Blended

Isabella's life is literally divided in half.  She spends one week at her mom's house and the next at her dad's.  She feels comfortable and loved in both places, but it's hard to constantly be on the move.  She is also biracial, and she's not quite sure how she fits in with the world in general.  Is she white like her mom or Black like her dad?

At mom's house, she's Izzy.  She practices her music on a Casio keyboard in the back room of a Waffle House waiting for her mom to get off work.  Her mom's boyfriend, John Mark, manages a bowling alley and has a great sense of humor. 

At dad's house, she's Isabella.  She practices her music on a baby grand piano with Madame Rubenstein helping her prepare for a big recital.  Her dad's girlfriend, Anastasia, is a high powered real estate agent with fabulous style and a ridiculous dog.  Anastasia's teenage son Darren is one of Isabella's favorite people.  Even though he's several years older, he's always willing to take her for ice cream.

Even though life is good at both houses, her parents don't get along at all, and exchange days are always tense.  Luckily she has her two best friends, Heather and Imani.  They've been friends forever, and both girls understand Izzy's frustrations over her parents' relationship. 

One day a student makes a racist comment in class, and Imani stands up to him.  This sets off a chain reaction of events that leaves all the girls feeling unsettled and forces Izzy to really contemplate how she sees herself in a world that can easily become racially charged.

I really wanted to love Sharon Draper's new book, and there are a lot of great scenes and thought-provoking ideas, but there is just too much going on for one small middle grade novel.  Divorced parents who constantly fight for some reason that is never explained, socioeconomic tensions, questions about racial identity, a racist incident at school, and an episode of police violence thrown in at the end.  Oh yeah, she's also preparing for a big piano recital.  This could have all worked together in a larger book, but nothing feels truly resolved.  That said, I think this book should be available to upper elementary and middle school students because it does deal with issues they face and provides a much-needed addition to the collection of books with biracial protagonists.