She worries that middle school will swallow her alive. Maureen is nervous about middle school: She has a new confusing schedule, cadet corps, and, worst of all, classes without Francine. It’s the first day of school, and African American identical twins Maureen and Francine Carter are having mixed feelings. The colors will appeal to middle school readers who often prefer colored artwork (unless they read manga).Sixth grade presents new challenges for the Carter twins. The illustrations are vibrant and expressive. The happiness of the moments (in the midst of the drama), gives much warmth to the story. (They all sit together! That’s only been a daily occurrence in my family since we quarantined for Covid-19.) The way the family cooks together is again part of the artwork, not the narration. The nuances of the family’s life are told through the artwork, not in the narration. Of course, something must happen to move a plot along, but if I understood him correctly, he meant he didn’t want African American children to be always dealing with gangs and crime in their stories. Newberry Award Winning author Jerry Craft has said he just wants to see African American children represented in literature without something terrible happening. They just happen to be African American, but the themes are universal. This is simply a happy story (with ups and downs) about two sisters. In the age of “We need diverse Literature,” this title is a wonderful addition. Nothing can rock the bond between sisters, especially twin sisters. But Maureen and Francine’s relationships grows stronger. Lots of drama unfolds as the election gets heated. She decides to run for Student Council President against her sister. Her instructor suggests running for student council for extra credit. She isn’t a very good marcher and is in danger of getting her first B ever. Maureen is shocked to find out that Francine is the one who requested that they be in separate classes, and that her parents asked that she join the Cadet Core to build her self-confidence. But they shared friends, a room, and a cool older brother. Maureen has always been the one to excel academically. Francine has always been the more confident one. For the first time ever, Francine and Maureen will not have all the same classes.

Twins varian johnson book 2