Gr 9 Up—When Avery's family moves down South to take care of her terminally ill grandmother, secrets long buried
are brought to light. This debut is a bittersweet look at navigating trauma through three generations of women that
doesn't shy away from the complex relationships that tie them to their roots.

Avery is a senior in high school when she suddenly move to the small town in Georgia (from DC) where her grandmother is currently dying. She hasn't seen her Mama Letty or been back to Georgia since a family fight she can't remember when she was five or six.
She meets her people Simone and Jade. But as she works to develop a relationship with Mama Letty she learns about the past and the pain, turning her world upside down.
It's a coming of age story, it's a story of racism's impact on families, it's a story of identity and queerness. Beautiful and painful. On the Lincoln list for 2025. ( )

Avery isn't thrilled to be relocating to Bardell, Georgia for her senior year of high school, but her grandmother is dying and it's Avery's last chance to make a connection with the cantankerous old woman. As a queer, mixed-race teen, Avery worries about how small town life will work for her, but she soon makes two close friends and starts learning about her own family history and how it's wound up in the history of the place. Mama Letty, her grandmother, is prickly and harsh, but Avery is willing to put the work into discovering what made her grandma the woman she is. However, the more she learns, the darker the secrets become...

This book is well-written, with complex characters and a realistic plot. It took me a really long time to get into the book, and I spent some time being annoyed at teenagers being teenagers, but I think both of those problems were more about me than the book. If you enjoy YA lit that tackles big issues, this is definitely a book to look into. ( )

High school senior, Avery, moves mid-year with their mom and dad from D.C. to a small town in Georgia, where Avery's mother grew up, to be with Mama Letty, Avery's estranged, crotchety, ill grandmother in her final months. There are LOTS of secrets in this family and old murder mysteries in the town. The move is understandably hard on Avery, school issues aside. Avery is bi-racial and queer and doesn't feel comfortable in the town.

The character for me which made the novel most interesting was Mama Letty. She has spunk and a devil-may-care attitude. Most characters seemed whiny to me and make choices which they know will have consequences, but still make them. The target audience of YA will likely enjoy the younger characters much more.

The somewhat ambiguous but shocking ending confused me, but I don't want to say more. ( )

(audio fiction, ~10hrs) queer Black/mixed teen moves to the deep south, and becomes attracted to her new friend (whose family doesn't know she's gay); her other new friend's grandfather allegedly (most definitely) killed her grandfather back in the day and their families do NOT get along.

whew! lots of drama and racial tension does not adequately describe the situation here. The narration, skillfully provided by Tamika Katon-Donegal, is also excellent. ( )