When being yourself isnt good enough, who should you be?Told in dual perspectives, this provocative and timely novel for middle-school readers by Paula Chase, the acclaimed author of So Done and Dough Boys, will resonate with fans of Jason Reynolds, Rebecca Stead, and Rene Watson.Best friends Rasheeda and Monique are both good girls. For Sheeda, that means keeping her friends close and following her deeply religious and strict aunts every rule. For Mo, that means not making waves in the prestigious and mostly White ballet intensive shes been accepted to.But what happens when Sheeda catches the eye of Mos older brother, and the invisible racial barriers to Mos success as a ballerina turn out to be not so invisible? What happens when you discover that being yourself isnt good enough? How do you fight back?Paula Chase explores the complex and emotional issues that affect many young teens in this novel set in the same neighborhood as her acclaimed So Done and Dough Boys. Friendship, family, finding yourself, and standing your ground are the themes of this universal story that is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Rebecca Stead, and Rene Watson.

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 3rd grade-7th grade.

This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.

There are 384 pages in this book. This book was published in 2021 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Paula Chase is the cofounder of The Brown Bookshelf, a site designed to increase awareness of African American voices writing for young readers. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland. Her novels include the acclaimed So Done and its companion, Dough Boys. www. paulachasehyman. com