Summary
Izzy was caught off guard by her parents’ divorce. When her dad moved across the country, she missed him like crazy. But when he moved back to Ohio, the new shared custody plan had its own flaws. Izzy spends one week with her mom and then the next week with her dad. Different homes, different beds, different expectations – different Izzy?
And if the different expectations and rules weren’t jarring enough, the two houses make Izzy even more aware of being biracial. With her dad and his Black girlfriend, Izzy seems to visually “fit.” When she’s with her White mom and her boyfriend, she notices how people look at her as though trying to figure out how she goes with them.
Then, as Izzy is trying to figure out what she thinks about all these differences in her life, she and her friends are also getting older. They’re more aware of the history of race relations in America – and they learn that some people want to hang onto the prejudices of the past.
Review
I knew this book was going to deal with Izzy’s blended family as well as her blended racial identity. But I didn’t expect some of the other race-related pieces of the story. They were very well written and totally appropriate for a middle grade audience. I was just surprised. I loved Izzy and her insightfulness and observations about life and people and her own situation.
There’s a LOT here that would make for excellent discussion for families, classrooms and book groups. The racial pieces are an obvious discussion point, but I thought the divorce pieces in the story were also strong.
I wanted more at the end, but it’s pretty brilliant that the author ended things where she did. I was caught completely off guard by the ending. And I’m itching to talk with someone about it. I think kids will feel the same way. This would be perfect for getting kids talking about what happened in the book and what they think might happen next. Highly recommend.