I loved this spin on Rosa Park's story of standing her ground on a segregated bus in the 1960s. William Miller truly transforms this historic event through the eyes of a child. It was so powerful to see a child as the main character, a child making a stand, a child being fearless, and a child becoming a hero. Rosa Parks made such a statement and inspired so many, and "The Bus Ride" lets children of all ages understand that they too can stand up for what they believe in despite what is widely accepted. Social justice is no longer an issue for solely for the grownups. ( )

The Bus Ride is an inspiring book about taking a stand for justice. A little girl Sara rides the bus with her mom every day and has to sit in the back because of her skin color. One day, she sat down at the front of the bus with the whites, and refused to move, even after a police officer got involved. The police officer had to carry Sara down to police station, where the mom picked her up. The next morning the family found out that Sara's courageous act made it into the newspaper! That day, Sara and her mom walked in stead of taking the bus, and so did other black people. The bus company lost a lot of customers, the mayor got angry, and, eventually, there was no color separation at the bus seats. The book has an introduction by Rosa Parks, and it is beautiful. A truly inspiring piece. ( )

This was a great book because of the way the author told the story from the point of view of a child's innocence. Sara sat in the front of a segregated bus just because she was curious what al the fuss was about. It goes to show the reader that if a child can plainly see that there is something wrong with segregation, everyone else should too. I like how the author emphasized that Sara didn't even realize she was doing anything special, she just thought she was doing what was right. This book really uses emotions to show the reader that one small act of courage can make a big difference. The illustrator also used his illustrations to depict on the characters faces the transformation between hopelessness to hope throughout the book. I really enjoyed this book and how it so accurately and effectively depicts historical events that mirror those of the famous Rosa Parks.

Sara was a strong, brave, and very curious kid who knew that some laws were unjust. She stood up for her beliefs and the bus ride does a really good job with telling her story. She has encouraged me to not be afraid to make a difference and stand up for whats right no matter what. ( )

This story was set during the time of the Civil Rights Movement, specifically dealing with the bus boycott. It’s told through the eyes of a grade school girl who decides to sit in the front of the bus and refuses to move when asked. Mimicking the events of Rosa Parks, the little girl is taken off the bus by police and sparks a bus boycott. The illustration showing her being removed from the bus by police is similar to that of the photograph of Rosa Parks. I think if I chose to teach this story I would show that photograph and ask the students to compare and contrast the two. ( )