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Staff Pick
When Ebony Grace is sent to Harlem for the summer, her (inter)stellar imagination gets a boost of new fuel as she navigates the ways of seeing and being that city life has to offer. For a girl with a mind of her own and dreams as big as a spaceship, however, she may have just as much to share with Harlem as it has in store for her. Recommended By Aubrey W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
National Book Award-finalist Ibi Zoboi makes her middle-grade debut with a moving story of a girl finding her place in a world that's changing at warp speed.
Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA, Jeremiah has nurtured Ebony-Grace's love for all things outer space and science fiction — especially Star Wars and Star Trek. But in the summer of 1984, when trouble arises with Jeremiah, it's decided she'll spend a few weeks with her father in Harlem.
Harlem is an exciting and terrifying place for a sheltered girl from Hunstville, and Ebony-Grace's first instinct is to retreat into her imagination. But soon 126th Street begins to reveal that it has more in common with her beloved sci-fi adventures than she ever thought possible, and by summer's end, Ebony-Grace discovers that Harlem has a place for a girl whose eyes are always on the stars.
Review
"Highlights the importance of imagination and learning to celebrate what it means to be different in a world that demands conformity." Horn Book
Review
"...Zoboi (American Street) excels at resurrecting 1980s Harlem in her middle grade debut, expertly sprinkling in nostalgia-fueled references to break dancing, rap battles, and the rise of female MCs." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Filled with rich imaginative scenes and comics-style illustrations, this book will truly transport its young readers to another world." Booklist
About the Author
Ibi Zoboi is the author of two novels for young adults, Pride and American Street, a finalist for the National Book Award. She also edited the anthology Black Enough. She holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives with her family in New Jersey.