4.5 stars. Why had I not read this one before?? A fantastically written novel with good examples of racial injustice presented in a way that the middle grade set can process and understand. This is an incredibly important piece of literature and I'm both glad I read it and extremely sad that I hadn't been presented with it before. The writing is beautiful, but presented in a voice that is age appropriate, allowing the young Cassie Logan to tell her own story. I think that approach is the key to this book's success, as an external narrator would have certainly taken away from some of the impact. This one needs to be a must read. It will certainly be on the shelf for my kids when it is age appropriate.