Full of heart and beauty. A great book to read on a summer evening.
Blended
By Sharon M. Draper
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grade 4 | n/a | 4 | 49971 |
Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this thoughtful story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.
Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.
Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?
It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.
Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.
Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?
It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
ISBN-13: 9781442495012
ISBN-10: 1442495014
Published on 10/29/2019
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 320
Book Reviews (42)
“Am I Black?” “Or white?” Questions like these have always circled around eleven-year-old Isabella Thornton’s mind. Being biracial, her father being black and her mother white, Isabella hasn’t ever felt whole. And her parents getting a divorce definitely didn’t help this incompletion she feels. Isabella now feels like two different people, her father’s Isabella and her mother’s Izzy. Once a week, she is transferred from her father’s wealth and luxury to her mother’s humble living, and back. Isabella also experiences the harsh racism that the Black community faces after her friend finds a noose in her locker. With a dramatic and emotional ending to this splendid book, Isabella learns to use her voice to speak up for people and what she believes in. Overall, I thought this book was heartwarming, interesting, and humorous at times. The best part was the good life lessons that were taught throughout the book. Weaving light-hearted content but still adding the heavy content that makes the reader really get into the story, the author allows the reader to go on an exceptional and timeless journey about a girl trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. This book asks the question of “Who are you going to be as a person?” and I believe that by the end of this book, the reader can answer that question with certainty.
I LOVE THIS BOOK it feels like me and izzy have a connection
I have read this book in tears; not because of how sad Blended is, but because how Isabella acted toward her fears and challenges. Author Sharon M. Draper has written yet another heart-breaking novel. Young eleven-year-old Isabella's parents just divorced, and Izzy thinks it's because her mom's white and her dad's black. Grown up as a mix, she's always been called "weird" an "unusual." But now, when it seems like she has two identities and two different families living in two different worlds, the worst is yet to come. Isabella gets shot in the arm, and, for once, her two worlds merge into one happy, calm, and peaceful family atmosphere. Read Sharon M. Draper's book, Blended, because every story counts.
I think just cause she doesnt LOOK LIKE her parents doesnt mean people should EVER JUDGE HER her mom ,dad have different cultures yes but deep deep down they love eachother tons and Isabella shouldn't have to switch identities every week or even anything she should just be herself( my names Isabella and izzy is MY nickname as well):):)
Exactly! Never judge a book by its cover, even if it does look like a boring book. Every story counts.
Have you guys ever read making friend where Daniel literally drew her friend from a magic sketch book!?!?and then she has a magic wallet and prince Neptune destroys the school and kisses danielle and then she gets grounded in book 2
Recommend for 10+
Age shouldn't matter, as long as the audience knows what they should and shouldn't add to their speech and actions. This book should be recommended to anyone who wants to hear a heartbreaking novel. Every story counts.
Due to some of the language!
I don't remember thee being any bad language, but age doesn't really matter as long as you're mature enough to understand it. It's a clean book.
This book is amazing!! If I could I would do a 1,000 stars
I recommend this book to people who like drama and a little bit of romance.
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I recommend this book for people who like action drama romance