Iggie's house just wasn't the same. Iggie was gone, moved to Tokyo. And there was Winnie, cracking her gum on Grove Street, where she'd always lived, with no more best friend and two weeks left of summer.

Then the Garber family moved into Iggie's house -- two boys, Glenn and Herbie, and Tina, their little sister. The Garbers were black and Grove Street was white and always had been. Winnie, a welcoming committee of one, set out to make a good impression and be a good neighbor. That's why the trouble started.

Glenn and Herbie and Tina didn't want a 'good neighbor.' They wanted a friend.

'What effect does [the climate of censorship] have on a writer?....It's chilling.

It's easy to become discouraged, to second-guess everything you write. There seemed to be no one to stand up to the censors....so I began to speak out about my experiences. And once I did, I found that I wasn't as alone as I'd thought.'

-- from Judy Blume's introduction to Places I Never Meant to Be

Judy Blume is not alone: Many of today's most distinguished authors of books for young people have found their work censored or challenged. Eleven of them have contributed original stories to this collection. Along with a story written by the late Norma Klein when she was a student at Barnard College, they comprise a stunning literary achievement as well as a battle cry against censorship.

Contributors

David Klass

Norma Klein

Julius Lester

Chris Lynch

Harry Mazer

Norma Fox Mazer

Walter Dean Myers

Katherine Paterson

Susan Beth Pfeffer

Rachel Vail

Jacqueline Woodson

Paul Zindel

Faced with the difficulties of growing up and choosing a religion, eleven- going on twelve-year-old Margaret talks over her problems with her own private God.

Vix e Caitlin si incontrano bambine sui banchi di scuola e, anno dopo anno, la loro amicizia si consolida durante le vacanze estive che entrambe trascorrono a Martha's Vineyard nella splendida villa di Caitlin. Ma durante un'estate che sembra come tutte le altre, conoscono Bru, un ragazzo del posto, e Vix si innamora perdutamente. Tra le due amiche esplodono incomprensioni e conflitti e ognuna va per la sua strada. Il momento della resa dei conti giungerà solo dopo molti anni.

Deenie is upset when she learns her posture problem is really scoliosis and that she will have to wear a back brace for at least four years.

In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard's world changed forever—when Caitlin Somers chose her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomed Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha's Vineyard, a magical, wind-blown island where two friends became summer sisters. . . .

Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin has begged Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go—for the friend whose casual betrayals she remembers all too well. Because Vix wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend—her summer sister—still has the power to break her heart....

Rachel is Stephanie's best friend. Since second grade, they've shared secrets, good and bad. Now in seventh grade, Alison moves into the neighborhood. Stephanie hopes all three of them can be best friends, because Stephanie really likes Alison. But it looks as if it's going to be a case of two's company and three's a crowd. Can the girls' friendship be saved?

It's the end of seventh grade, and the stress of trying to be perfect is getting to Rachel. She's tired of being the straight-A student on every teacher's wish list. Plus she's busy dealing with her sister's junior prom mishaps, and harboring a secret crush on her brother's tutor. But most importantly, she's working to keep her friendship with Stephanie and Alison strong. Could it be that real life is much more interesting than perfect life? If you're equipped with a good sense of humor, it is!