The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had written by Kristin Levine

At first I was taken back by the use of the word nigger. But as I read the book other words were used to describe African Americans that were not pleasant to read. Especially as Dit and Emma became friends, best friends. Dit took alot of grief as his friendship developed with Emma. Emma's family moved to Moundville, Alabama from Boston. Her father was the new Postmaster for the town. The Walker family would be staying until Mr. walker could pass the post office examine once again, then he would be transferred back to Boston. Dit taught Emma how to fish, skip rocks, throw a baseball and bat from home plate.Emma helped Dit learn another way of life not hunting, killing animals only for the sake of killing animals and helped with his homework.

The author took the memoirs of her grandfather and put them together to write this book. The setting is in Alabama 1917 and this book does have rough spots in it that can be troubling to some students, such as hangings and chastising Emma because of her skin color.