Clarion Books
It All Comes Down To This
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It All Comes Down To This
Author(s): Karen English
A powerful middle grade coming-of-age novel set in a slowly integrating upper middle class Los Angeles neighborhood in the summer of 1965, from a Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning author. Perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and Sharon M. Draper.
It’s 1965, Los Angeles. Sophie is the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents’ marriage is rocky. Plus, there’s her family’s new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. Then riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, and Sophie learns that life—and her own place in it—is even more complicated than she’d once thought.
“Honest, witty . . . relatable. Unfairness and race-consciousness run through the story—so do surprises. Bigotry wears many guises. Kindness does too.” —Wall Street Journal
“Thoughtful and well-wrought . . . . Compassionate, pointed, and empowering.” —Booklist, starred review
“An impressive coming-of-age story.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Reveals how an impressionable and intelligent child learns from the injustices that touch her, her family, and her friends.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review(s):
? "A satisfying combination of historical and realistic fiction featuring an interesting and diverse cast." —SLJ, starred review ? "Thoughtful and well-wrought, this novel is compassionate, pointed, and empowering." —Booklist, starred review ? "Most of all, this is an impressive coming-of-age story whose fully realized protagonist is surrounded by a rich supporting cast. Cultural details artfully evoke the tenor and tone of the times." —Kirkus, starred review ? "Expressing subtle and blatant bigotries alike, English (the Carver Chronicles series) movingly reveals how an impressionable and intelligent child learns from the injustices that touch her, her family, and her friends." —PW, starred review "Ms. English has a light touch, and she captures human idiosyncrasy in an honest, witty way that makes her characters relatable, whatever their color or pallor. Unfairness and race-consciousness run through the story—so do surprises. Bigotry wears many guises. Kindness does too." —Wall Street Journal ". . . a true coming-of-age story. The perspective of an upper-middle-class African American family is an unusual and welcome one; and Sophie’s interactions with her white best friend make for a particularly honest dialogue. Fans of Rita Williams-Garcia will enjoy this moving, frank novel." —Horn Book ". . . [It All Comes Down to This] will capture readers at every point, bringing a nuanced understanding to the history of American civil rights that is sometimes flattened in the classroom curriculum." —Bulletin
ISBN: 9780358098539
Author(s): Karen English
A powerful middle grade coming-of-age novel set in a slowly integrating upper middle class Los Angeles neighborhood in the summer of 1965, from a Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning author. Perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and Sharon M. Draper.
It’s 1965, Los Angeles. Sophie is the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents’ marriage is rocky. Plus, there’s her family’s new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. Then riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, and Sophie learns that life—and her own place in it—is even more complicated than she’d once thought.
“Honest, witty . . . relatable. Unfairness and race-consciousness run through the story—so do surprises. Bigotry wears many guises. Kindness does too.” —Wall Street Journal
“Thoughtful and well-wrought . . . . Compassionate, pointed, and empowering.” —Booklist, starred review
“An impressive coming-of-age story.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Reveals how an impressionable and intelligent child learns from the injustices that touch her, her family, and her friends.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review(s):
? "A satisfying combination of historical and realistic fiction featuring an interesting and diverse cast." —SLJ, starred review ? "Thoughtful and well-wrought, this novel is compassionate, pointed, and empowering." —Booklist, starred review ? "Most of all, this is an impressive coming-of-age story whose fully realized protagonist is surrounded by a rich supporting cast. Cultural details artfully evoke the tenor and tone of the times." —Kirkus, starred review ? "Expressing subtle and blatant bigotries alike, English (the Carver Chronicles series) movingly reveals how an impressionable and intelligent child learns from the injustices that touch her, her family, and her friends." —PW, starred review "Ms. English has a light touch, and she captures human idiosyncrasy in an honest, witty way that makes her characters relatable, whatever their color or pallor. Unfairness and race-consciousness run through the story—so do surprises. Bigotry wears many guises. Kindness does too." —Wall Street Journal ". . . a true coming-of-age story. The perspective of an upper-middle-class African American family is an unusual and welcome one; and Sophie’s interactions with her white best friend make for a particularly honest dialogue. Fans of Rita Williams-Garcia will enjoy this moving, frank novel." —Horn Book ". . . [It All Comes Down to This] will capture readers at every point, bringing a nuanced understanding to the history of American civil rights that is sometimes flattened in the classroom curriculum." —Bulletin
ISBN: 9780358098539