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goodem9199's review
4.0
Being a white mother with brown children, it’s crucial for me to understand that I DON’T understand. I loved this story told from the perspective of a black girl with white adoptive parents. So much of the subject matter is painful and hard to talk about, but so necessary. I only wish that the story remained centered on Makeda’s experiences and not so much the mother’s illness.
czarfancypants's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
curatedsymposium's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jwinchell's review
4.0
A wonderful, empowering novel with a black, adopted 11 yo protagonist. It’s about music, being adopted, mental illness, schooling, experiencing race and microaggressions, friendship, making your own way. I liked the mixture of poetry, prose, journal entries, Tumblr entries. I look forward to book talking this great novel.
mbrandmaier's review
4.0
Makeda is having a tough summer. Her family has just moved across the country. Her dad is gone all the time for work, her mom has wild unpredictable mood swings, and her older sister is being a b to her. She misses her best friend, Lena, terribly. Lena was the only other girl she knew who was Black with White parents and the only person who could truly understand the complicated feelings/situations that arose with that. Keda wonders about her birth mother all the time. When something terrible happens in Keda's family, who can she turn to?
***Note- I would love to see more kids' books featuring transracial adoptees.
***Note- I would love to see more kids' books featuring transracial adoptees.
thenextgenlibrarian's review
3.0
3.5
This book is definitely geared towards middle school students with some of the serious content involved, but I could see a 5th grader reading it and dealing with it also. This book was very, very heavy. I found myself sad every time I picked it up, which is why it took me so long to finish. I am all about heavy topics for kids, 100%. But. This book was ALL heavy topics without much levity or hope mixed in at all. It also dealt with a bunch of difficult themes such as racism, belonging, adoption, moving/fitting in, bullying, culture, mental illness, suicide, and family/friend/romance relationships. It was a LOT with very little hope until the end. The book seemed overly long also. 3.5 stars because I just found myself feeling so much for Keda and wishing she’d find her voice to tell those around her house she felt and never really found that she did that. #weneeddiversebooks
This book is definitely geared towards middle school students with some of the serious content involved, but I could see a 5th grader reading it and dealing with it also. This book was very, very heavy. I found myself sad every time I picked it up, which is why it took me so long to finish. I am all about heavy topics for kids, 100%. But. This book was ALL heavy topics without much levity or hope mixed in at all. It also dealt with a bunch of difficult themes such as racism, belonging, adoption, moving/fitting in, bullying, culture, mental illness, suicide, and family/friend/romance relationships. It was a LOT with very little hope until the end. The book seemed overly long also. 3.5 stars because I just found myself feeling so much for Keda and wishing she’d find her voice to tell those around her house she felt and never really found that she did that. #weneeddiversebooks
mrs_bookdragon's review
5.0
What a beautiful story about family, belonging, and self-discovery. Here are some things I loved: short chapters. My MG students do so well with short chapters (and so do I!)
Wide-range of tough topics. Realistic characters who make mistakes and are human. Then, they grow. Finally, Keda. I loved her so much.
I received this book as part of the #LitReviewCrew in exchange for an honest review.
Wide-range of tough topics. Realistic characters who make mistakes and are human. Then, they grow. Finally, Keda. I loved her so much.
I received this book as part of the #LitReviewCrew in exchange for an honest review.
simkern's review
5.0
If you are a teacher or librarian or anyone in charge of curating young peoples' libraries, you need this book on your shelves. As a former middle school English curriculum director, I strongly urge you to teach this book in 7th-8th grade classrooms. Keda's voice is both vividly adolescent and wise beyond her years. She reveals her world through a variety of formally innovative structures, including song lyrics, dreams, letters and blog posts to her best friend. Keda's story tackles numerous vital themes for young readers--adolescence, adoption, racism, multi-racial families, mental illness, and feminism (white and otherwise)--all interwoven into a gripping family saga that is un-put-down-able (I binge-read it in a morning).
If, like me, the title does not describe you, and if that makes you uncomfortable, I'd double-down on saying you must read this book. Particularly if you're an educator. You're going to see reflections of yourself and your past in it, in ways that are not always comfortable, but are vital for unpacking white supremacy.
If, like me, the title does not describe you, and if that makes you uncomfortable, I'd double-down on saying you must read this book. Particularly if you're an educator. You're going to see reflections of yourself and your past in it, in ways that are not always comfortable, but are vital for unpacking white supremacy.