BREWSTER IS EXCITED about starting first grade . . . until Mama announces that he’ll be attending Central—a school in the white part of town. Mama says they have art and music and a library bursting with books, but Brewster isn’t so sure he’ll fit in.

Being black at a white school isn’t easy, and Brewster winds up spending his first day in detention in the library. There he meets a very special person: Miss O’Grady. The librarian sees into Brewster’s heart and gives him not only the gift of books but also the gift of confidence in himself.

This powerful and tender story of desegregation busing in the 1970s introduces readers to the brave young heroes who helped to build a new world.

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8:15 min – WGBY TV Busing Brewster Interview

• New York Times: 10 Best Illustrated Books of 2010
• New York Times: 8 Notable Children’s Books of 2010
• WGBY Public Television Inteview
• National Council for the Social Studies – Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2011.
• Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Interview.
• Cynsations Author interview on Busing Brewster.

I loved its understated honesty, the way it introduces violence without melodrama, and avoids the easy ending. Busing is an opportunity. It is also a pain. No one is immediately converted away from racism and prejudice, but the book does not reject the possibility of redemption …Recent news accounts suggest that some parents have lost faith in the picture book… “Busing Brewster” could change their minds.
—New York Times

Though broaching the idea of segregation with young children is a sensitive proposition, Busing Brewster helps put a human face on an important issue and shows what “forced busing” felt like to those on the inside.
—San Francisco Book Review

This memorable book looks at what it was like to be a part of the desegregation of schools in America. In addition, it shows readers how books can open up doors in the minds of children; books can help children to see that they do have the power to change their world if they want to. (full review)
—Through The Looking Glass Review

Richard Michelson has written another excellent piece of historical fiction.
—Forwords Books

Busing Brewster (distills the heady topic of forced busing in the 1970s into a story appropriate for elementary schoolers. It’s to author Richard Michelson’s credit — and the story’s success — that he doesn’t shy away from thorny details. Though the ending is a hopeful one, the painful history Michelson references should provoke plenty of discussion once the book’s covers are closed.
—The Statesman

Michelson tells a small story about a huge issue – the busing of black children to previously all-white schools in the 1970s – and makes it accessible to younger children.
—The News Tribune

This powerful and tender story of desegregation busing in the 1970s introduces readers to the brave young heroes who helped to build a new world.
—Powell’s Books

Richard Michelson, has succeeded, again, in writing an engaging picture book about tough race relations with great sympathy and interest.
—The Odyssey Bookshop

While many teachers cover desegregation in their curriculum, they haven’t had as fine a resource as Busing Brewster. This is definitely a title to add to your classroom collection.
—Picture Book Review