Sugar / Jewell Parker Rhodes / 272 pages

In this book for young readers, Jewell Parker Rhodes shares a bit of history about the South after the Civil War.  The main character is an orphan and former slave girl, Sugar, who works the sugar cane fields.  This is the story of the mindset of freed slaves who remained in the South, the use of Chinese workers to replace the freed slaves who moved North, and the changing attitudes of plantation owners.  It's a story of a time of transition and what it takes to grab a new life.  Great addition to historical novels for children.