“The Well: David’s Story” by Mildred D. Taylor

In the summer of 1910, every well in their corner of Mississippi had gone dry except one, and it belonged to the Logan family.

Ten-year-old David Logan and his family share their sweet water with every neighbor who comes asking, Black and white alike. That includes the Simms family, and fourteen-year-old Charlie Simms never misses a chance to torment David and his proud, hot-tempered older brother Hammer. Hammer has had about all he can take. When the tension between the boys finally explodes, the whole community feels the shock.

David grows up to be the father in “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” and Mildred D. Taylor tells his boyhood story with spare, powerful honesty. The Horn Book said it delivers “an emotional wallop,” and it does. It’s for readers ages 10 to 14. Content note: the story deals frankly with racism, including racial slurs and violence of the era.

This Scholastic paperback is in good condition, and it’s waiting for you at Dead Tree Dreams.