Lisa Moore Ramée

Had Lisa Moore Ramee just written a book about the angst and confusion of middle school - old friendships changing, romantic relationships being a source of both longing and intense embarrassment, siblings and parents not always understanding you, testing boundaries, being self conscious about your body, the realization that adults don't always have all the answers - then this would have been a great book. All these topics are addressed in a pitch-perfect way, with our protagonist Shayla show more narrating her winding way through adolescence with an earnestness and heart that is endearing, even when she stumbles or isn't empathetic to her peers also struggling. However, Ramee also layers and weaves in the real effects of institutional and overt racism, micro-aggressions, and the terrifying reality of police shootings of unarmed African Americans into Shayla's story, making it a must-read. If you don't live her reality, it's a much-needed window to look into the experience of neighbors and fellow Americans. If you do, it's a much-needed recognition and mirror. Excellent and highly recommended. show less

12 yo starting junior high, trying to understand and navigate racial tension -- both in her own identity and the wider stages of family and classrooms. Her friendships from elementary school are stressed and changing. Her sister is an activist, highly involved in Black Lives Matter protests. Shayla is more interested in the new world of boys and crushes and in avoiding trouble.

Things I loved: vivid, believable characters (seriously, always my number 1 draw to a book). Shayla's story feels show more unique to her and at the same time offers a lot of space for others to empathize. I love Shayla's burgeoning interest in track, her mother's explanations for what is happening with Black Lives Matter, her two best friends from different backgrounds (they refer to themselves as the United Nations) and her new friendships.

There's a lot in here about jealousy and boys and crushes, so if that isn't your jam, it may not be for you. There's also a ton about not judging people until you know them better and about standing up for yourself and creating community. Spectacular for Tweens -- it's all about figuring out what you care about and how you are going to represent that. show less

Shayla gets nervous even thinking about trouble, and so she does her best to follow all the rules. But seventh grade brings a lot of complications involving friendships, boys, and the casual racism she feels all around her. Her two best friends and she have been the United Nations (because she's Black, Isabella is Hispanic, and Julia is Asian) since forever, but now it seems that Julia prefers to be with her Asian friends, Isabella is attracting the attention of the boy Shayla likes, and show more Shayla is feeling disapproval from some of her classmates - and her sister - for not having any Black friends. All of this is framed by the news story she and her family are following about the trial of a cop who shot a Black man. When the cop is found not guilty, Shayla faces her discomfort with getting into trouble and vows to stir up the good kind.

This middle grade novel would be a great way to ease younger kiddos into thinking about issues of race. It doesn't sugar-coat anything, but it manages to discuss the issues in a medium-stakes kind of way; think The Hate U Give lite. show less

Ramée is fast becoming one of my favorite middle-grade writers. She magically weaves in adolescent and family concerns with social justice into a beautiful, heart-felt package. In Something To Say, Jenae is in seventh grade, has no friends, and is basically okay with that. Her survival strategy is to be invisible, so when new kid Aubrey, with his neon-red hair and loud presence, bonds with her over a mutual Astrid Dane fandom and decides she WILL be his friend, Janae's invisibility starts show more breaking down. Especially in their shared English class, where the teacher assigns SPEECHES - Janae's ultimate fear. The story also includes Janae's brother (home from college and depressed after a bad sports injury), her mom (not a warm presence), dad (absent actor), grandpa (loves Westerns), as well as a storyline about controversy surrounding a potential name change for her school (from John Wayne to Sylvia Mendez, a Latina girl who integrated before Brown v. Board of Education). It sounds like a lot, but Ramée works masterfully to give Janae "something to say" about all of it. show less