The Grass Grows Green — Julie Schronk

All Josie Yates wanted was a friend the summer of 1931. Her wish came true when a new family moved into the old Goff place nearby. They had a girl, all right…her name was Nettie Hanks. The only trouble was she was “blacker than coal.” Forbidden to play with her by her racially prejudiced father, John Yates, Josie forges ahead anyway and their friendship blossoms in the grove, the place of Josie's wildest imagination…a place called Josie's Perch. But before the summer was over it would bring the KKK and near tragedy for the two families. The Grass Grows Green is a novel of racial prejudice in the South, but it also celebrates the joys and triumphs of friendship.