When the Black Girl Sings

14-year-old Lahni is struggling. She's the only African-American in an exclusive girls' school, her white adoptive parents are getting a divorce, and the popular crowd at school makes fun of her race. But when she's nominated for a singing competition and discovers gospel music, her world begins to change.

Lahni has never thought of her life as being complicated until the end of her middle school year at her exclusive girls school. She was adopted by white parents as a baby but, as the only African American student, Lahni feels out of place. She has never spent time with other African Americans, and with her parents going through a divorce, she begins to question who she is and her role in her life as well as their lives. When she is entered in a singing competition at her school, she joins a local church choir to improve her voice. Through her singing with the choir, she discovers more than just a newfound love for singing - she finds out she is more than an African American girl with white parents. She learns that she is important, she show more belongs, and nobody is going to bring her down. A beautiful story of a young girl finding out she is more than she ever gave herself credit for, and can do more than she ever thought she could do. show less

Not impressed, sadly. I didn't believe any of the character growth, of Lahni or any of the supporting cast. Why did the church choir fall so in love with Lahni? Who were her parents and what were their motivations for anything? Why are Katie and Lahni friends? I've taught at a private girls' school myself for 10 years, and none of the girls' dialogue rang true. I haven't seen cross-racial adoption come in many books, so I'm sorry this one didn't work for me.

Lahni Schuler is an African American girl adopted by a white couple who are going through a divorce. She finds both a sense of identity and a sense of healing by joining a gospel choir. Lahni is a well-drawn character and Wilson effectively portrays the nerve-wracking excitement of live performance.

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Lahni Schuler sometimes just doesn't understand her life.

She doesn't understand why a Caucasian couple would adopt an African American baby. She doesn't understand why they would enroll that girl in a private school where she is the only African American. She doesn't understand why some of the girls at the school are so snotty and so ignorant, especially towards her. And she definitely doesn't understand why her parents are continuously arguing, when just weeks ago they would all watch movies together as a happy family.

What she does know is that she doesn't fit in, that her comfort zone involves keeping to herself, sometimes not even telling her best friend, Katie, show more everything, and that she has to be strong, especially for her mother, and that somewhere inside she has this amazing voice.

Mr. Faringhelli knows this, too, and wants Lahni to sing in a competition. Of course, Lahni isn't so sure about this, since it is out of her comfort zone, and she just doesn't think she could do it. Then the perfect timing comes into place when she decides to sing for her church's choir; what better way to practice singing, especially in front of a live audience. She not only surprises herself with this bold move, but also her mother. It's finally a place for Lahni to improve, to fit in, to forget all of her worries that continue to trouble her. It is the perfect escape.

Even though she does have the choir to comfort her, she knows that she will still have to deal with the girls at her school, and with her father leaving all of the time on little trips during the week, acting clueless and not wanting to talk about the situation at all. And she still has to deal with the singing competition. Just as long as she knows she has her friends and the ones she loves by her side, she can accomplish anything.

WHEN THE BLACK GIRL SINGS is an inspirational story that will amaze all readers. The story of a girl who never fit in until she finally embraced her talent and turned it into something beautiful, shows how anyone, regardless of race, or gender, or size, can easily accomplish anything, just as long as they know they can. This is one well-written novel that will be enjoyed by generations to come. show less

It was pretty good it was about seperation and how the kids treated her differently.

Not very well written, really. Disappointing.