The Voting Booth, a novel for ages 12+, lives up to its dedication to Fannie Lou Hamer. Two storylines sweep readers along — one about contemporary challenges of voting on election day and the other a budding love story.
High school student protagonist Marva Sheridan has been a voting rights activist all her life. She is well versed in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, even naming her cat Selma.
The story begins on the morning of the first election when Marva is old enough to vote herself. At the polling place, she intervenes when another student (Duke) is being turned away. The two end up skipping school to pursue not only Duke’s right to vote, but in the process to also organize to get other people to the polls.
This is a wonderful introduction for young people to a myriad of voter suppression tactics and the importance of everyone (including high school students) playing a role in defending voting rights.
Author Brandy Colbert is committed to people’s history, having also collaborated with Jeanne Theoharis on the forthcoming young readers’ version of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.
ISBN: 9781368053297 | Disney-Hyperion
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