepted into the black community. Rather, Glory gets only glimpses of the work that the African-American community is doing for themselves through stories from Emma, the cook.
▪ Glory's preoccupation with the pool being closed for the summer and having her birthday ignored is an honest portrayal of how kids start to learn about and process big problems—that is, when those problems start to infiltrate their own familiar world. This is important, because understanding comes through empathy, and young readers will easily relate to problems they might already understand—Glory's being upset about the pool and her birthday party—and, like Glory, come to understand the bigger, more important problems surrounding it.
▪ The relationships between Glory and her older sister (a teenager starting to grow up and pull away from her little sister) as well as her own best friend (a boy being bullied by his father and older brother in ways Glory doesn't quite understand) are sensitively drawn, and show how people grow and sometimes are torn by different loyalties.

What's not to like?
▪ Although it's not a White People Solve Racism story, it is written from a white perspective, and we do have plenty of cultural texts that portray (even celebrate) the Civil Rights movement through whites' involvement. This book could be a good introduction to the Civil Rights movement for young readers to pick up on their own, then, but it should certainly be followed up with a book that focuses on the African-American experience if they want to learn more.
▪ It does feel a little preachy sometimes, with Lessons too spelled out. For example:

"You know what Jesslyn? When this summer started, I worried that the worst thing would be the pool closing before my birthday and me not having a party. Being twelve is turning out okay after all."

and

"I figured out what's got people...so riled up. It's not just the new people in town. It's things changing so fast that's scaring them. When people get scared, they make up lies...And they act mean."

What made me pick it up?
Saw it on the library shelf and remembered that it was on my to-read list, and I want to read more historical/realistic kids' fiction.

Overall Recommendation: Recommended(less)

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Dec 29, 2012 MacK rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: am-lit, chapter-and-verse, childrensbooks

Set during the rebellious-sixties in the south, Glory Be sets us up to expect a civil rights conflict that changes a young girl's life. Instead what we find is a simplistic coming of age story that tries to be To Kill A Mockingbird without any of the artistic talent, or emotional resonance of Harper Lee's classic. The childish innocence and anxiety of Scout Finch is there, but where Scout's nascent understanding of complex human motivations created a plausible and relatable narrator, Glory Hemph...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars

CLN - Newbery possibility #4

MY VOTE: #1 "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
#2 "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
#3 "The Mighty Miss Malone" by Christopher Paul Curtis
#4 "Glory Be" by Augusta Scattergood

"Glory Be" by Augusta Scattergood (isn't that a great name?) is set in the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement. As the book fits the Historical Fiction genre, I appreciated the historical details Scattergood used in the novel to create an acc...more CLN - Newbery possibility #4

MY VOTE: #1 "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
#2 "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
#3 "The Mighty Miss Malone" by Christopher Paul Curtis
#4 "Glory Be" by Augusta Scattergood

"Glory Be" by Augusta Scattergood (isn't that a great name?) is set in the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement. As the book fits the Historical Fiction genre, I appreciated the historical details Scattergood used in the novel to create an accurate portrayal of this time and place. The novel is told from the perspective of eleven year old Glory Hemphill. It is tradition that she celebrate her July 4th birthday at the local pool. However, when Freedom Workers arrive in Hanging Moss, the pool is closed rather than allowing blacks to swim in it. This event begins Glory's awareness of the divide between blacks and whites and the injustices around her. The irony here is that the only black person in the entire book is the Hemphill's maid, Emma.

For the most part, I felt the characters were stereotypes. Again, ironic, as the book's message is equality. The major reason that I am giving this book three of five stars is that the first person protagonist, Glory, is not likable at all. She's a spoiled brat. Much of the conflict in the story comes from her inability to filter her thoughts and shut her mouth. And then there are no consequences for her actions. For instance, when she tells Frankie about her sister Jesslyn's boyfriend and his past, she sets off a whole series of events which lead to his having to leave town. And Glory suffers no consequences, not even from her sister who is heartbroken. And, since she comes from a good Christian home with a father as a minister, one would think that all of her lying would at least be addressed. Most of the characters are stock good guys (the maid Emma and the Atticus Finch wannabee, Reverend Hemphill) and bad guys (the bullying football player, J.T. - who also suffers no consequences for his actions). We really don't get to know who they are and their intricacies. Therefore, it is difficult to invest in them.

The intended messages in "Glory Be" are worthy but not fully or realistically explored - Civil Rights, equality, the bond between sisters, friendship, family abuse, using writing as a tool of change, etc. are all important thematic ideas but needed more attention in this novel. For example, when Glory writes the letter to the editor, we have very little to go on that would prompt us to believe that she has made these big shifts in her thinking. And, these are not the words of an eleven year old. While several mentions are made of the bruises all over Frankie's arms, put there by his bullying and abusive brother, J.T., this issue is never fully explored or resolved.

I had high hopes for this book but was ultimately disappointed. There are better middle school reads out there this year.(less)

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Aug 26, 2012 Chris Murray rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, realistic-fiction, ethnic

Summary:
In the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, MS Gloriana June Hemphill (Glory) is about to turn twelve, but this will not be her usual Fourth of July birthday party at the public pool, because rumor is, the pool will closed soon for “repairs.” The pool looks fine to Gloriana, but she gradually comes to understand that this is just an excuse to keep the “colored” population of the town from using it. This is the summer of change for Hanging Moss, MS. Yankee freedom people have infiltrated the t...more Summary:
In the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, MS Gloriana June Hemphill (Glory) is about to turn twelve, but this will not be her usual Fourth of July birthday party at the public pool, because rumor is, the pool will closed soon for “repairs.” The pool looks fine to Gloriana, but she gradually comes to understand that this is just an excuse to keep the “colored” population of the town from using it. This is the summer of change for Hanging Moss, MS. Yankee freedom people have infiltrated the town, setting up free clinics and insisting that the white’s only pool be desegregated. Much of the novel focuses on Glory’s growing understanding of the injustices of segregation, injustices that she, a white Southerner, didn’t see at the start of the novel but that, by the latter part of the story, have her writing a letter to the editor of the local paper blasting the city council members behind the racism-based closing of the pool. Glory also mourns the attention and friendship of her big sister Jesselyn who is now more interested in hanging around the new boy in town, Robbie, another Yankee, than Glory. He’s visiting his aunt because he dared eat next to a colored friend at a North Carolina lunch counter. Other characters include Glory's old friend, Frank, whose family is clearly racist; her colored maid, Emma, who is the housekeeper to these motherless girls, and her preacher father, who wants to do the moral thing.
My Comments:
I really did not care for this book at all. Glory is one of those spunky, opinionated girls that goes around questioning and preaching to adults. Many of the characters are stereotyped, both the good and the bad. (Good librarian, bad town council people, etc.) Even though this book is about racial prejudice Glory does not know any black people in the town except Emma, and there are no other black characters in the book besides Emma. Very preach and contrived. The whole part about the pool closing, then opening, then closing, then opening became boring. There is a part in the book where Bobby Kennedy comes to town and speaks at Emma’s church, but it takes place “off camera” and nothing much is made of this.
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Aug 27, 2012 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: america, coming-of-age, family, fiction, friendship, historical-fiction, racism, realistic-fiction, sibling-relationships, ssyra

The summer of 1964 changes everything for Glory. She had a simple, happy life in Hanging Moss, Mississippi. She and her sister would share stories late into the night. She have a loving father who was also a preacher. She would have a party at the community pool every year on her birthday. She would roam about town with her best friend Frankie. But in 1964, her sister became more interested in boys than in her. The community pool closed because people in the town were afraid it would be forced t...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Twelve-year-old Glory eagerly anticipates the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi: reading at the library, swimming at the community pool with her best friend Frankie, playing cards with her sister, and celebrating her birthday on July 4. When rumors begin swirling about unwanted visitors and the closing of the community pool for suspiciously unnecessary repairs, Glory learns a life lesson on acceptance and hate.

Initially, I was hesitant to read this book, as I anticipated yet another s...more

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May 25, 2012 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chapter-books, childrens, historical-fiction, middle-grades

I've read a lot of Civil Rights related fiction recently, so at first I thought this was just same the old, same old. About halfway through I realized what's different: Glory Be DOES tell the same story, but this time it's framed for a middle-upper elementary audience instead of the middle grades. Nice. There aren't too many of those out there (at least that I've come across).

My grandparents had a farm in "Olive Branch, MS" which is about an hour from Memphis; I spent summers there as a little g...more

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May 04, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullies, civil-rights, community, families, ncbla2013, reading

It's the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, and Glory Hemphill has big plans for her twelfth birthday party. For reasons that she doesn't understand, the town pool where she planned to have a party is closed, and Glory is determined to get it opened again. When she realizes that the closure is an attempt to keep the pool from being integrated, she fires off a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, becoming embroiled in the civil rights movement without really understanding the co...more It's the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, and Glory Hemphill has big plans for her twelfth birthday party. For reasons that she doesn't understand, the town pool where she planned to have a party is closed, and Glory is determined to get it opened again. When she realizes that the closure is an attempt to keep the pool from being integrated, she fires off a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, becoming embroiled in the civil rights movement without really understanding the consequences of her actions. Although her instincts are right, they are motivated, as is often the case, by her own desires to have the pool opened so she has a place to escape the summer heat and humidity of Mississippi as well as a place for her party. Layered over this are several other considerations: the growing distance between Glory and her older sister, Jesslyn, who is hanging out with a newcomer who has a secret about his past; her disappointment in her best friend Frankie who seems unable to stand up to his father and older brother, both bullies and racists; and her budding friendship with the daughter of one of the Northern outsiders who has come to town to help. I liked the idea behind this story more than the final product, unfortunately. While Glory and her sister behave exactly the way that girls that age might have behaved during that particular era, there are too many othe characters that pass in and out of the story without much development. For instance, both Robbie and Laura have possibilities, but I felt that I hardly knew them once I reached the story's conclusion. I also didn't really know Glory's minister father. While I was glad when he stood up for his daughter against Mrs. Simpson, there was no hint prior to that response that he backed the civil rights movement and not much mention of the possible consequences of his support. He would certainly have lost some church members, if not the entire church, a likelihood that isn't addressed. The family maid, Emma, also puzzled me in some respects. At first, she seemed uncomfortable with talk about the freedom riders and civil rights, but then at some point, in the book, she seemed to change and become more involved in the movement without any reason given. While there was much to like in this story of the events that occurred during a few short weeks, the ease with which Glory and her librarian friend, Miss Bloom, challenged the status quo is somewhat unbelievable, given the intense narrow-mindedness and hot-headedness that seemed to dictate the actions of those times. Kudos to the author for providing a narrative that reminds readers how deep rooted prejudice could be and how small actions could have far-reaching consequences. (less)

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Mar 14, 2012 Maeleah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-historical-fiction

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Mar 02, 2012 Nicola rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reason for Reading: I enjoy children's historical fiction set during the civil rights movement.

A quiet, coming of age story about the summer a white girl, daughter of a preacher, turns twelve amidst the turmoil of the civil rights movement coming to her small rural Mississippi town. While the main plot issue deals with the problems caused by certain town folks who are adamantly against the new segregation laws being put into practice in their town, the real focus of the story is Glory and her re...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Karen Yingling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Glory is looking forward to enjoying the hot Mississippi summer at the pool and is not happy when the pool is closed down for "repairs", especially since the pool seems to be in good shape. When she meets Laura at the public library, Glory finds out that the pool is closed because civil rights workers from the north are trying to get the town to integrate the pool. Laura's mother is working in a clinic for black citizens who don't have better access to health care. Glory's father is a prominent...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Mari Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mg-ya

This author is from a city near and dear to my heart... St. Petersburg FL. Sadly, I wish I had liked this book better. This is a MG novel set during a time in the south when the integrationists where fighting the segregationists. This seems to be an ever popular theme in MG/YA recently. Just like the last one I read with this same theme, THE LIONS OF LITTLE ROCK, this felt a little preachy. It was heavy on the issue and light on character development and plot. Again I think this is one that teac...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: intermediate-historical-fiction-nov, setting, theme, civil-rights

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about Glory and her older sister Jesslyn set in 1964 Mississippi. Glory is turning 12 on July 4 and is shocked when her community pool is shut down because of "repairs." She soon discovers that people in her town don't want the pool to become integrated. She writes a scathing letter to the editor of the newspaper about how people should be open-minded and let everyone enjoy the pool. Throughout the summer she learns a lot about the choices people make and about tru...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Erik Wittmer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grades

Glory Be written by Augusta Scattergood takes place in 1964 in the state of Mississippi. Glory's an eleven year old girl who is looking forward to her twelfth birthday party, which each year is held on the 4th of July at the community pool. This year is going to be different, as the local council has decided they want to "repair the cracks that are in the pool." Glory doesn't like the fact that the pool isn't going to be open for her birthday. She wants to do something to make her voice be heard...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Mary Louise Sanchez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut-authors

Glory's plans for summer fun in 1964 have gone down the drain now that the Hanging Moss Community Pool is closed by the town leaders and Glory doesn't know the real reason why. She thinks it has something to do with the Northeners who are staying with the Negroes or at least helping them at the new Freedom Clinic. The possiblity that Glory won't be able to celebrate her twelfth birthday at the pool causes her to sit down and write a letter to the editor, but it doesn't get published. There are...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Whitney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: three-oh-seven-books

Glory Be is a wonderfully written book about the summer Gloriana June Hemphill's twelfth birthday, the summer of 1964, down in Mississippi. Civil Rights movements have just began in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, and these movements and their effect on the town are seen through the eyes of Gloriana (Glory, for short). Glory is spunky and a little bit sassy, which keeps the story entertaining and light-hearted, while still dealing with serious issues. The overarching dilemma of the novel is the effec...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Virginia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, children-s-literature

This story, set in Hanging Moss, Mississippi in the summer of 1964 is a historical fiction novel about the way a community deals with the changes caused by desegregation. The main character, Glory Hemphill, is going to turn 12 on her birthday (July 4th), and is excited about doing all the fun things she has done in the past. Glory is in for a surprise and a shock, however, because old traditions are dying quickly in her small town. The civil rights movement is making its way through Hanging Moss...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this because I volunteered to review some books at the school where I work. Here are my thoughts...

I think this novel would be a good literary supplement to a 5th-7th grade Social Studies curriculum, especially during a Civil Rights Unit. If an educator were to provide sufficient background knowledge beforehand, I believe any student could benefit from Scattergood's storytelling. It is rare to find a story, based in the 1960s deep South, which does not sensationalize or dwell upon the atr...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Terrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-historical-fiction

It is the summer of 1964, and eleven year old Gloriana Hemphill is hoping to celebrate her 4th of July birthday, as she always has, at a party at the community swimming pool.But things are changing in Hanging Moss, Mississippi. New people are coming to town, called Freedom Riders, and some of the locals are upset. The swimming pool is closed, for no good reason, as Glory sees it. As the conflict and anger of the citizens increases, Glory and her older sister, Jesslyn, discover the meaning of hum...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Wendy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-award-possibilities

This is a nice book, but it felt too simplistic (rather than being nicely simple, which I would see as a strength). Glory seemed younger than her 11-12 years. Some of my nagging feelings while reading--that the girls knew too much about the civil rights struggle in their community, that both sisters (despite making some mistakes) were sort of Mary Sues--were touched on in the author's note, where she says that the girls in the book knew more than she and her friends did and that they were braver...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Victoria Whipple rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, friends, historical-fiction

Glory is about to turn 12 years old in the summer of 1964, but things are changing. First, there's her older sister who suddenly doesn't want to play with her like they used to. There's her friend Frankie, whose older brother also seems to be getting meaner and meaner--especially since that new guy Robbie Fox came to town. Although it's never mentioned by name, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is what is causing the biggest changes around Glory. Just before her birthday, the town pool is closed inde...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Abby H rated it 5 of 5 stars

Glory Be
Augusta Scattergood
Historicla Fiction
208 pages

A girl named Glory is an adventurous and curious person. She will do anything to help someone or something in this case both. Both Glory and her sister Jeeslyn go on adventure through trying to succeed in their life and others. The setting takes place in history of the time when whites were whites and blacks were blacks and for Glory she is still figuring that out. In life there is times that seem hard and times that seem easy but for Glory...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade

Glory lives in Mississippi in 1964. There are fountains for the white people and fountains for the coloreds. Pools and schools are segregated and the white folks seem to like it that way. When some people decide to close the local pool though, Glory is flown for a loop. What do they think they can close the pool for. It's summer and almost Glory's birthday and she doesn't want that pool to be closed. They stated that is was for repairs, but slowly Glory realizes that it might have more to do wit...more Glory lives in Mississippi in 1964. There are fountains for the white people and fountains for the coloreds. Pools and schools are segregated and the white folks seem to like it that way. When some people decide to close the local pool though, Glory is flown for a loop. What do they think they can close the pool for. It's summer and almost Glory's birthday and she doesn't want that pool to be closed. They stated that is was for repairs, but slowly Glory realizes that it might have more to do with her new friend from the North and the people they have come to help.

This was a really interesting story. I liked that Glory started off a bit naive, it lent a different feel to the whole subject. Glory doesn't really know a lot about the racism that is part of her every day life. She just sort of blindly follows the rules. Living in Mississippi there doesn't seem to be too many people that are willing to start a ruckus. This story was about quite a few different things. While black people are working to getting the vote and freedom Glory and her sister are growing apart a bit. Glory's older sister is now a teenager and doesn't want to hang out with her little sister. Glory's best friend Frankie is being bullied by his brother and father. This causes him to be nearly unbearable to Glory. He's super racist because that's how his family feels. This is another great discussion book that took a really good look at civil rights in a southern town. The librarian in this is fantastic, a true librarian, the good kind of librarian. She was outspoken and welcomed everyone. If you like historical fiction especially the civil rights time period, check this one out. It is about more than just history though, so it's a good fit for most anyone.

First Line:
"What was taking Frankie so long?"

Favorite Line:
"What's really broken and needs fixing most of all are the backward people running this town and the others who won't do a thing about it."

Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/#ixzz1wde...(less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

The passage in Glory Be that most helped me make sense of how I felt about it isn't in the body of the novel at all, but rather buried towards the end of the Author's Note that serves as a postscript.

"I once thought this book was about sisters, how they grow apart and come back together. Then smart, important people showed me it was about more than sisters."

With the highest due respect for people who are probably smarter, and without a doubt more important than me, I think that maybe Augusta Sca...more The passage in Glory Be that most helped me make sense of how I felt about it isn't in the body of the novel at all, but rather buried towards the end of the Author's Note that serves as a postscript.

"I once thought this book was about sisters, how they grow apart and come back together. Then smart, important people showed me it was about more than sisters."

With the highest due respect for people who are probably smarter, and without a doubt more important than me, I think that maybe Augusta Scattergood should have stuck with her initial impulse. Glory Be tells the story of Glory Hemphill and her older sister Jesslyn, and the tumultuous summer of 1964, in which issues of segregation and racial equality come tearing through the sleepy town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi. However, the parts about the sisters' changing, uneasy relationship ring to me much truer -- and seem to me more profound -- than the portions that try to deal with the impact of the Civil Rights movement on a racially divided town.

Glory and Jesslyn's story is tenderly drawn, and laced with details such as the importance of the game of "junk poker," a card game in which the kinds of treasures that are special to children are used as chips -- a game that Jesslyn invented, but which she now considers herself too old to play. The Civil Rights sections, however, too often trade in stock tropes such as the unidimensional town football star/bully and the plucky, undaunted librarian.

**SPOILER ALERT**

(view spoiler)

Glory Be is by no means a poor book, and given that it's Scattergood's debut, I'd mark her as an author to watch. I just wish I could have read a book that spent all of its energy in its incisive exploration of sisterly relationships, rather than diffusing itself trying to do too much.

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Sep 23, 2012 Olivia P rated it 4 of 5 stars

Glory Be
Augusta Scattergood
historical ficton

Glory is a 11 year old girl who loves to spend her summers at the pool. Once there is talk of the pool closing by her know it all friend Frankie Glory doesn't know what to think. Once a Yankee from Ohio, Laura, and breaks the rules of white and black people being separated Glory looks at the world in a new way. In a conclusion to this weird and awful summer the pool actually closes! Glory is devastated she doesn't know what to do! So Glory is determin...more

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About Augusta Scattergood

Augusta Scattergood grew up in the Mississippi Delta and left to attend college at the University of North Carolina and library school at Simmons College. But she never really left her home state, even while living in New Jersey.

Her first novel is set in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, 1964. GLORY BE will be published in January, 2012, by Scholastic. Her editor is Andrea Pinkney. Augusta is re...more

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Quotes from Glory Be

“There's more to stories than it seems at first looking," she said. "Two sides to most stories. Folks better be thinking about that for once.” — 2 people liked it

“Real secrets mean more than hiding that card game from you daddy. Real secrets can be hurtful. Make people do bad things.” — 2 people liked it

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