In the Key of Us

The Only Black Girls in Town

Dear Sweet Pea

P.S. I Miss You

Sundae Girl

Finding Cherokee Brown

How to Be a Girl in the World

Here in the Real World

I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark.

Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena―the only other adopted black girl she knows―for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda’s sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can’t seem to find one real friend.

Through it all, Makeda can’t help but wonder: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?

Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

In the Key of Us

Mariama J. Lockington, 2022

The Only Black Girls in Town

Brandy Colbert, 2020

Dear Sweet Pea

Julie Murphy, 2019

P.S. I Miss You

Jen Petro-Roy, 2018

Sundae Girl

Cathy Cassidy, 2007

Finding Cherokee Brown

Siobhan Curham, 2013

How to Be a Girl in the World

A Arter, Caela Carter, 2020

Here in the Real World

Sara Pennypacker, 2020