Blended

Who it's for

Blended captures the specific, tiring logistics of a two-home childhood: two bedrooms, two sets of rules, two names, a packed bag every week and the feeling of being the one who has to bend.

Feelings it meets

• Divorce
• Racism
• Cultural Identity
• Identity

What it is

Eleven-year-old Isabella, a gifted pianist with a Black father and a white mother, switches homes every week in a handoff she calls the "Great Exchange." At her dad's she lives with his girlfriend Anastasia and her son Darren in a wealthy neighborhood; at her mom's she shares a smaller house with her mom's boyfriend John Mark.

Where to find it

Hardcover, paperback, ebook and audiobook; widely held in libraries.

Before you start

Heads up: Racism, including a police shooting scene.

Age: Ages 8 to 12 (publisher; suggested 10+ for the police scene)

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Children”