Yard War

by Taylor Kitchings

“Taylor Kitching’s rousing debut puts you right on the fifty-yard line of a vital historical moment.” —Chris Grabenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Perfect for readers of Christopher Paul Curtis’s Bud, Not Buddy and Vince Vawter’s Paperboy, Yard War explores race relations during the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of a boy who accidentally sets off a “yard war” when he invites his maid’s son to play football on his front lawn.  Trip Westbrook has spent his first twelve years far from the struggle for civil rights going on in Mississippi. The one black person he knows well is Willie Jane, the family maid, who has been a second mother to him. When Trip invites her son, Dee, to play football in the yard, he discovers the ugly side of his smiling neighbors. Trip’s old pals stop coming by. He is bullied, his house is defaced, and his family is threatened. The Westbrooks will be forced to choose between doing the right thing or losing the only home Trip has ever known. Who knew that playing football in the yard could have such consequences? This engaging, honest, and hopeful novel is full of memorable characters, and brings the civil rights–era South alive for young readers. “Trip is a fine character. 1964 Mississippi leaps to life in this book.” —Gennifer Choldenko, Newbery Honor winning author of Al Capone Does My Shirts “A captivating story about standing up for your friends. I loved seeing Trip learn how hard it can be to do the right thing.” —Kristin Levine, author of The Lions of Little Rock and The Paper Cowboy “Trip’s journey is a sensitive account about how one person can slowly make a difference.” —Booklist “A challenging but worthwhile portrait of a very difficult period in American history.” —SLJ

Genres: Historical Fiction, Sports, Middle Grade, Historical, Young Adult, Childrens, African American

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[J & J · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter read this...she rated it a 4.5

[Mississippi Library Commission · Rating 5 out of 5]

When nothing ever changes and everybody seems okay, you don't ask a lot of questions. But I'm starting to think the grownups don't have everything figured out.

Yard War is a middle-grade novel about two boys with different skin colors, one white and one black, who become friends in Jackson, Mississippi, just after Freedom Summer. They unite over football, and their friendship blossoms, but segregation still holds sway over their town. This little book, with Taylor Kitchings's excellent ear for the rhythmic way Mississippians speak and his wonderful prose, is a solid introduction to the time period. Highly recommended.

[Beth (YA Books Central) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yard War is a middle grade novel that deals with racism in the South in the '60's. Yard War revolves around a young friendship between two twelve year old boys named Trip and Dee. Trip's family employs a family maid named Willie Jane and her son is named, Dee.

Dee and Trip begin to become great friends in a time when racism was prominent and the issues of racism were among the largest issues in the South.

I liked how Dee and Trip totally looked past the issue of racism and continued to become best friends even though everyone thought they shouldn't and looked down on their friendship.

Yard War is a great book for any middle grade child who might be studying or interested in the historical aspects during the civil rights movement. The addition of the beautiful friendship between Dee and Trip is just a perfect mix that has been added to this middle grade novel.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review
English 9
DanielM
Yard war is a book based on racism of the 60’s. This book is about two kids named Trip (white) and Dee (black) finding out things that they didn’t even know. When the family gets a maid named willie jane is when things get bad. One day when trip asked the maid to play with her son she said ya and that was the time that changes everything. The two of them became really good friends and it was od because of racism at the time. They played everyday in the yard and had lots of fun. Other kids didn't like it and made fun of dee because he is black and at the time it was not correct for white and black kids to be friends. As they kept playing their other neighbor was getting mad and calling trips mom complaining about them playing together. People kept getting mad and they vandalized their homes. Willie and Dee decide to move but after a big fight in the yard after a football game between trips dad and the bullies dad. Willie and dee decide to stay and be happy. They didn’t care what people thought about them.

I liked this book because trip and de become really good friends and they stick together through everythings no matter what. Even when it becomes really bad the whole family stick together and fight for what they believe in and stay together. This is a really good book and I hope that whoever reads it likes it because it is really good. I recommend this book to people that like football and maybe friends ship books. Also people who like stories about fighting racism and tall that stuff.

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was contacted by the author Taylor Kitchings to ask if I would be interested in giving my viewpoint on Yard War as it was up on Net Galley and seeing as I am a member, maybe I would like to 'give it a go'.

So I did.

I am really glad that my attention was brought to this book because its a very profound read.

Its set in the South in the 60's. Its paramount subject matter is racism.


We have two young youths named Trip and Dee, they form a good friendship. A bond.


Trips family employ a maid. This is quite common so not unusual at all. but her son is named Dee.

So this is where the problem lies.

This is also based around the time of the Civil war movement. So its a good history lesson for any YA who wants to become familiar with aspects and race hatred around that time.

Trip leads a privileged where he lives in Jackson, Mississippi. His father is a doctor and his Mother is of high standing in society from a well breed background.

Dee and Trip are kicking a ball around the yard, nothing wrong with that, but remember, this is in the South and the year is 1960's, there is everything wrong, one is white, one is black.

Neighbors looked down on this and lots of fuss and bother ensue.

But Dee and Trip's bond is not to be broken.



At times I found some things not to be realistic. Let me explain.

Tim had a teacher which was quite liberal in her teaching and her emotions and own personal thoughts did get in the way of teaching. Could she remain in that teaching profession unnoticed to be biased? I just wasn't sure.


The I could well imagine the segregation of the blacks from the whites, the prejudices that were so well documented.


I personally am not racist so at times found this hard to read, and I had to keep reminding myself that this is FACT and this is really how it was. And in some cases still is.

I thought this author did a superb job in keeping it inline with historical events as close as could be [this it to what I had read about and not from this book, or media news from the past]


I can imagine this book to be a good read for a book class to open a great discussion that could lead to great essays etc.


Thank you to the author for drawing my attention to your book. And my thanks to Random House Children's for sanctioning my the book to review.

[Kieran Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about how trip a seventh grader his mom and dad were having a party while the parents talk the kids played football out side and trip let Dee a colored boy play the ball once rolled away and Dee went to go get it but when trip saw where Dee was he yelled out Dee!! Don't move that's where I saw a snake the other day Dee stayed still and looked around but didn't see any snake but trip didn't take a chance and dragged Dee away they went into there neighbors who had stalks of sugar cane and ate some. They then saw the neighbor n the window looking at them with a face that looked like what happens when you get strained and you look really angry.

[Joe A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wasn't a bad book, I only grabbed it because I needed a very quick read to get some more pages done over the weekend. I recommend to anyone interested in sport.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this would be a good book to pair with a history class. I think it will make things more vivid for kids learning about the period because it's such an ordinary thing to do - play with your friends in your yard. I'm not sure how many kids will just pick it up. I do think that this is young compared to the rest of the books we are reading (or that I have read so far). I agree with others who said that it dragged.

[Ahmed Bah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, Yard War, is a book based in the 1960s in Mississippi. Where racism is very heavy still. The book is about the relationship between Trip, who is white, and Dee, who is black. Dee’s mother, Willie Jane is the maid for Trip and his family at his house. One day, Dee and Trip ask to play football with each other for a little while so Dee can stop cleaning. Little did Trip know, Dee had a very strong arm. “We started out fairly close together, just passing it back and forth. He was throwing nothing but spirals and putting it right in my hands,”(Kitchings 5). As an athlete, I really liked this book because as racism was going on, the love of the game, football brought the two races together. I would recommend this book to someone who likes football and is into races coming together or stopping racism. I say this because the book is about how Dee and Trip made a relationship that had lots of setbacks. Such as, being forced to choose between doing the right thing and losing their house. This can connect to all races that have to deal with racism everyday and just an athlete who likes a good story. This story helps open the reader's mind and it allows us to see how racism took effect in Mississippi of 1964. A message based off of this book that I would keep is that you can’t let the outsiders and the people around you get to your head. Trip didn’t let the people who were racist toward Dee get in his head. So why should you let something else get in your head. Why do what everybody else wants when you don't want it ? What’s popular isn't always the right thing and the right thing isn’t always popular. Do whatever makes you happy! It’s obviously what’s best for you rather than what everybody else wants.

[Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Yard War" is a gripping and emotional novel that tells the story of two young boys, Trip and Jonny, who come from different racial backgrounds but develop a deep friendship despite the racial tensions that exist in their small Southern town during the 1960s. The book is set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and explores the themes of race, friendship, and love.

Kitchings does an excellent job of bringing the setting and characters to life, capturing the fear, anger, and hope that existed during this tumultuous time in American history. The story is told from Trip's perspective, and his voice is authentic and believable, making the reader feel as if they are experiencing the events right alongside him.

One of the strengths of this novel is the way Kitchings explores the complexity of race relations in the South during the 1960s. He does not shy away from depicting the violence and hatred that existed but also shows the moments of compassion and understanding that can exist between people of different races. Through Trip and Jonny's friendship, Kitchings shows that it is possible for people to overcome their differences and find common ground.

Overall, "Yard War" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that will stay with readers long after they finish it. It is a story that is both timely and timeless, reminding us of the importance of empathy and understanding in a world that is often divided by hate and fear. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring the complexities of race relations in America.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trip Westbrook is a 12-year-old white boy in 1964 Mississippi. The Civil Rights Act has been passed. The first black person has been admitted to Ole Miss. And still the general white population of Mississippi is slow to change. All Trip wants to do is play some football in his front yard. If the black yard boy wants to play, then so be it. Unfortunately, his neighbors don't see it that way and the threats begin. At first his family just wants to keep the peace, but as time goes by they have to take a position, and they do it in the boldest way possible.

This book is definitely more about civil rights than football. There are a few scenes describing football plays, but it's mostly about the family defending themselves against their racist neighbors who don't think a white boy and black boy should play football together. Drawing from his personal experiences growing up in Mississippi, Kitchings is able to provide strong, believable examples of racism. Unfortunately, I don't think this book will get much attention with kids unless it's required reading. However, quite a few teachers at my school require students to read a book from different genres, and this would be a great recommendation for boys in the historical fiction genre.

[Carlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to start by saying that there was nothing really wrong with this book. I think that sometimes people see a rating lower than three stars and think that means that a book isn't worth reading. I do think that this book is good and worth reading. It is a good story about integration and what kind of world this was in 1964. I think that it is a good start to being introduced to this topic because it is realistic and has some violence, but it doesn't show the absolute worst of this time. There is some foul language in this book. The n-word is used a few times, but not excessively. The author specifically stated in the afterword that he used this word as a way to show the racism of the time, and he was careful to use it sparingly. I am giving this book a three-star rating because, at least to me, there was nothing outstanding about it. It was good and there was nothing wrong with it, but there was no reason, in my mind, for me to give it a rating higher than three stars. I do recommend this book especially those who are just starting to learn about this topic.

[Alyisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3 & 4 stars.

This MG book about race relations in 1960's Mississippi feels - sadly - very timely. The message to keep fighting the good fight ("you have to keep the good in the mix"; "the good guys just might win tomorrow") is something to hold on to.

Vivid setting, voice, and characters. I think my favorite line was, "My daddy was in jail, and I felt lucky and proud."

I do feel that it glorifies physical violence a bit. There's a sentence that reads, "Every man needs a good old-fashioned fist fight... now and then." But I'm willing to overlook it based on the fact that it's historical fiction and because I enjoyed the other aspects so much. I think the good far outweighs the bad.

[Katie Seehusen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yard Wars is set in Jackson, MS in the 1960’s. Trip discovers that the son of the family maid is a great football player. He invites Dee to play with his friends in the front yard. Trip didn’t realize the controversy he was starting with this small act.

While historical fiction, I think this book is relatable and makes for great discussion about today’s discussions on race. I love that it’s the kids who force the adults to question the traditions the society is clinging to. Also, it shows that you don’t have to do huge acts to make a difference. Those things happen one at a time, one person at a time.

I can’t wait to share this one with students and hear their thoughts.

[Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, the main plot was about racism, and how it affected certain people, from chores, to how they were treated, to what games they could play, and who they could play them with. I liked it, because it thought it was very entertaining, and there was a lot of action, and it overall captured the sense of racism.

[LILIANA]

The book's beginning was good, but nothing really happened until the after part of the middle. I liked the conflict and how Trip stood up for Dee. The author described every detail so well, and you could really imagine what was going on and how everyone felt.

[Landyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great book that I couldn't put down. This book is about a kid and his friend whois black and how his parents don't want him to play football with Dee.

[Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool book showing how to make everyone equal.

[Connor Lefevre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright, because it didn't explain the characters emotions or thoughts very good. Also it didn't skip around a lot like I thought it would have.

[Grant Angione · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay book it wasn't very interesting. It was longer book.

[Jonathan]

i think it was alright

[Screaming Crying · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was pretty slow and annoying but I really like the end.

[JackeryBurrisy The · Rating 1 out of 5]

good

[Zach Koenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1964, and 12-year old Trip Westbrook just wants to play football with the guys out in the front yard of his Jackson, Mississippi home. The only problem—and it turns out to be a big one—is that Trip has recently befriended the “colored boy”, Dee, who helps with chores around the Westbrook home. Even though Dee has the best arm of the bunch and should be the pride of the front yard football circuit, all people seem to notice is the color of his skin. What begins as an innocent game of football turns into a clashing of societal beliefs that tears the neighborhood apart…while at the same time brings others even closer together in their solidarity against the prejudices of the time and place.

“Yard War” is a five-star effort primarily because it is able to “play both sides” in appealing to middle-schoolers all the way on up to adults. Youngsters reading the novel will immediately identify with Trip and his relations with family/friends, while more seasoned readers will be hit with a pang of childhood nostalgia as well as be able to see the societal messages that the younger readers may be just getting introduced to.

I also really enjoyed how author Taylor Kitchings is able to tell a macro-story (with themes of prejudice and casual racism) and a micro-story (relationships within the Westbrook family) and have them fit seamlessly in the end. I won’t give away whether the ending is an uplifting one or a depressing one, but suffice it to say that it has a very realistic feel to it (as does the entire novel, really). Kitchings does a great job of not preaching or sugar-coating things. He “tells it like it is” without being profane or crassly offensive.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the experience of reading “Yard War” and would highly recommend it to the middle school or even sophisticated/advanced elementary aged readers. Adult readers with a penchant for YA literature will find a lot to like here as well.

[Ayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yard War is set in the 1960's and it started when a kid named Trip Westbrook wanted another kid to play football with. The Westbrook's are a white family and have a black maid named Willie Jane who is very close to their family, they think of her like a second mom. Willie Jane has a son named Dee who is the same age as Trip. They never really talked much but one day Trip decided to ask Dee if he wanted to throw the ball around. Dee turned out to be really good at football and asked if he wanted to play with him and his friends later on. Once everyone came over they were confused and didn't know what to do when the saw a colored kid standing in the middle of their football field. They didn't get along at first but everyone became friends pretty fast. The neighbors didn't like that the white kids were playing with a black kid. Later that day the Westbrook's began to get calls about the friendship between their kid and Dee. They of threats and people spray painted their house. The cops didn't take them seriously so they had to take matters into their own hands. Trip decided to take Dee to the country club to show that they weren't afraid, and soon got in big trouble. The Westbrook's decide to move because of the danger their family was in. The day before the moving day the group decide to have one last football game and it didn't end up well. their neighbors Tom and Tim and their group of kids come to their house and cause a fight. Trips group gets over powered and when all hope seems lost Mr. Westbrook tackles Tim and then Tim and Tom's dad comes over and gets in a fight with Mr. Westbrook. The cops come to break up the Yard War and Mr. Westbrook ends up in jail for the night. The next morning every thing is back to normal for the most part except that today is moving day. They decide to go to church for the last time in Jackson Mississippi. With Willie Jane and Dee. They stood their ground and stayed until that last song was sung and no matter how many people stared or just strait up walked out of church they were going to Finnish the mass. After church Mr. Westbrook decides to stay in Mississippi and that they were going to stay a wight and black family.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seventh grader Trip Westbrook enjoys a privileged life in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964. His father is a doctor, and his mother is the daughter of an affluent, well-established family involved in all sorts of community projects. When Trip decides to throw the football around the yard with Dee, the son of the family's maid, Willie Jane, and ends up playing several skirmishes with the boy and his other friends, all hell breaks loose. Trip naively assumes that the neighbors who are suddenly so interested in the game being played are impressed by the players' talents when they are, in fact, shocked at the cavalier way in which Trip is flouting conventional expectations of how to keep the two races separated. While I appreciate the author's efforts to portray the political awakening of Trip, he often seemed a little more naïve than I would expect someone with his upbringing to be. For instance, he assumes that there will be issue with bringing Dee to have a meal at the Country Club but learns to his chagrin, that he has made a terrible mistake. There are many aspects to this book that I enjoyed, but I must question his dawning awareness and the comments about civil rights made by Miss Hooper, his teacher. Trip is a smart, fairly well-read young man, being reared by parents who would claim not to be racist. It would seem that they might have discussed some of these issues, even the name of the restaurant--the Golliwog--that is racially offensive at some point with him. I doubt that a teacher with such liberal comments about segregation and voting rights would have been allowed to keep her teaching position for long. The constant harassment the family received seems accurate, and I was delighted when they didn't leave the city but moved to another part of Jackson. Trip was such an interesting character since he was not portrayed as a saint, and he often found himself gravitating to behavior of which he wasn't proud, for instantly, almost using the n--word, and putting Dee at risk at the Country Club. Overall, the book adds another element to the rich collection of civil rights being told, but it is seasoned lightly with a great deal of sentiment and rosy nostalgia that detracts from its effectiveness as a story. However, the author captures the time and place well in many regards since he makes clear that even the nicest folks, including one's grandparents, might be hiding prejudicial attitudes. That's the way it was, after all, and that was the way things were done. The book raises many questions and will prompt keen discussion.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always thankful for civil rights titles to add to my library. This is a period of time we must never forget. I think the football angle in this book will certainly add interest for the boys in my classroom. This book took place in 1965, yet I never felt like I was placed in the time period. Something just didn't connect that piece for me.

[Henry Holleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yard War by Taylor Kitchings was a good sports book that showed the racial issues in the 1900’s. This book was good a intriguing. The main character was friends with a colored boy who he played football with for fun in there yard. It made his friends and his neighbors get mad and try to harm there family. I think that a person who would like the book would be a person who likes sports book with not just sports.

[Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of this book was given to me, free, in exchange for my honest opinion. Sometimes I wonder what I would be like if I had been born earlier, if I had been born during slavery, segregation or during a time when interracial dating was illegal. Then I admit the truth, I wouldn't have survived. I would have been killed during slavery, and lonely during segregation. I was made for the time that I was born in. My personality was not suited for any other time, and I am not sure if that makes sense to those who don't know me.

Race is still a hot button topic today. But sometimes something comes along and helps you see it in a different light. That is what Yard War does.I really enjoyed reading this story. Especially since the narrator's voice was clear and realistic. It was able to see through his eyes and take on his point of view. Trip is truly innocent and foes not pick up on the unspoken rules of his community. I point this out, because if he's not innocent than everything he does is malicious and it changes the entire story. Being able to see inside Trip's experience was very important, but I think it would be interesting to see inside Dee's experience as well. Getting to know the parents behind the kid added another layer to the story. I didn't believe how the mother and grandmother made up after their argument, it was shallow at best. This was really just a start to something, a portion of the experience for people during this time. But, it was a great read and this is one book that I will definitely be recommending to just about everybody. Not just to readers, but to teachers and other educators as well.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for sharing my fair and honest opinion.

It's been a few months since I dove into a good middle grade novel, so I was excited to give this one a shot. I was a little uncertain what to expect, this book deals with some pretty tough subject matter and I was sort of afraid it would be too glossed over because of being for younger audiences. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how the author went about the book. It was a wonderful read that not only dealt with the plot in a way that did not sugar coat but also put it on the level of the readers the book targets so that they could better get an idea of what life could have been like for them not so long ago. I can actually see Yard Wars going on a recommended reading list for when this point in history is being covered in class. For me, I always liked to read about what I was learning about in a realistic way and this book would be a fantastic way to do that - especially for teen boys.

Historical aspects aside, this book was well written and I found myself really enjoying the author's writing style. I hope to read more from him in the future. Though I'm not the target audience, I really love a good middle grade novel so I highly recommend if you do too - especially if you love historical fiction, and whether or not you're the targeted age group. Yard Wars will definitely be going on my list to recommend for young teens on up!This review was originally posted on Electively Paige