cover image Finding My Place

Finding My Place

Traci L. Jones, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, $16.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-374-33573-1

Fourteen-year-old Tiphanie Baker's parents, former civil rights activists, are "big on doing their part to uplift the race" and firmly expect Tiphanie to do the same. In the fall of 1975, she leaves her comfortable neighborhood and moves to a nearly all-white school in Denver's suburbs, where she "never felt so Black—and so friendless—in my entire life." While her parents revel in their prestigious new jobs, Tiphanie becomes an object of curiosity and animosity at school, until another outcast, Jackie Sue (self-described "walking talking trailer trash") befriends her. The tension of the story comes from a bigoted and threatening classmate who preys on both girls and the growing mountain of secrets that Jackie Sue seems to be keeping about her alcoholic, depressed mother. Jones (Standing Against the Wind) does well to keep the story focused on Jackie Sue and Tiphanie's complicated friendship, while subtly showcasing the equally complex intersections of race and class. It's a straightforward, welltold story with characters that ring true, and the bittersweet ending will remind readers that friendships sometimes come at a cost. Ages 12–up. (June)