Synopses & Reviews
Set in a suburb of Las Vegas, Ella and Zachary, called Z, have been friends forever, but Z has always been and#8220;the weird kidand#8221; in their class. He collects stubby pencils, plays chess, and maintains an elaborate and#8211;and publicand#8211; fantasy life, starring himself as a brave knight. Zand#8217;s games were okay back in 3rd or 4th grade, but by now their other friends have ditched them both. Z doesnand#8217;t care, but Ella longs to be part of a group of friends, even though most of the class makes fun of her. Ellaand#8217;s mother is black and her father (now deceased) was white, and sheand#8217;s the only black girl in their sixth grade class. When a new boy, Bailey, moves to town, he befriends Ella, because they are now the only two black kids in class. But Bailey is popular and#8211; popular enough to make Ella cool and give her a wider circle of friends and#8211; but only if she stops hanging out with Z. Ellaand#8217;s faced with a difficult decision and#8211; remain loyal to the boy who has been her best and only friend for years, or pass up the opportunity to be one of the popular kids that she has always longed to be.
Review
"This elegantly crafted story features strong writing and solid characterizations of both main and secondary characters. Ella and Bailey’s racial identity is one element in a full and richly textured narrative. An out-of-the-ordinary setting—just outside of Las Vegas—and the nuanced picture of young teens and families under stress make this an outstanding follow-up to Magoon’s Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award-winning debut,
The Rock and the River (2009).
-KIRKUS, December 2010, *STAR
Review
"Magoon writes with insight, wit, and compassion. Characters are appealing; action is well paced; and adolescent angst is palpable. Although Ella’s skin condition and Z’s psychological problems are not clearly defined, the trauma of both is conveyed. Ella is caught between a desire to hang out with Bailey and the popular crowd or remain loyal to eccentric Z, and her actions, musings, and guilt will resonate with readers.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC
-SLJ, January 2011
Review
"This novel, by the author of The Rock and the River (2009), is a sensitive, quietly powerful look at discovering inner strength, coping, and thriving—or not—in the face of tragedy.
— Heather Booth
BOOKLIST, February 2011
Review
"All characters are well constructed. The story is written in a style that many early teens would appreciate for its real life parallels and issues. "
-Library Media Connection, May/June 2011
Synopsis
A poignant novel about a biracial girl living in the suburbs of Vegas and the friendships that grow out of, and despite, her race--by Kekla Magoon.
Synopsis
A biracial student questions her identity in this contemporary novel from the author of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award-winning The Rock and the River. Ella and Z have been friends forever, both of them middle school outsiders in their Las Vegas suburb. Ella is the only black girl in her grade and gets teased for the mottled colors of her face. (Her deceased father was white.) Z is the classic "weird kid" who maintains an elaborate--and public--fantasy life, starring himself as a brave knight.
Though Z is content with his imagined world, Ella wishes for a larger group of friends, so she's thrilled when Bailey, another black kid, arrives at their school. He's popular and wants to befriend Ella--but to join the cool crowd, Ella would have to ditch Z. Does she stay loyal to the boy who has been her best and only friend for years, or jump at the chance to realize her dream of popularity?
Author Kekla Magoon deftly navigates the muddy waters of racial and cultural identities in this contemporary exploration of one girl's attempt to find herself.
Synopsis
Set in the modern-day suburbs of Las Vegas, this poignant novel by the Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of "The Rock and the River" is about a biracial girl and the friendships that grow out of, and despite, her race.
Synopsis
Set in the modern-day suburbs of Las Vegas, a young girl finds herself caught between two worlds. She is drawn to the popular new boy—the only other black student in the school—but also loyal to her BFF, a geeky boy whose social status, like hers, is bottom-rung, and with whom she has shared an incomparable friendship. Author Kekla Magoon deftly navigates the muddy waters of racial and cultural identities in this contemporary exploration of one girls attempt to find herself.
About the Author
Kekla Magoon is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning and NAACP Image Award-nominated author of The Rock and the River. She lives and writes in New York City, but travel around the country presenting book programs and writing workshops for teens and adults. Kekla also writes non-fiction books for the educational market, and is coeditor of Young Adult and Children's Literature for the arts journal Hunger Mountain. She holds a B.A. in history from Northwestern University and an M.F.A. in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.