My Year in the Middle

My Year in the Middle

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Publication Year

2018

ISBN

9780763692315

Pages

288 pages

Genre

realism

Format

novel

Item Type

Fiction

Annotation

Sixth-grader Lu Olivera just wants to keep her head down and get along with everyone in her class. The trouble is, Lu’s old friends have been changing lately — acting boy crazy and making snide remarks about Lu’s newfound talent for running track. Lu’s secret hope for a new friend is fellow runner Belinda Gresham. But in 1970 in Red Grove, Alabama, blacks and whites don’t mix. As segregationist ex-governor George Wallace ramps up his campaign against the current governor, Albert Brewer, growing tensions in the state — and in the classroom — mean that Lu can’t stay neutral about the racial divide at school. Will she find the gumption to stand up for what’s right and to choose friends who do the same?

Grade Level

6-8

Lexile Measure

720L

Diversity Topics

Race & Culture; Bilingual / Multilingual; Immigrants and refugees; Race discrimination; bilingual / multilingual family; bilingual / multilingual parent(s); bilingual / multilingual child; racism; prejudice; segregation; marginalized group of people

Main Character

female teenager

Race/Ethnicities

Hispanic / Latinx

Awards

Cybils Awards, 2018, Nominee, Middle Grade Fiction
International Latino Book Award, 2019, Honourable Mention, Best Youth Chapter Fiction Book(English)

Keywords

running; election; political; bias

Diversity Impact

direct

My Year in the Middle

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