The Other Half of My Heart
Publisher
Delacorte Press
Publication Year
2010
ISBN
9780385734400
Pages
304 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Twin daughters of interracial parents, eleven-year-olds Keira and Minna have very different skin tones and personalities, but it is not until their African American grandmother enters them in the Miss Black Pearl Pre-Teen competition in North Carolina that red-haired and pale-skinned Minna realizes what life in their small town in the Pacific Northwest has been like for her more outgoing, darker-skinned sister.
Grade Level
3-5, 6-8
Lexile Measure
750L
Diversity Topics
Racial Diversity; Biracial; Interracial; biracial children; mixed race; interracial family; interracial parents
Main Character
female children
Race/Ethnicities
African American / White
Family Formation
mother and father
Awards
Skipping Stones Honor Award, 2011, Winner, Multicultural And International
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2011 Ages (9 to 12)
Booklist Book Review Stars, 2010
Choices, 2011 Children's Fiction
Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2010
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 2010
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2011 Social Interactions and Relationship
Keywords
twins; sisters; identity; prejudice; beauty contests; grandmothers
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Frazier, Sundee Tucker, "The Other Half of My Heart" (2010). Diverse Families. 203.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/203