The Only Black Girls in Town

Brandy Colbert's "The Only Black Girls in Town" is a compelling middle grade novel centering on 12-year-old Alberta, who lives with her two dads in a small, predominantly white California beach town. Her world shifts when Edie, another Black girl from Brooklyn, moves in across the street. Despite their different personalities, they quickly bond over their shared experience of being "the only Black girls" and facing microaggressions. The story skillfully weaves together themes of friendship, identity, and family challenges, including Edie's parents' divorce. A central mystery unfolds as the girls discover old journals belonging to a Black woman who lived in their town in the 1950s and passed as white, prompting them to explore local history and their own evolving identities. This book is ideal for readers aged 9-13, offering a nuanced look at race, friendship, and self-discovery.

Alberta is positive she and the new girl, Edie, will be fast friends. But while Alberta loves being a California girl, Edie misses her native Brooklyn and finds it hard to adapt to small-town living. When the girls discover a box of old journals in E