A Different Beat - Softcover

Gr. 4^-6. On the cover two African American girls scowl at each other. One is dark skinned, the other lighter; and issues of ethnic identity and self-esteem, competition, and friendship are at the heart of this candid contemporary story, a sequel to Fall Secrets (1994). Hurt by a teacher's racism, sixth-grader Jessie worries that some people don't like her dark skin. She knows that a lot of whites reject her, and some black people, too--does her own father? Her rivalry with a classmate at her performing arts middle school focuses on the girls' view of their blackness as well as on their artistic gifts. The story is too didactic, and some characters function too much as therapists. But Jessie's home and school are drawn with warmth and wit. Through individual people Boyd dramatizes the rich diversity within the African American community. She confronts issues long ignored in middle-grade fiction. Young girls will recognize Jessie's hurt and anger and her struggle to accept who she is. Hazel Rochman