Clouds over California

May 15, 2023
An almost 12-year-old in 1970s Santa Monica, California, navigates family and friendship tensions. Stevie, perceptive and introverted, has recently moved with her parents to a new house on the other side of town and is starting over at a new school where she struggles to make friends. Her former best friend has been hanging out with the mean girls and ignoring her. As if that wasn't enough change, her parents are fighting: Against her White father's wishes, her Black homemaker mother wants to get a degree and a job. Having her rebellious 15-year-old cousin from Boston move in shakes things up even more--with Naomi around, Stevie gets exposed to the ideals of the Black Panther Party, which helps boost her confidence. Meanwhile, Stevie's mother is acting strangely--receiving secret phone calls, running odd errands, and spending time with a mystery friend. Stevie is desperate to know what's going on--and, assuming the worst, to keep her father from finding out. Despite Stevie's attempts to hold her family and friendships together, she may have to come to terms with a new normal. The author weaves together multiple storylines exploring the changing social landscape of the times, such as the Black Power movement and shifting gender roles. However, a lack of depth and uneven pacing hinder the story. Nevertheless, the characterization is strong throughout as Stevie demonstrates growth, and the secondary characters are well defined. A relationship-driven novel that is strongest in its portrayal of one girl's journey. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 15, 2023
Grades 4-7 In 1970s Santa Monica, Stevie's white father and Black mother have been fighting--particularly about her mother's desire to obtain a college degree--and her older cousin, Naomi, moves in after getting in trouble in her Boston hometown. Naomi takes a shine to her cousin and shakes things up, introducing Stevie to new music and encouraging the women in the house to embrace their natural hair texture and women's liberation. Stevie's dad bristles at some of the suggestions, preferring women to be homemakers. Stevie tries to keep everyone afloat and happy, but her mother is disappearing at night, Naomi is sneaking out to Black Panther meetings, and her dad is rarely present. How can Stevie keep all the secrets while staying true to herself as well as her loved ones? It's a compelling, complicated story that touches on huge topics--racist microaggressions, police profiling, feminism, divorce--but keeps it all focused through Stevie's wonderfully compassionate and curious lens. A fascinating and intimate snapshot of familial and personal transformation and the power in finding your voice.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 5, 2023
In 1970s Southern California, 11-year-old biracial Stevie is experiencing an overload of newness, including a new neighborhood, new school, and new classmates who tease her about her natural hair. Even once familiar staples in Stevie’s life are shifting before her eyes: her best friend, Jennifer, is dodging her calls now that Stevie has moved across town, and Stevie’s white father and Black homemaker mother are getting into arguments late at night about her mother’s desire to go back to school. The sudden arrival of her 15-year-old cousin Naomi—whose parents shipped her from Boston to Santa Monica to prevent her from joining the Black Panthers—throws a curveball in Stevie’s struggle to find her footing. As she grows closer to outspoken Naomi, Stevie begins unlocking her own untapped inner confidence. But even as Stevie’s social life starts looking up, she worries that her mother’s increasingly odd behavior—leaving home at strange hours and taking phone calls with someone named Clarence—could spell disaster for things at home. Told through a spirited first-person perspective, this earnest novel by Parsons (How High the Moon) seamlessly connects key historical moments during the Black Power movement, social politics, and evergreen tween conflicts surrounding agency and independence. Ages 8–12.

July 1, 2023
In an affecting story set in Santa Monica, California, in the 1970s, a young biracial girl at the center of a calamitous family dynamic learns to navigate momentous change and find her own place in the world. Life is not as it should be for eleven-year-old Stevie. Her parents have moved, which means she has to adjust to a new school. She does not make friends easily and is targeted by bullies over her natural hairstyle. Her best friend since third grade abandons their friendship when she joins a clique of mean girls. At home, her parents are constantly fighting because her stay-at-home mother wants to pursue a career over the strenuous objections of her chauvinistic father's ideas of women's roles in society. And then an older cousin, Naomi, who is involved with the Black Panther Party and is described as "full of fight," arrives to live with the family. Parsons's keenly empathetic portrayal of Stevie and her tribulations is complemented by an equally compelling attention to detail in establishing the era. Particular attention to the social agenda of the Black Panther Party adds validity to the setting. Themes of empowerment, friendship, bullying, interracial marriage (Stevie's father is white; her mother is Black), trust, divorce, and social justice are interwoven in perfect balance to create a satisfying ending in this honest coming-of-age story. Pauletta Brown Bracy

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 17, 2023

Gr 4-6-Parsons's (How High the Moon) newest middle grade novel sets readers in 1970s California as the Black Panther Party rises to prominence and the women's rights movement disrupts previously-established gender roles. The narrative centers Stevie, a sixth-grader, as she navigates dicey social situations at a new school while her home life is simultaneously upended. Naomi, Stevie's high-school aged cousin, has come to live with them from the East Coast in a familial attempt to "correct" Naomi's behavior. Stevie's mom, who is Black, goes back to school in secret while ex-CIA Dad, who is white, wields patriarchy like a mental and emotional weapon. This book is impressive in scope, addressing racism, patriarchy, policing, social dynamics, secrecy and truth, etc. While an admirable attempt, the result is an overstuffed narrative that ultimately feels like a collection of unfinished vignettes instead of a cohesive piece. Interestingly, the setting struggles to ground itself until much later in the book when specific indicators are provided (e.g. Black Panther fundraisers). Stevie's growth throughout the story is a strength, particularly as she learns to stand up for herself and set boundaries around her body and appearance. VERDICT Uneven but not without appeal. Best for very large collections.-Taylor Worley

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2023
In an affecting story set in Santa Monica, California, in the 1970s, a young biracial girl at the center of a calamitous family dynamic learns to navigate momentous change and find her own place in the world. Life is not as it should be for eleven-year-old Stevie. Her parents have moved, which means she has to adjust to a new school. She does not make friends easily and is targeted by bullies over her natural hairstyle. Her best friend since third grade abandons their friendship when she joins a clique of mean girls. At home, her parents are constantly fighting because her stay-at-home mother wants to pursue a career over the strenuous objections of her chauvinistic father's ideas of women's roles in society. And then an older cousin, Naomi, who is involved with the Black Panther Party and is described as "full of fight," arrives to live with the family. Parsons's keenly empathetic portrayal of Stevie and her tribulations is complemented by an equally compelling attention to detail in establishing the era. Particular attention to the social agenda of the Black Panther Party adds validity to the setting. Themes of empowerment, friendship, bullying, interracial marriage (Stevie's father is white; her mother is Black), trust, divorce, and social justice are interwoven in perfect balance to create a satisfying ending in this honest coming-of-age story.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)