Life for thirteen-year-old Maggie Pugh has never been blissful. Her father is withdrawn, and her mother cares only about helping Maggie's little sister, Gardenia, win a beauty pageant. Yet events in the summer of 1960 in Kinship, Georgia, add to Maggie's troubles. Her friend Zeke, a black man who has listened to Maggie's concerns and even given her a camera, is arrested after he uses a restroom designated for white people. Maggie manages to overcome the ignorance and cruelty surrounding her, and she uses the camera Zeke gave her to understand and communicate the white community's abuse of the black to the world. "e;The courage and vision of the 1960s Southare posted on Spite Fences for all to see. It is a masterful, sobering display."e; Booklist "e;A book of this caliber comes along only rarely.

"e; Family Life "e;Characters emerge as complex individuals, not pawns of a political agenda; Maggie's final triumph is a tribute to all who have suffered for justice."e; Publishers WeeklyThrough Krisher's stunning narrative and achingly real characters, Maggie's pain and redemption are brought to vivid life."e; Kirkus ReviewsInternational Reading Association Award; American Library Award; Bank Street Books Award; Parents Choice Honor book.