Blended

Blended by Sharon M. Draper – A Powerful Middle Grade Novel About Identity, Race, and Family

From New York Times bestselling author Sharon M. Draper comes Blended, a timely and compelling novel about an eleven-year-old girl navigating the complexities of divorce, race, and identity. Perfect for fans of Wonder and Inside Out and Back Again, this emotionally resonant story explores what it means to be caught between two homes—and two worlds.

Isabella lives a life split in half. One week she’s with her white mom and her mom’s boyfriend in a cozy, modest house. The next, she’s with her Black dad, his new fiancée, and her stepbrother in a wealthy neighborhood where they’re one of the only Black families. Every week she switches homes, bedrooms, nicknames, and backpacks—and now she’s beginning to question who she really is in the midst of it all.

Isabella’s identity is further complicated by the constant questions and comments from strangers: “What are you?” “You’re so exotic.” “You don’t look like your parents.” These moments of microaggression, combined with her parents' escalating arguments, leave Isabella feeling like she’s being torn in two.

But everything changes when a violent encounter with the police shatters her world and forces her family—and herself—to confront painful truths.

A bold and heartfelt novel that tackles racial identity, blended families, and police violence with honesty and compassion, Blended is a must-read for middle grade readers and educators alike.