The Only Black Girls in Town

Twelve-year-old surfing fanatic Alberta has lived in Ewing Beach, Calif., with her fathers for much of her life. Her family is one of the only black families in town, until the Whitmans buy the old bed and breakfast across the street. Goth Edie, the same age as Alberta, is nothing like her. She's a proud Brooklyn native; she wears all black, down to the black lipstick she's never without; and she doesn't understand why everyone in Ewing loves the beach. And while Edie's parents are divorcing, Alberta's dads remain deeply in love. Despite their differences, the two become fast friends just as Alberta's lifelong best friend, who is white, begins drifting toward the popular girl who has bullied Alberta with racist taunts for years. When Alberta and Edie find a set of mysterious journals in Edie's new house, they also uncover an enduring secret. Imperfect, vulnerable characters take center stage in Colbert's middle grade debut about growing up on the margins in the past and present. Colbert employs a compulsively readable style to convey the sometimes difficult experience of young friendship, and the power and peril of claiming one's identity out loud. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners. (Mar.)

Gr 3-7—Alberta is a 13-year-old African American girl who loves surfing, vegetarian food, and her two dads. She does not love being the only African American girl in town, or the fact that her best friend Laramie is befriending her frenemy, Natalie. Initially, Alberta is thrilled to learn another Black family has moved in across the street—but when she meets new neighbor Edie, they seem to have more differences than commonalities. Brooklyn-born Edie likes coffee, black lipstick, and Edgar Allan Poe, whereas Alberta prefers board shorts and hanging out at the beach. But what starts as a rocky connection solidifies into friendship as the two girls bond over shared identities and solve a mystery that they uncover in the journals in Edie's attic. Alberta's friendship with Laramie seems to falter as she gets closer to Edie, but the girls become more flexible in their evolving friendship and grow. Eventually, Alberta learns how to balance sustaining old relationships with building new ones, and realizes she can stand up for herself. VERDICT A nuanced novel that skillfully depicts the ways friendships can be shaped by common experience and racial proximity. Purchase Colbert's heartfelt middle grade debut for all public and school libraries.—Desiree Thomas, Worthington Library, OH