Color Outside the Lines

In her editing debut, Mandanna produces a stunning collection of refreshing stories about love and identity among diverse young people. After being targeted by the same bully, a Jewish girl and a boy from India reclaim their power together in Lauren Gibaldi’s “What We Love.” A different kind of power surfaces in “Your Life Matters,” by L.L. McKinney, in which a young black superheroine puts herself in harm’s way to save her girlfriend’s father, a racist police officer, forcing him to rethink his views. “The Boy Is,” by Elsie Chapman, follows Holly, a Chinese-American girl, who feels forced to choose between a fellow child of Chinese immigrants or a white boy, whom her mother hopes will help her be seen as fully American. Each well-crafted story feels like a pearl, and strung together, they create something beautiful and unique. Featuring couples who are queer, interracial, or both, this an anthology that beautifully reflects the multifaceted reality of our world. Ages 14–up. [em](Nov.) [/em]