The novel skillfully escapes sentimentality and predictability. Taylor’s style and characterization, although accessible to young readers, are quite sophisticated. Although moral and social issues may be somewhat simplified (as they would be in a nine-year-old’s perceptions), universal truths shine through. The novel’s close does not sugarcoat the injustice and does not suggest that everyone will live happily ever after. With her eyes now opened, Cassie is entering a world of clear and present danger. What she has learned of racism in the classroom is on display on a large scale in her community’s stores, streets, and churches. Black men can be lynched, torched, and beaten; they can be robbed of their livelihood, possessions, human rights, human dignity, and lives.