The Long Ride

In this autobiographical novel, Budhos (Watched) takes a close look at how 1971 integration efforts in Queens affect seventh graders from a predominantly white neighborhood when they are bussed nearly an hour away to a junior high in an underserved community. Jamila, who lives with her white mother and Barbadian father, is used to being regarded as black, as are her mixed-race friends Josie and Francesca. But in the halls of JHS 241, where Jamila feels she can finally blend into the mix of skin tones, she is surprised to be called a "white girl" and criticized for her blossoming relationship with John, a black boy. Bolstered by a warm family life, Jamila copes with the emotional turbulence of being 12 and trying to fit in, along with the larger struggles of a new environment and the swelling undercurrent of anger that occurs both at school and in her own community. Budhos creates a cast of sympathetic and credible characters--both adults trying to do the right thing and children caught in the middle of a social "experiment"--in this compassionate and thoughtful depiction of families grappling daily with the inequities of a changing society. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Gracefully balances the surrounding complex issues of race, class, and equity, without losing focus on the small moments (nascent crushes, perfect outfits) that dominate the lives of her young protagonists."—Booklist

"A layered look at desegregation through the eyes of various characters along the color spectrum, demonstrating that things are not always black and white; it's also a sharp take on the majority's getting a glimpse of what it's like to feel like an outsider." —Bulletin

"This engaging novel serves as a gateway for readers to learn about the issues of desegregation busing plans in the U.S. and the influence of various adults, and government decisions, in multiracial childhoods." -The Horn Book