When the Black Girl Sings

When the Black Girl Sings
By Bil Wright
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008. 266 pgs. Young Adult

Lahni is an African American girl who was adopted as a baby by a white couple. She's always sort of wondered about that--why they wanted that and how her family fits together--and now, as a teenager attending a predominantly white school and with her parents on the brink of divorce, Lahni is wondering more than ever who she is. When she and her mother start attending church and Lahni hears the choir sing gospel music, she realizes that she wants to sing and joins the choir as well as prepares for a musical competition at school. At the same time, however, she struggles to reach inside her and truly find her voice.

Lahni is a realistically-portrayed character and her struggles to figure out her identity and to deal with her family troubles are problems that many teens will be able to relate to.

AE