Isabella, an 11-year-old biracial girl, navigates the complexities of having divorced parents and being caught between two households. The book delves into her struggles with racial identity, family dynamics, and the challenges of blending into two different worlds. Throughout the story, Isabella faces issues such as racial taunts, police prejudice, and the impact of her parents' divorce, all presented in an age-appropriate manner. The narrative follows Isabella's journey of self-discovery, resilience, and finding her place in a divided family structure.
Sharon M. Draper skillfully weaves together a powerful and well-written story that tackles sensitive topics such as divorce, racism, class differences, and stepfamilies with care and authenticity. The book is praised for its relatable and realistic portrayal of Isabella's experiences, making her a character that readers can empathize with. Draper's writing style effectively captures the emotional turmoil of a pre-teen girl grappling with identity, family conflicts, and societal challenges, making "Blended" a compelling and thought-provoking read for younger audiences.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of divorce, racism, police violence, and emotional distress related to these issues.
From The Publisher:
Eleven-year-old Isabella's blended family is more divided than ever in this "timely but genuine" (Publishers Weekly) story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.
Eleven-year-old Isabella's parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she's Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she's Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.
Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they're always about HER. Isabella feels completely stuck in the middle, split and divided between them more than ever. And she is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad involves more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it's also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: "You're so exotic!" "You look so unusual." "But what are you really?" She knows what they're really saying: "You don't look like your parents." "You're different." "What race are you really?" And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn't just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you're only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?
It seems like nothing can bring Isabella's family together again-until the worst thing happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.
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About the Author:
Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Florida, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.
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