Blended by Sharon M. Draper
Posted on 09/16/2020
Photo: book cover of Blended by Sharon M. Draper

"I like that Izzy learns it's not about what color you are, but that everyone is equal. And I like that she calls her hair a frizzy tornado, because that sounds just like mine.”                                                                                                                                Demiyah B, student, Alpine Crest Elementary

 

Blended by Sharon M. Draper is the Hamilton Book of the Week nominated by Alpine Crest Elementary. 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 even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities

Editorial Reviews

Amazon

from Amazon Readers

 

From Amazon.com:
"Timely and genuine." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Blended is a graceful novel about family and identity that will enlighten and entertain readers. Draper's insight into the world of an 11-year-old girl is uncanny.", Shelf Awareness

To check out more recommended books in the Hamilton Book of the Week at https://www.hcde.org/parents___students/suggested_reading.

Hamilton Book of the Week seeks to move Hamilton County Schools closer to district goals found in the Future Ready 2023 action plan.  We hope to encourage kids to read more books for fun by sharing books popular at area schools. 

  

Goals more students reading will address include:

  • Reading improvement will increase the number of students on-track or mastering English language arts
  • Improve the district ACT score to a district average of 21    
  • Reach the target goal of a 90 percent graduation rate by 2023