From the Publisher
Best friends Monique and Rasheeda spend the summer before ninth grade apart when Monique gets into a prestigious ballet training program and Rasheeda is left behind to help her aunt at their close-knit church. . . . Readers will enjoy the contrasting narratives as well as the authentic dialogue. . . . Fans of . . . Jason Reynolds’s “Track” series are sure to enjoy . . . Chase writes the diverging, formative experiences of young Black girls beautifully.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Two 13-year-old girls figure out what’s really important to them during a transitional summer. Best friends Monique Jenkins and Rasheeda Tate are facing unfamiliar situations without each other to lean on . . . Writing from the girls’ alternating third-person viewpoints, Chase lends authenticity to the characters’ distinct voices. She delves into the unique pressures of ballet and church cultures with empathetic understanding.” — Kirkus Reviews
“At ballet, Mo is dealing with being one of the only Black students . . . [while] at home, Sheeda finds herself flirting, via text and in person, with Mo’s older brother Lennie and struggling to find a friend groove . . . Chase . . . captures the viewpoint and texting voices of young teens with wit and vivacity. . . . The inviting voice, vivid characterization, and comradely take on teen troubles continues to make the girls from the Cove engaging company, and readers will be keen to see what’s next.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Monique and Rasheeda are best friends . . . But when Mo is accepted into their school’s talented and gifted dance program . . . Sheeda is left questioning . . . what the girls’ summer has in store for them. With what feels like a world between them, the girls navigate unfamiliar territory and the social pressures of adolescence. . . . Chase’s latest . . . will hook readers . . . [and] is sure to shift perspectives and move hearts. . . . [A] timely middle-grade title, further diversifying representations of Black girlhood.” — Booklist
“The crew from the Cove is back . . . Empathetic to the ambiguities of Black girlhood, and to adolescence in general, Chase moves effortlessly between Sheeda’s and Mo’s alternating chapters, as they go forward with a better understanding of themselves and each other. Readers will root for Sheeda and Mo’s friendship from beginning to end. . . . A solid standalone.” — Horn Book Magazine
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
At ballet, Mo is dealing with being one of the only Black students . . . [while] at home, Sheeda finds herself flirting, via text and in person, with Mo’s older brother Lennie and struggling to find a friend groove . . . Chase . . . captures the viewpoint and texting voices of young teens with wit and vivacity. . . . The inviting voice, vivid characterization, and comradely take on teen troubles continues to make the girls from the Cove engaging company, and readers will be keen to see what’s next.
Booklist
Monique and Rasheeda are best friends . . . But when Mo is accepted into their school’s talented and gifted dance program . . . Sheeda is left questioning . . . what the girls’ summer has in store for them. With what feels like a world between them, the girls navigate unfamiliar territory and the social pressures of adolescence. . . . Chase’s latest . . . will hook readers . . . [and] is sure to shift perspectives and move hearts. . . . [A] timely middle-grade title, further diversifying representations of Black girlhood.
Horn Book Magazine
The crew from the Cove is back . . . Empathetic to the ambiguities of Black girlhood, and to adolescence in general, Chase moves effortlessly between Sheeda’s and Mo’s alternating chapters, as they go forward with a better understanding of themselves and each other. Readers will root for Sheeda and Mo’s friendship from beginning to end. . . . A solid standalone.
Booklist
Monique and Rasheeda are best friends . . . But when Mo is accepted into their school’s talented and gifted dance program . . . Sheeda is left questioning . . . what the girls’ summer has in store for them. With what feels like a world between them, the girls navigate unfamiliar territory and the social pressures of adolescence. . . . Chase’s latest . . . will hook readers . . . [and] is sure to shift perspectives and move hearts. . . . [A] timely middle-grade title, further diversifying representations of Black girlhood.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
At ballet, Mo is dealing with being one of the only Black students . . . [while] at home, Sheeda finds herself flirting, via text and in person, with Mo’s older brother Lennie and struggling to find a friend groove . . . Chase . . . captures the viewpoint and texting voices of young teens with wit and vivacity. . . . The inviting voice, vivid characterization, and comradely take on teen troubles continues to make the girls from the Cove engaging company, and readers will be keen to see what’s next.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
At ballet, Mo is dealing with being one of the only Black students . . . [while] at home, Sheeda finds herself flirting, via text and in person, with Mo’s older brother Lennie and struggling to find a friend groove . . . Chase . . . captures the viewpoint and texting voices of young teens with wit and vivacity. . . . The inviting voice, vivid characterization, and comradely take on teen troubles continues to make the girls from the Cove engaging company, and readers will be keen to see what’s next.
School Library Journal
★ 08/01/2020
Gr 5 Up—Best friends Monique and Rasheeda spend the summer before ninth grade apart when Monique gets into a prestigious ballet training program and Rasheeda is left behind to help her aunt at their close-knit church. While Mo struggles to adjust to the microaggressions of an unfamiliar and primarily white environment, she ultimately gains confidence in her own dance abilities and begins to dream of a future at a dance high school. Sheeda, meanwhile, struggles between her obligations to her church and a slowly blossoming relationship with Mo's older brother Lennie, which comes close to something she isn't ready for. Though the two girls talk on the phone and text throughout the book, their journeys take place largely in alternating chapters. Readers will enjoy the contrasting narratives as well as the authentic dialogue. Mo and Sheeda's voices are very clear, and their conversations always feel natural and engaging. Fans of Chase's other middle grade books So Done and Dough Boys, or Jason Reynolds's "Track" series are sure to enjoy this down-to-earth summer read. VERDICT Chase writes the diverging, formative experiences of young Black girls beautifully. A necessary purchase for all collections.—Kelsey Socha, Springfield City Lib., MA
Kirkus Reviews
2020-07-14
Two 13-year-old girls figure out what’s really important to them during a transitional summer.
Best friends Monique Jenkins and Rasheeda Tate are facing unfamiliar situations without each other to lean on over the last summer before freshman year. Monique is attending a competitive three-week summer intensive at Ballet America—where she hopes to land a full-year scholarship. Upon arrival, she’s quickly faced with her differences: She and her friend from home, Mila, are the only Black people there. Unlike Mila and the White girls, Monique isn’t tall and thin, and she doesn’t know the nuances of ballet culture. Monique navigates microaggressions as she tries to fit in, with hopes of her talent’s being recognized. Meanwhile, Rasheeda is facing a lonely summer at home, afraid Mo will forget about her. Thrust into nonstop church activities by her pious aunt, Rasheeda spends her time wallowing, feeling the pressure to be a “good girl,” and being consoled by a flirtatious Lennie, Monique’s brother. Rasheeda starts to give church a chance and deepens her relationship with Lennie, which leads to a deeply upsetting event. Writing from the girls’ alternating third-person viewpoints, Chase lends authenticity to the characters’ distinct voices. She delves into the unique pressures of ballet and church cultures with empathetic understanding while also referencing difficulties faced by the Black working-class communities to which the main characters belong.
An insightful look at unintentional pressures placed upon children. (Fiction. 12-15)
