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Description
Eleven-year-old Isabella splits her weeks between two very different homes after her parents' divorce, living one week with her dad, his girlfriend, and her son, and the next with her mom and her boyfriend. As a biracial child, she often faces questions and comments about her mixed heritage that leave her feeling like she's only half of each world. This middle-grade novel follows her journey to reconcile those halves and discover a unified sense of self amid the challenges of a blended family.
Quick Summary
Eleven-year-old Isabella's world gets flipped upside down when her parents divorce, and suddenly she's bouncing between two households every week, trying to figure out where she actually belongs. The really powerful part of this story is how Isabella grapples with her mixed-race identity she's constantly being reduced to "half this, half that" by people around her, and Draper handles that struggle with honesty and heart. Kids who are navigating their own family changes will find a lot to relate to here, but it's also a great pick for anyone who just wants to understand what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes. There's humor woven throughout to keep things from getting too heavy, and Isabella's voice is so real and funny that even reluctant readers will keep turning pages. Parents will appreciate that Draper treats the divorce with real sensitivity while still keeping the tone accessible and even lighthearted at times.