Life. Is. Not. Fair

By Gary W. Bargar

Louis and his aunt are startled and upset when a Black family moves next door to their Kansas City home in 1958, but Louis soon recognizes that his new neighbor is a more reliable friend than the group of junior high cools with whom he had hoped to be friends.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0899192181
• ISBN13: 9780899192185
• Release Date: March 1984
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 5.8" x 0.8"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Different Is Ok

This book is about a colored boy who just moved into the neighborhood. At first nobody likes him, but then Luis (who is not popular) becomes his friend. Luis is trying to become popular with David Lear, considered a "cool" being mean to Luis and Dewitt (the colored kid) by stuffing food and junk into Dewit's locker, because he dosen't like colored kids or kids who aren't "Cools". I really liked this book because it told how some people are treated, or have been treated. It also said how being popular isen't everything.

Repeat After Me, Life is Not Fair!!!!

Louis never knew Aunt Zona was a racist until a black family with a boy his age moved in. Entering middle school, he was nervous about trying to be a cool. After he saw what people were doing to DeWitt, he began to feel sorry for him so he became his friend. After almost totally giving up his hope for being a cool, David Leer and Paul Harte asked him to write David's campaign speech. Since Paul was his former best friend and since he had a good shot of becoming a cool, he jumped at the opportunity. After David turns on him and steals the speech, he tries to think of a way to get back at David and Paul. This book had a very strong message and it was a very good tale of friendship. I would give this book four stars. I thought that the story was very good up until the end. It had a weak ending otherwise I would have given it four and a half stars. I would recommend this book to everyone I know because of the touching story of two different children coming together to be best friends. I even recommend it to you.