What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1. *Makeda has a lot of questions about her life, her identity, and her family.
2. *She is eleven years old, adopted, and the only black person in her family.
3. *One constant she has is her best friend Lena, who is also a black adopted girl. This changes when Makeda's family has to move.
4. *Moving is hard enough, but when your oldest sister doesn't have time for you, your mother is slowly slipping away, and your father has to travel for work; life for Makeda becomes quite difficult.
5. *Even though there are miles between them, Makeda tries to maintain her close friendship with Lena, while dealing with some pretty heavy issue at home.
What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1. *I enjoyed this story of a black girl finding her place among a white family.
2. *The racial microagressions and direct racism were written with care and sensitivity.
3. *The problems the Makeda's parents were struggling with were written with an authentic voice and heart. I believe parts of the story are actually based on the author's own experiences.
4. *The author included a variety of "formats" throughout the pages, and these were enjoyable changes from a typical middle-grade novel.
5. *I know young readers that read the book will have lots of wonderful opportunities for discussion, questions, and thoughts.
Who Should Read It:
I would say this novel would be best in the hands of a fourth, fifth, and/or sixth grade reader. Middle-school children would also be perfect to read Makeda's story. There are some serious topics/themes so I wouldn't want the reader to be too young. Happy Reading!
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