Trouble the Water

Gr 4–6—In sleepy Celeste, KY, to "trouble the water" means to "stir the pot." That's something its residents never do, which is why blacks and whites live quietly—and separately—in one town. But it's 1953, and trouble is inevitable when the new public swimming pool has a whites-only policy, and Cassie, who is black, and Wendell, who is white, strike up a friendship while following a mysterious old dog. The children know they're not supposed to be seen together, but the dog leads them to an irresistible discovery: a dilapidated cabin with a ghostly presence tied to the town's abolitionist history. The novel's easy pace reflects the tempo of the rural, small-town setting. Dowell's uncluttered prose beautifully evokes Celeste's dusty streets and wooded paths. Dramatic, though without physical injuries or extreme violence, the climax hints at the conflicts yet to come in the struggle for civil rights. Cassie is a bright, courageous 11-year-old, unafraid to challenge convention: readers can see her growing influence on Wendell as he starts to question the status quo. Uniting the novel's two narrative threads—the cabin's ghosts and the unlikely friends—is the old dog, Buddy.