Violet and the Pie of Life

Orange County, Calif.–based math whiz Violet Summers, 12, who has “big brown eyes and peach-colored skin,” feels gutted when her father goes from being her goofy, joke-telling partner in crime to disappearing from her life without explanation. After moving out one day, he fails to return her calls or emails; instead of providing sufficient clarification, her mother either works, nags, or uses “her soothy voice” to express sympathy. Despite her aversion to standing out, Violet auditions for The Wizard of Oz, hoping to avoid home and hang out with her domineering best friend McKenzie Williston, also white, at rehearsals. But when Violet secures the role of the Lion and McKenzie is cast in a minor role, Violet has mixed feelings about appearing alongside kind, popular part-white, part-Mexican Ally Ziegler (“her nice parents and cute sisters and perfect life”), who is cast as Dorothy and whom McKenzie abhors. Through charts, graphs, and diagrams, all pictured, Violet attempts to solve the mystery of her circumstances—and how she can fix them. Green sincerely conjures Violet’s deep pain, confusion, frustration, and worry over shifting relationships; her frank, energetic voice carries this sensitive narrative. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)