Unstoppable Octobia May
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Bestselling and award-winning author, Sharon G. Flake, delivers a mystery set in the 1950s that eerily blends history, race, culture, and family.Octobia May is girl filled with questions. Her heart condition makes her special - and, some folks would argue, gives this ten-year-old powers that make her a "wise soul." Thank goodness for Auntie, who convinces Octobia's parents to let her live in her boarding house that is filled with old folks. That's when trouble, and excitement, and wonder begin. Auntie is non-traditional. She's unmarried and has plans to purchase other boarding homes and hotels. At a time when children, and especially girls, are "seen, not heard," Auntie allows Octobia May the freedom and expression of an adult. When Octobia starts to question the folks in her world, an adventure and a mystery unfold that beg some troubling questions: Who is black and who is "passing" for white? What happens when a vibrant African American community must face its own racism?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's 1953, and 10-year-old Octobia May believes that "freedom is as big as the moon for a colored gal who ain't afraid of nothing." She's eager to follow in her Aunt Shuma's footsteps and go after what she wants, even if others disapprove. But trying to prove that her aunt's insomniac boarder, Mr. Davenport, is a vampire could be too risky, even for brave, quick-thinking Octobia May. After she thinks she sees Mr. Davenport murdering a woman on the street, she is targeted by the boarder, who is a wealthy banker, and an Irish policeman who thinks she's up to no good. Three-time Coretta Scott King Honoree Flake (The Skin I'm In) offers a fast-paced mystery that traces Octobia May's journey into dangerous territory at a time when women and African-Americans struggled to exercise their rights. Though some of Octobia May's feats push plausibility and some secrets about Mr. Davenport's past too easily discovered, Flake provides an eye-opening picture of post-WWII America. Octobia May is a determined sleuth who will win the admiration of Flake's fans. Ages 8 12.
