What Lane?
By:
Anything his friends can do, Stephen should be able to do too, right? So when they dare each other to sneak into an abandoned building, he doesn’t think it’s his lane, but he goes. Here’s the thing, though: Can he do everything his friends can? Lately, he’s not so sure. As a mixed kid, he feels like he’s living in two worlds with different rules—and he’s been noticing that strangers treat him differently than his white friends… So what’ll he do? Hold on tight as Stephen swerves in and out of lanes to find ou which are his—and who should be with him.
ISBN: 9780525518433
JLG Release: Aug 2020
Sensitive Areas:
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: Mild Violence , Language: Mild Language
Topics:
Racism
, Friendship
, Black Lives Matter movement
, Racially mixed people
, African Americans
, Brooklyn, New York
, New York City
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
School Library Journal*
School Library Journal
Taking his title from a fictional baller’s mantra, Maldonado depicts his young hero’s awakening to the ugly realities of contemporary American racism. Caught between his best friend Dan, and Dan’s racist cousin Chad; straddling the line between his overprotective, naive white mother and his realist, all-too-aware Black father; and doing his b Taking his title from a fictional baller’s mantra, Maldonado depicts his young hero’s awakening to the ugly realities of contemporary American racism. Caught between his best friend Dan, and Dan’s racist cousin Chad; straddling the line between his overprotective, naive white mother and his realist, all-too-aware Black father; and doing his best to integrate his middle school friend group, biracial Stephen is finding it tricky to “stay wide in all lanes.” With his mother unwilling to admit the real perils her Black son faces outside their home, Stephen nonetheless discovers the Black Lives Matter movement at his school, and begins processing the insidious racism that he faces daily. Whether he’s handling daily interactions with local shopkeepers, or with the passersby on the street when he is fake fighting his white best friend, or dealing with the escalating aggression of Chad’s racist behavior, Stephen manages to avoid being pushed into one narrow, race-defined path. Popular with kids of all backgrounds, Stephen works to make his friends more accepting of each other, while making himself less susceptible to the sometimes irresponsible whims of his classmates. Maldonado uses a biracial adolescent boy’s perspective to draw his readers into an engaging story of identity and tough choices that will appeal to middle schoolers everywhere. An ideal choice for school book clubs and advisory.
Book Details
ISBN
9780525518433
First Release
August 2020
Genre
Fic
Dewey Classification
F
Trim Size
8 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Page Count
144
Accelerated Reader
N/AScholastic Reading Counts
N/ALexile
N/AFormat
Print Book
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen
Potentially Sensitive Areas
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: Mild Violence , Language: Mild Language
Topics
Racism, Friendship, Black Lives Matter movement, Racially mixed people, African Americans, Brooklyn, New York, New York City,
