Cover Copy

Get a load of this: All I did was laugh at her hat, a couple giggles plus a snort. And now, truth be told, nothing’s funny at all. My big brother’s gone, maybe forever, and the white folks have stolen what’s ours. Mama and me fill the well with our tears, while Uncle Bump blows grief out his harmonica.

Reverend Walker always says, "There comes a time when a man’s dignity is worth more than his life." I reckon I’m not a man. Heck, I’m nothing but a twelve-year-old girl. But this is the story of my time. 

In Kuckachoo, Mississippi, 1963, Addie Ann Pickett happily swings in the yard, jumps double dutch, and teaches her trusty cat, Flapjack, new tricks. She worships her brother Elias and is proud of following in his footsteps by attending the Negro junior high school.  But when her own careless act leads to her brother’s disappearance, Addie Ann, Mama, and Uncle Bump are left to struggle on, not knowing if Elias is dead or alive.

Then a good deed meant to unite the citizens of Kuckachoo sets off a chain of explosive events.  And although Addie Ann’s itching to reveal the whole truth, Mama’s rule is never tell white folks what they don’t want to hear. 
As the months pass, Addie Ann’s family is sorely tested. Like her brother, Addie Ann understands the danger of silence. Now Addie Ann must decide whether to be a bystander to events or someone prepared to take action, no matter what the consequence. 

Click here to read the first chapter.

“Spunky Addie Ann Pickett is a character you will not soon forget, and Shana Burg is a name you will definitely want to remember.  By turns funny, sweet and heart-wrenching, A THOUSAND NEVER EVERS is an important book, which not only tells Addie Ann's story, but also gives an inside look at the civil rights movement during the early 1960's.  A fascinating read.”

–Ruth White, author of the Newbery Honor Book Belle Prater’s Boy