Hallway Diaries: An Anthology

by Felicia Pride, Debbie Rigaud, Karen Valentin

Book Overview

Three girls. Three high schools. Three gotta-read stories. How To Be Down by Felicia Pride When Nina Parker decides to straighten her Afro, lose her valley-girlaccent and get a total makeover for her new school in the hood, thecutest guy notices-- yes But so does the meanest girl, Vivica, queenbee of her crew, who wants Jeffrey for herself. Double Act by Debbie Rigaud In the hood, Mia Chambers is 'the smart girl, ' but at her prestigiousnew prep school...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037383084X
• ISBN13: 9780373830848
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Kimani Press
• Length: 393 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 8 to 11 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 6

Customer Reviews

Hallway Diaries: How To Be Down\Double Act\The Summer She Learned To Dance

This was a great easy read. I would recommend this to teenagers as well as adults. It is a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Choosing Sides and Fitting In...

How to Be Down by Felicia Pride is a wonderfully funny story about Nina Parker. Nina is a smart girl brought up by loving, proud parents. She has spent her whole life in New Jersey and has always attended private schools, where in most cases she has been the only African-American student. This has not stopped her from having a real racial identity. Her parents, particularly her mother has insured that. However, she is not concerned with things like race, she is just happy being herself. When her parents decide to relocate to Baltimore she is in for culture shock because not only will she be in a predominantly African-American public school and neighborhood, all of her values will be challenged. She is an afro having, comfortable clothes wearing girl and she is informed by her neighbor and schoolmate, Vivica, that she needs to come with `the hotness' to be accepted by the kids at her new school. It was delightful reading about the transitional phase Nina goes through and getting to know the quirks of teens in today's status conscious world. Double Act by Debbie Rigaud introduces us to Mia Chambers, a good girl who is head and shoulders above her friends academically in her urban school setting. Nina is on her way to tenth grade and as happy as can be. She is enjoying her life and her summer is planned out with competitions in the double-dutch tournaments. She and her friends comprise the `Rope-a-Dope squad and they are the `dopest'. What Nina had not planned for was her parents and counselor deciding she is not challenged enough in her current school and they have arranged for her to attend a school with more stringent academic challenges. Immediately Mia has to make choices. She has to choose her academic life, her new friends or her double-dutch friends from the hood. Reading about how this young girl chooses, with the help of friends, from both communities was a joy. The Summer She Learned to Dance by Karen Valentin is Giselle's story of learning to accept herself. Giselle is a biracial girl, with a Caucasian father and a deceased Dominican mother. She has spent her whole life surrounded by wealthy, Caucasians who have made her uncomfortable about her dark skin and round hips. She has lightened her hair and is constantly on a diet. When her cousin Juanita visits from the island, Giselle is appalled by everything about Juanita. Her lack of social graces, her polyester clothing and her bountiful body are all an embarrassment to Giselle and she sets out to fix her cousin. Little does Giselle know she is the one in for `fixing'. Something is unleashed in Giselle once she goes dancing with Juanita and bit by bit she learns to love and accept the person she is. I loved reading about these diverse young people, I recommend Hallway Diaries to everyone, particularly teens. Angelia Menchan APOOO BookClub