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Isabella is blended: half-white, half-black. Soon, she’s going to be in a blended family, too. How do you find your identity when you’re all mixed up?
Blended by Sharon Draper. Atheneum, 2020. 320 pages.
- Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
- Recommended For: ages 10-15
Isabella’s dad is black, her mom white. They used to be a nice threesome until her parents divorced. Now? She’s not sure who she is: Izzy? (to her mom). Isabella? (to her dad). She’s not all-white or all-black. She lives one week with her mom, one week with her dad, and on it goes.
Thankfully, she has a great group of friends at school, including her bestie, Imani. So when her parents start talking marriage (not to each other), and life seems more topsy-turvy than usual, Isabella can rely on her friends for some stability. But one day, Imani finds a noose in her school locker. And suddenly, the girls find themselves trying to decipher racial issues in new and troubling ways. Isabella doesn’t experience racism in the same ways that Imani does, but she still grapples with the outside world’s misunderstandings and snap judgements.
Blended tackles a lot of issues in one, tidy middle grades package. And for the most part, it addresses issues with grace, humor, poignancy, and thoughtfulness. The ending is a little too neatly wrapped up, but most middle school readers will find it reassuring. Draper writes about big issues that kids are dealing with (divorce, racial tension, etc.) in ways that young readers will resonate with. Do be willing to follow-up with your young readers after they finish the book in case they have questions about how these situations resolve in the real world. Blended would also make a fantastic book club choice!
Bottom Line: A thought-provoking read with a reassuring ending.
Related Reading From Redeemed Reader
- Reviews: We really liked Draper’s Out of My Mind (starred review), Out of My Heart, and Out of My Dreams.
- Review: Stella by Starlight (also by Draper) is a historical fiction novel that touches on racism.
- Review: Jason Reynold’s Patina addresses some similar themes as Blended, and is also about a young woman.
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