I Am Golden

The Only Black Girls in Town

Dear Sweet Pea

How to Be a Girl in the World

Here in the Real World

Dear Girl: You are Amazing: Inspiring Stories about Courage, Inner Strength, and Self-Confidence

More to the Story

The One and Only Ivan

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

I Am Golden

Eva Chen, Sophie Diao, 2022

The Only Black Girls in Town

Brandy Colbert, 2020

Dear Sweet Pea

Julie Murphy, 2019

How to Be a Girl in the World

A Arter, Caela Carter, 2020

Here in the Real World

Sara Pennypacker, 2020

Dear Girl: You are Amazing: Inspiring Stories about Courage, Inner Strength, and Self-Confidence

Emily Green, 2022

More to the Story

Hena Khan, 2019

The One and Only Ivan

Patricia Castelao, Applegate Katherine, 2012