CROSSING JORDANWritten by Adrian Fogelin

ISBN: 1-56145-215-7/ Hardcover / $14.95 6 x 8 1/2 / 140 pages /Juvenile fiction, ages 8–12

ISBN # 1-56145-281-5/ Trade Paperback/ $6.95 6 x 8 1/2 / 140 pages/Juvenile fiction, ages 8-12

About the BookTwelve-year-old Cassie narrates the dramatic

events that unfold when Jemmie, an African-American girl, and her family, move in next door.Despite their parents’ deeply held prejudices, thegirls find that they share more similarities than dif-ferences. Mutual interests in running and readingdraw the girls together. But when their parents findout about the friendship, the girls are forbidden tosee each other. A family crisis and celebration provide opportunities for the families to reach anunderstanding.

Praise and Awards forCROSSING JORDAN

“In this sensitive portrait of black-white relations ina changing neighborhood, Fogelin offers a tactful,evenhanded look at prejudice.”

— USA Today

“Fogelin creates Cass and Jemmie as complex characters with the same differences ofapproach and personality that mark the interac-tions of other best friends, whatever their skincolor. Cass' straightforward voice never falters,even when she questions her father's belief and her

own decisions. Readers will appreciate the honestof Fogelin's approach and applaud the two girls intheir fast friendship.”

— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“...Jemmie and Cass are likable, lively characters,and readers will enjoy the repartee between them.”

— School Library Journal

• YALSA/Best Books for Young Adults 2001

• IRA/Notable Books for a Global Society (Honor Book) 2001

• VOYA (Voices of Youth Advocates) Top ShelfFiction for Middle School Readers 2000

• Georgia Children's Book Award Nominee(Children's Choice) 2001-2

• Rebecca Caudill (Illinois) Young Readers' Book Award (Masterlist) 2003

• Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award/OklahomaLibrary Association (Masterlist) 2002-3

• South Carolina Junior Book Award/SCAssociation of School Librarians (nominee) 2002-3

• Sunshine State (Florida) Young Readers' Award(Master List) 2002-3

Copyright ©2002 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peachtree PointersPEACHTREE PUBLISHERS, LTD. 1700 Chattahoochee Avenue Atlanta, Georgia 30318-2112

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS

A Peachtree Junior Book

Themes� Racial bigotry and tolerance� Friendship and loyalty� Value of literature � Running

A Note from thePreparer

CROSSING JORDAN is a thoughtful, quietlyunderstated novel of great potential. Spicedwith humor and alive with realistic dialogue,this upper-level, critical-thinking book can beused as a centerpiece of class study or a focusfor African American History Month. It isalso a great read-aloud. Since the main char-acters are middle school age, it is best suitedto grades 5–7. However, many issues wouldbe better dealt with by older students forboth curriculum and maturity reasons. There-fore adapting this guide for students ingrades 8–12 is also recommended.

One of the strengths of this novel is that itprovides no easy, simple answer or a pat,happy ending. Only a beginning is apparent,with much more to overcome. This leavesmany questions unanswered and many is-sues unresolved which can be the basis for in-depth class discussions.

Students should be encouraged to speaktheir minds about being on either side of thefence because it is obvious that none of theblack or white adults would be neighborswere they given the choice. It is left for Cassand Jemmie to begin what may become asound foundation for friendship or at leastneighborliness between the two families.

2 Crossing Jordan Copyright ©2002 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved.

Before You ReadTo understand the background to this story,

students should have some basic knowledgeof Southern life before, during, and after theCivil Rights era. Don’t put so much emphasison the information that it becomes over-whelming, but enough to give a tone and aframe for the existing situation at the story’sonset.

� Briefly discuss the aftermath of the CivilWar in the South. Discuss how the newlyfreed blacks had to struggle to support them-selves and the upheaval of an agrarian econ-omy based on slave labor.

� Outline the route to a still-resentful pop-ulation who were all forced to integrate withthe very same people many felt were thecause of their social and economic troubles.So many aspects and issues are involved thatyou will need to simplify them considerably.But you must get to the currency of the book:families of the same economic status living inclose proximity to each other with neitherblack nor white willing to see beyond whatthey have been raised to believe is the “true”past and the current situation. Neither familyis more powerful because neither has moremoney than the other. Both are very proudand have different beliefs, backgrounds, andlong-held convictions.

� Discuss how most human beings, at theirworst, seem to need to find some other groupthat can be seen as “less” so they can feelmore in control of their own lives. Rarely dothese groups recognize similarities. Thisnovel starts to break through the fences be-tween people when the first tentative, diffi-cult steps are taken toward recognition of thesameness of each family in both the economicand social hierarchy of the town where theylive.

3 Crossing Jordan Copyright ©2002 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved.

� Discuss contemporary fiction as a genre:current problems, issues, and situations thatare affecting students today. Note that mostof these problem situations are not new; theyexisted in the past and are now still unre-solved. Examples of contemporary fictiontopics such as divorce, drug use, school prob-lems, or socially outcast students are useful toillustrate the genre. Authors who consistentlywrite on these topics include Richard Peck,Walter Dean Myers, Judy Blume, and PaulaDanziger.

As You ReadDiscuss existing groups of students, peo-

ple, immigrants, etc., in your school and com-munity. Try to define the problems that indi-viduals may encounter when they are tryingto relate to each other, as these are probablysimilar to those encountered in this story.

� How are these groups perceived?� Where do they live, work, shop, and

play?� Are they the rich, poor, or middle class

economically?� Are some people thought of as the best

athletes, the smartest, the slowest, or the most“nerdy”?

� Are these ideas based on previous as-sumptions rather than on actual personalcontacts?

After You ReadThe following issues pose difficult moral

and philosophical questions. At this age it isenough to open the discussion and try toachieve thoughtful responses. There are nopat answers, and don’t accept them. But nei-ther should the (possibly) tried and true re-sponses be automatically negated. The

purpose is to create an openness similar towhat Cass and Jemmie are creating, since nei-ther was willing to let the situation remain asit was.

� “Good fences make good neighbors”(Robert Frost): What are the positive and thenegative aspects of this saying?

� Where does the title of the book origi-nate? Crossing to a better place, freedom,fleeing from a terrible life—CROSSING JORDAN

can be a springboard to any number of issues.� After Miss Liz’s death, her family takes

all the “valuables” and leaves behind thefourteen cats and the rocking chair. Why werethese remaining items considered so muchless valuable?

� The whole idea of “chocolate milk” isblending. Is this the best solution or even apossible solution to black and white peoplesgetting together? It seems to work best withthe youngest people, but what about whenthey grow older? How much importancemight be placed on later differences ratherthan on early friendships?

� What lesson did Cass teach to everyonewhen she went back and helped Jemmie overthe finish line?

� What about doubts? Even when youwant to trust and believe a friend, what hap-pens inside you if you have just that little bitof doubt? What could happen to your friend-ship? This issue has nothing to do with beingblack or white but with how well you feelyou know a person and how much you arewilling to stake on that trust. How well canyou ever know another person? How farshould you take loyalty? What are your options?

Copyright ©2002 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved. Crossing Jordan 4

Interdiscipl inaryConnections

Language Arts

� Practice dictionary usage using thesewords from the book Jane Eyre by CharlotteBrontë. Look them up and use them in every-day conversation as Cass and Jemmie did.

preternatural traverse perambulateantipathy disposed importuneeviscerated gregarious salubriousfortnight

� Have the students list words that arenew to them that they came across whenreading books, newspapers, magazines,watching movies, or from any other source.Look up their definitions and use them ineveryday language.

� Write a human-interest or local newsstory about the race: who won, who lost, why, etc.

Social Science

Review the topics and questions from theBefore You Read section. Now that the stu-dents have read the book, how differently dothey see some of the issues, and would theychange any of their opinions or answers to thequestions raised?

Health/Science/Nutrition

Running as a sport is fraught with conflict-ing beliefs. Depending on whether you are asprint runner, a part of a relay team, or a longdistance and/or marathon runner, your train-ing and nutrition must take the type of run-ning into account.

What is recommended for those who wantto run or jog just to keep fit, not to compete?

� Nutrition: What types of food/drinkshould be eaten before, during and after aparticular race?

� Shoes: What types of shoes are recom-mended for which types of running? Whattype of shoe is best for your particular foot?

� Training: What kind of initial training isbest for each type of race?

� Warm-up: What stretching exercises dorunners do to prepare for a raegular workout,for the race?

� Cool-down: What are good practices forafter the race?

� During the race: What, if any, drinks ornourishment do runners need?

� Body types: Why are certain body typesmore suited to particular distances?

� Mental attitude: Believing you can do it,bouncing back from failure, and evaluatingand respecting your opponents are all part ofa positive mind set for a race. If you don’twin, how do you adjust to a loss? What is the“zone” as referred to in the magazines thatCass read?

Recommended ReadingThese and other fiction and nonfiction titles

can extend a student’s understanding of theissues and topics addressed in this book.

Prejudice (Fiction)� Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Mayfield

Crossing and Beyond Mayfield� Jerrie Oughton, Music from a Place Called

Half-Moon� Vicki Winslow, Follow the Leader� Sharon Dennis Wyeth, World of Daughter

McGuire

Copyright ©2002 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved. Crossing Jordan 5

Running (Nonfiction)� Amby Burfoot, Ed. Runner’s World: Com-

plete Book of Running� Bob Glover, Runner’s Handbook: The Clas-

sic Fitness Guide for Beginner Runners � Hal Higdon, Higdon’s How to Train: The

Best Programs, Workouts, and Schedules for… � Hal Higdon, Smart Running: Expert Ad-

vice on Training, Motivation…� Bill Rodgers, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jog-

ging and Running� Runner’s World magazine� Running Time magazine

Notes

6 Crossing Jordan Copyright ©2002 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved.

About the AuthorAdrian Fogelin says she was “moved to write thisstory of prejudice after an incident in my own neighborhood.” She works in a library, writes everyday before the sun comes up, and spends her freetime at Bluebird, a piece of rural land just outside ofTallahassee, Florida. Every fall she tags migratingmonarch butterflies. Fogelin is also the author of AnnaCasey’s Place in the World.

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Peachtree Pointers order no. 1-56145-215-7TG. Copyright © 2000 by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for the printing of complete pages, with the copyright notice, for instructional uses and not for resale. Requests for permission to makecopies of any part of the work should be mailed to Permissions Department, Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., 494 Armour Circle, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324.

Freestone A Peachtree Jr Book

Peachtree Pointers for CROSSING JORDAN was prepared by Christine Allen, a librarian withthe Riverside Unified School District in Riverside, California.

About the I l lustratorSuzy Schulz is an award-winning fine artist and illus-trator. Her art is regularly exhibited, and her portraitsare found in collections across the United States. Shelives in Atlanta, Georgia.