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Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis
In this new YA novel by Tanita S. Davis, the Coretta Scott King Honor author of Mare’s War, a white teen named Dess is placed into foster care with a black family while her mother is incarcerated.
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First published February 9, 2016
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March 2, 2023
3.5 stars
Wish there was a sequel to this one. I would love to read more about Dessa and Hope!
Good young adult fiction, without sex, drugs, or foul language.
Wish there was a sequel to this one. I would love to read more about Dessa and Hope!
Good young adult fiction, without sex, drugs, or foul language.
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January 2, 2016This dual narrative, told through first and third person POV, follows Hope -- a black girl from a nice, middle class family -- and Dessa -- a white girl who has been in and out of the foster care/home system for much of her life. When Dessa's taken in by Hope's family, she's a lot of things: angry, confused, resentful, and, deep down, ready to be accepted into a place where she fits. She's placed in Hope's family's home because her biological half-brother Austin was placed with them, and she wants nothing more than to be with family again.
This is a story, though, about what family means, rather than what it looks like. Davis does an excellent job of exploring racial issues, of deep-seated biases regarding money and, perhaps the part that wasn't a focus but really did sing, body politics.
A complicated, nuanced, and enjoyable read. Would pair really interestingly with SEE NO COLOR by Shannon Gibney, for sure.
This is a story, though, about what family means, rather than what it looks like. Davis does an excellent job of exploring racial issues, of deep-seated biases regarding money and, perhaps the part that wasn't a focus but really did sing, body politics.
A complicated, nuanced, and enjoyable read. Would pair really interestingly with SEE NO COLOR by Shannon Gibney, for sure.
May 25, 2016
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis is a wonderful book about life, family, friendship with two very different perspectives on both.
Hope is used to the revolving door of foster kids that go through her family's home. It's often hard on her because she wants to care for and protect those kids, but then they always have to leave. Dessa's presence in her house is hard on Hope for different reasons. This is first time her parents' have taken in a foster kid the same age as her. They share a bathroom, go to the same school, and Hope is supposed to stick by her and befriend her. But Hope and Dessa are like oil and water. Dessa is only there to make sure her younger half brother is being properly cared for. She's not there to make friends. She certainly isn't there to find a sister and a home. Her motto is if you don't own anything, they can't take it away from you. If Hope is completely honest, she's a little resentful of Dessa who is blonde, pretty, breezily confident, and smart. But living together slowly brings Hope and Dessa together and shows them both their strengths, weaknesses, and that they might need each other more than they could have imagined.
Peas and Carrots is one of those books I enjoy for how realistic it is and how true to life the characters are. Hope leads a fairly privileged life. Her parents are do-gooders who have ingrained in her that they need to share their blessings in life with others. For the most part Hope is on board with this. She's a good if fairly naive and oblivious teen. Despite the revolving door of foster kids, she's still pretty sheltered about how truly terrible people can be and life can get. As most teens in her situation would be, at times she is resentful of the attention the other kids take away from her. But she genuinely loves the younger siblings that are in home. I've worked with several foster siblings and this is a perfect picture of their complicated inner lives. Dessa, being the same age as Hope, brings her resentments out more. Dessa isn't cute and little. Dessa is competition in pretty much every area of Hope's life. For her part Dessa is exactly as prickly and aloof as you would imagine a kid who spent several years in a group home would be. Her attitude toward her foster family is mockingly scathing. Dessa is also incredibly smart. She realizes how important school is so she does well. She often has an attitude, but she also knows how to adjust her personality to survive the situation she is in. She is always thinking ahead to the plans for when everything changes on her again. She is a talented designer as well.
This is a fast paced quick read that focuses on the two girls and their relationships with each other and the rest of the family. There is no drama for the sake of the dramatic. Dessa has a fair amount of legitimate fear about her felon father and what will happen to her family. There is also some typical school drama. What is important here is how the relationship between the girls changes over the course of the weeks the book takes place. It's a book that has a lot of really fantastic adult characters too, and I appreciated how they were portrayed. The girls often think their clueless to their true feelings. At times they are, but more often than not they are standing back and only intervening when necessary. Both Dessa and Hope have a lot of support when they need it.
I really liked how the book resolved too. Since the major conflict in the book was relational, I was wondering how Davis was going to bring it to a satisfying conclusion. I ended up really enjoying they route she took to get there.
Peas and Carrots is a YA book, but it's one that works well for upper MG as well.
Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis is a wonderful book about life, family, friendship with two very different perspectives on both.
Hope is used to the revolving door of foster kids that go through her family's home. It's often hard on her because she wants to care for and protect those kids, but then they always have to leave. Dessa's presence in her house is hard on Hope for different reasons. This is first time her parents' have taken in a foster kid the same age as her. They share a bathroom, go to the same school, and Hope is supposed to stick by her and befriend her. But Hope and Dessa are like oil and water. Dessa is only there to make sure her younger half brother is being properly cared for. She's not there to make friends. She certainly isn't there to find a sister and a home. Her motto is if you don't own anything, they can't take it away from you. If Hope is completely honest, she's a little resentful of Dessa who is blonde, pretty, breezily confident, and smart. But living together slowly brings Hope and Dessa together and shows them both their strengths, weaknesses, and that they might need each other more than they could have imagined.
Peas and Carrots is one of those books I enjoy for how realistic it is and how true to life the characters are. Hope leads a fairly privileged life. Her parents are do-gooders who have ingrained in her that they need to share their blessings in life with others. For the most part Hope is on board with this. She's a good if fairly naive and oblivious teen. Despite the revolving door of foster kids, she's still pretty sheltered about how truly terrible people can be and life can get. As most teens in her situation would be, at times she is resentful of the attention the other kids take away from her. But she genuinely loves the younger siblings that are in home. I've worked with several foster siblings and this is a perfect picture of their complicated inner lives. Dessa, being the same age as Hope, brings her resentments out more. Dessa isn't cute and little. Dessa is competition in pretty much every area of Hope's life. For her part Dessa is exactly as prickly and aloof as you would imagine a kid who spent several years in a group home would be. Her attitude toward her foster family is mockingly scathing. Dessa is also incredibly smart. She realizes how important school is so she does well. She often has an attitude, but she also knows how to adjust her personality to survive the situation she is in. She is always thinking ahead to the plans for when everything changes on her again. She is a talented designer as well.
This is a fast paced quick read that focuses on the two girls and their relationships with each other and the rest of the family. There is no drama for the sake of the dramatic. Dessa has a fair amount of legitimate fear about her felon father and what will happen to her family. There is also some typical school drama. What is important here is how the relationship between the girls changes over the course of the weeks the book takes place. It's a book that has a lot of really fantastic adult characters too, and I appreciated how they were portrayed. The girls often think their clueless to their true feelings. At times they are, but more often than not they are standing back and only intervening when necessary. Both Dessa and Hope have a lot of support when they need it.
I really liked how the book resolved too. Since the major conflict in the book was relational, I was wondering how Davis was going to bring it to a satisfying conclusion. I ended up really enjoying they route she took to get there.
Peas and Carrots is a YA book, but it's one that works well for upper MG as well.
November 1, 2020
3.5 STARS
Dessa, a fifteen-year-old white foster child has just been placed with her biological biracial brother’s Black foster family, which includes fifteen-year-old biological daughter Hope. The teens are as different as PEAS AND CARROTS.
Told from the points of view of Dessa and Hope, the story of how the sisters learn to live with each other unfold. Tanita S Davis gives Hope a lot of stereotypical thoughts about foster kids, which insult Dessa because they don’t apply to her. PEAS AND CARROTS is more geared toward middle grade readers, despite the characters ages because it’s clearly a Message Book, heavy handed at times. Despite that, I enjoyed the story very much. YA readers will likely feel too sophisticated for the characters and story.
PEAS AND CARROTS, despite its flaws, is a touching story.
Dessa, a fifteen-year-old white foster child has just been placed with her biological biracial brother’s Black foster family, which includes fifteen-year-old biological daughter Hope. The teens are as different as PEAS AND CARROTS.
Told from the points of view of Dessa and Hope, the story of how the sisters learn to live with each other unfold. Tanita S Davis gives Hope a lot of stereotypical thoughts about foster kids, which insult Dessa because they don’t apply to her. PEAS AND CARROTS is more geared toward middle grade readers, despite the characters ages because it’s clearly a Message Book, heavy handed at times. Despite that, I enjoyed the story very much. YA readers will likely feel too sophisticated for the characters and story.
PEAS AND CARROTS, despite its flaws, is a touching story.
January 23, 2016
Two sentence summary: solid transition novel for students who are too old for Middle Grades literature and too young for Young Adult. Reminds me of a cross between Call Me Hope and One for the Murphys. Ideal reading audience: ages 12-14.
Plot summary: Odessa ("Dess") is in foster care. She was most recently placed in a group home, and, before that, she spent some time living on the streets. A social worker connects her to her younger brother, who was placed in foster care with a well-to-do family. Dess struggles with this placement at first, especially with the family's similarly aged daugher, Hope, and then grows to accept the foster family as her new home.
What I liked:
There's a lot of stereotype inversion in this book. Dess is white; the foster family is black. Dess has a hard edge to her and loves to dress up for boys, but she doesn't hide her love for libraries and wordplay. This foster family is generous and loving, and Mom is interested in Yoga and tea.
I also found the first half of the book appealing. I thought Dess's tough-life backstory was portrayed with enough "grit" for a middle school reader, but not graphic enough for a high school audience. For example, there's a scene where Dess thinks she sees a member of her mom's boyfriend's motorcycle gang, and she assumes the gang member is out to get her. A book for an older audience would probably draw out this scene and this violent revenge subplot to its dregs, while here readers can feel the panic, but the panic quickly and safely subsides.
I also loved the ongoing catfight between Hope and Dess as "rivals" in school and at home, sharing attention from parents. I loved that neither character -- not foster care Dess, not privileged Hope -- was perfect. Both had their moments of pettiness, and both had their strengths. I also appreciated that this rivalry was drawn out at least halfway through the book instead of limited to a scene or two.
What I didn't like:
We know that Hope and Dess will grow on each other, because that's how stories like these go, but I felt that there was an abrupt pivot in how the two sisters saw each other. And a book about two girls who live together and act like playful besties is.... boring. I wish the author made the Hope/Dess relationship more strained throughout the story, even when their relationship did improve.
I felt the ending was a little pat where it could have easily have left the characters on a more questioning or tentative note.
Verdict: I'll probably test-drive this book with some adventurous and patient readers. This is exactly the kind of book that might find its way into a tween's heart in a way it didn't exactly warm to mine.
(ARC from reader affiliate program)
Plot summary: Odessa ("Dess") is in foster care. She was most recently placed in a group home, and, before that, she spent some time living on the streets. A social worker connects her to her younger brother, who was placed in foster care with a well-to-do family. Dess struggles with this placement at first, especially with the family's similarly aged daugher, Hope, and then grows to accept the foster family as her new home.
What I liked:
There's a lot of stereotype inversion in this book. Dess is white; the foster family is black. Dess has a hard edge to her and loves to dress up for boys, but she doesn't hide her love for libraries and wordplay. This foster family is generous and loving, and Mom is interested in Yoga and tea.
I also found the first half of the book appealing. I thought Dess's tough-life backstory was portrayed with enough "grit" for a middle school reader, but not graphic enough for a high school audience. For example, there's a scene where Dess thinks she sees a member of her mom's boyfriend's motorcycle gang, and she assumes the gang member is out to get her. A book for an older audience would probably draw out this scene and this violent revenge subplot to its dregs, while here readers can feel the panic, but the panic quickly and safely subsides.
I also loved the ongoing catfight between Hope and Dess as "rivals" in school and at home, sharing attention from parents. I loved that neither character -- not foster care Dess, not privileged Hope -- was perfect. Both had their moments of pettiness, and both had their strengths. I also appreciated that this rivalry was drawn out at least halfway through the book instead of limited to a scene or two.
What I didn't like:
We know that Hope and Dess will grow on each other, because that's how stories like these go, but I felt that there was an abrupt pivot in how the two sisters saw each other. And a book about two girls who live together and act like playful besties is.... boring. I wish the author made the Hope/Dess relationship more strained throughout the story, even when their relationship did improve.
I felt the ending was a little pat where it could have easily have left the characters on a more questioning or tentative note.
Verdict: I'll probably test-drive this book with some adventurous and patient readers. This is exactly the kind of book that might find its way into a tween's heart in a way it didn't exactly warm to mine.
(ARC from reader affiliate program)
February 10, 2017
Lovely book, sympathetic, rounded, interesting characters, a believable, complicated situation, good pacing, and a touching ending.
Fifteen-year-old Odessa (Dess) has been moved from a group home foster care situation to the home of the family who's been caring for her four-year-old brother (their parents are in jail). That family has a daughter, Hope, who's just Dess's age. Their mutually suspicious move toward friendship and understanding unfold agains the backdrop of Hope's warm, idiosyncratic family, a progressive school, and the threat of the motorcycle gang Dess's father was involved in. It's a fast-moving, well-written book.
Bonus points for challenging stereotypes: Dess is White, and Hope and her family are Black. America's systemic racism is touched on (e.g., when a man grabs Dess to prevent her from getting into a car with Hope's family because they're Black), along with stereotypes about foster kids.
Fifteen-year-old Odessa (Dess) has been moved from a group home foster care situation to the home of the family who's been caring for her four-year-old brother (their parents are in jail). That family has a daughter, Hope, who's just Dess's age. Their mutually suspicious move toward friendship and understanding unfold agains the backdrop of Hope's warm, idiosyncratic family, a progressive school, and the threat of the motorcycle gang Dess's father was involved in. It's a fast-moving, well-written book.
Bonus points for challenging stereotypes: Dess is White, and Hope and her family are Black. America's systemic racism is touched on (e.g., when a man grabs Dess to prevent her from getting into a car with Hope's family because they're Black), along with stereotypes about foster kids.
March 4, 2021
I'm giving this book four stars because I appreciated the sentiment and I know I'm not the target audience for middle-grade, but I had some issues with the plot.
The characters are likable enough, and I enjoyed reading their interactions. Seeing the way the same characters acted differently around different people was interesting, and the dual perspectives worked very well. I was never annoyed to switch voices and leave behind plot lines; instead, I was excited to see how our other narrator would respond to events.
I'm just not sure the tone matched up with the severity of the subject matter. Dess would reveal something horrible or have a traumatic flashback, and then within the same chapter we'd be back to describing homework and fashion like nothing happened. Her issues center around PTSD, but even when horrible things happen in the course of the plot, she doesn't seem to react to them in any way that would interfere with the slice of life interludes. It was disorienting, and I was never quite sure how to feel.
There are good elements at play, but I feel like this book couldn't decide whether to be a sitcom or an after-school special. Still, it's a quick and entertaining read that I probably would have enjoyed more in middle school.
The characters are likable enough, and I enjoyed reading their interactions. Seeing the way the same characters acted differently around different people was interesting, and the dual perspectives worked very well. I was never annoyed to switch voices and leave behind plot lines; instead, I was excited to see how our other narrator would respond to events.
I'm just not sure the tone matched up with the severity of the subject matter. Dess would reveal something horrible or have a traumatic flashback, and then within the same chapter we'd be back to describing homework and fashion like nothing happened. Her issues center around PTSD, but even when horrible things happen in the course of the plot, she doesn't seem to react to them in any way that would interfere with the slice of life interludes. It was disorienting, and I was never quite sure how to feel.
There are good elements at play, but I feel like this book couldn't decide whether to be a sitcom or an after-school special. Still, it's a quick and entertaining read that I probably would have enjoyed more in middle school.
January 6, 2019
Surprisingly this wasn't bad I actually enjoyed it
Definitely has a message to spread
Definitely has a message to spread
October 18, 2016
It must first be said that in another life I was a social worker in a residential care facility for young women. This is a group home who took the kids that had already passed through their share of foster homes. So, I went into this with an insight (or bias) most readers don't have. The few snippets Davis gives us of Dess' group home life pretty much reflects the experiences of girls who came through the facility where I was employed. With that said, I had quite a few problems with this book.
First, the cover. Throughout the book, Hope's size is mentioned quite frequently. Though I didn't get a clear indication of Hope's supposed heft, both MCs acknowledge Hope's thickness. Dess' hair is also described as "bleached blond." Neither of the front cover models reflect these two characters. That immediately caused a disconnect for me because every time I picked up the book to continue reading I was reminded of this oversight, sloppiness, or neglect of detail.
Second, Dess' POV is told first-person and Hope's third-person. Why? What is the purpose of this awkward choice?
Third, this book does not work as a YA novel for me. The only reason I have it my library's YA section is because of some language. Overall, the story is a watered-down version of an angry and scared foster teen. This book works best as a bridge from middle-grades to YA.
Fourth, Hope is not a believable character. Now, I know plenty of "good girls" who abstain from using profanity or behaving in ways that might be perceived as unladylike. But really? "Her brain brain felt packed with angry words..." is followed by:
"You rat-faced stick chick."
"You vicious yellow-haired harpy."
"Skinny little gutter-mouthed troglodyte."
Do these sound like the angry words a teenage girl's brain would spew? And actually, these were thoughts, not exclamations. What Hope eventually yelled was, "Stop calling me heifer, you skinny stick!" No, not believable. This character is not opposed to some mild profanity because only paragraphs before she exclaimed that she didn't "give a rat's ass."
Fifth, unlikely scenarios. Hope's choral teacher asks her to give up her spot in the elite chorus to Dess. No. The roster for the chorus had not even been announced, so the teacher could have simply put Dess on the list instead of Hope. What teacher does this? I rephrase, what good teacher does this? Do our schools have rotten educators? Yes. But a teacher with poor judgment doesn't add to the narrative. Also, the seemingly well-intentioned older gentleman who basically accosts Dess in a parking lot to keep her from getting into a vehicle with POC, the "wrong" van. Really? This is how Davis portrays how a multicultural or multiracial family might be perceived in the community? No. Weak and ineffective.
Lastly, the inexplicable insta-friendship following "the blowup." No conscious effort mentioned in either character's chapter following the argument. Just all of a sudden friends. Not one time in my two years as a group home social worker did two warring teenage girls become besties, or even friendly, after one blowup. Not once. Most of the time they stayed away from each other, sometimes they learned to tolerate each other, usually they were a powder keg. I understand that the author was going for a certain lesson to be portrayed, but it simply wasn't believable.
I didn't like it. I finished it because I felt obligated. Had I not been assigned this title to consider for a YA award, I would have DNF'd pretty early on.
First, the cover. Throughout the book, Hope's size is mentioned quite frequently. Though I didn't get a clear indication of Hope's supposed heft, both MCs acknowledge Hope's thickness. Dess' hair is also described as "bleached blond." Neither of the front cover models reflect these two characters. That immediately caused a disconnect for me because every time I picked up the book to continue reading I was reminded of this oversight, sloppiness, or neglect of detail.
Second, Dess' POV is told first-person and Hope's third-person. Why? What is the purpose of this awkward choice?
Third, this book does not work as a YA novel for me. The only reason I have it my library's YA section is because of some language. Overall, the story is a watered-down version of an angry and scared foster teen. This book works best as a bridge from middle-grades to YA.
Fourth, Hope is not a believable character. Now, I know plenty of "good girls" who abstain from using profanity or behaving in ways that might be perceived as unladylike. But really? "Her brain brain felt packed with angry words..." is followed by:
"You rat-faced stick chick."
"You vicious yellow-haired harpy."
"Skinny little gutter-mouthed troglodyte."
Do these sound like the angry words a teenage girl's brain would spew? And actually, these were thoughts, not exclamations. What Hope eventually yelled was, "Stop calling me heifer, you skinny stick!" No, not believable. This character is not opposed to some mild profanity because only paragraphs before she exclaimed that she didn't "give a rat's ass."
Fifth, unlikely scenarios. Hope's choral teacher asks her to give up her spot in the elite chorus to Dess. No. The roster for the chorus had not even been announced, so the teacher could have simply put Dess on the list instead of Hope. What teacher does this? I rephrase, what good teacher does this? Do our schools have rotten educators? Yes. But a teacher with poor judgment doesn't add to the narrative. Also, the seemingly well-intentioned older gentleman who basically accosts Dess in a parking lot to keep her from getting into a vehicle with POC, the "wrong" van. Really? This is how Davis portrays how a multicultural or multiracial family might be perceived in the community? No. Weak and ineffective.
Lastly, the inexplicable insta-friendship following "the blowup." No conscious effort mentioned in either character's chapter following the argument. Just all of a sudden friends. Not one time in my two years as a group home social worker did two warring teenage girls become besties, or even friendly, after one blowup. Not once. Most of the time they stayed away from each other, sometimes they learned to tolerate each other, usually they were a powder keg. I understand that the author was going for a certain lesson to be portrayed, but it simply wasn't believable.
I didn't like it. I finished it because I felt obligated. Had I not been assigned this title to consider for a YA award, I would have DNF'd pretty early on.
Read
October 8, 2016Dess (short for Odessa) has just gotten a new foster home. She lives with her biological brother Austin (he's been there for years and is the reason she's been placed there), a sick baby named Jamaira and Hope (her foster parents' daughter). Dess and Hope immediately clash although eventually they learn they have a lot in common (including Austin).
I really like this book. Dess and Hope are richly drawn characters and I love Austin and Hope's parents.
This is the kind of book that just makes you like people. Recommended.
I really like this book. Dess and Hope are richly drawn characters and I love Austin and Hope's parents.
This is the kind of book that just makes you like people. Recommended.
April 8, 2017
Elizabeth Wein said it best when she called it "a piercing, true slice of real life." And it was kind of a nice change to read about a white foster kid finding shelter with a settled and loving African-American family.
June 30, 2016
Solid, if a little didactic, younger YA/older MG. Great for the 12-14yo fans of Wonder, not-too-edgy intro-to-issues books.
June 18, 2016
With both parents in prison, Dess has bounced around from living with her grandmother, to a foster home, to a group home, and through it all she has learned to be tough and to only rely on herself. Dess, who is white, gets placed with the African American Carter family because they have been fostering her younger half-brother Austin and it’s a chance for them to be reunited. Hope Carter is the same age as Dess, and the two do not exactly hit it off. Though the Carters have a beautiful home and are kind and welcoming to Dess, she just doesn’t feel comfortable with them. Hope does not understand Dess’s tough girl attitude and the massive chip on her shoulder, but her parents are determined to have her help Dess get adjusted to her new home and school. Will these two very different girls find any common ground?
This book has an interesting premise, and I give the author credit for delving into the world of foster care and foster children, in particular those whose parents are incarcerated. This is a reality for so many teens and children, and I don’t see a lot of YA lit that deals with it. In wanting to shine a positive light on foster care, I think the author may have gone a step too far and made the Carters just a little too good to be true. I’m sure there are many great foster families out there, but these characters just did not ring true for me. The same applies to Dess. The tough girl persona grated on me (as was probably the intent), but for a girl who had been in the system for more than a few years, Dess is basically a good girl at heart. This is where the novel struggled a bit to find its tone. On the one hand, we know that Dess is living in fear of her father “The Felon” and the members of his motorcycle gang. Her mother was an addict who was abused by her “The Felon,” but always went back to him anyway. Someone who grew up under such rough circumstances would be likely to have developed some bad habits of her own, but this is not the case with Dess. When she gets into a fight with Hope, she calls her a “big, fat, ugly, stupid princess.” Not exactly gritty. Optional purchase where there is an audience for novels that deal with serious issues that don’t get too intense.
Grades: 7-10
Characterization: Mediocre
Literary Value: Mediocre
This book has an interesting premise, and I give the author credit for delving into the world of foster care and foster children, in particular those whose parents are incarcerated. This is a reality for so many teens and children, and I don’t see a lot of YA lit that deals with it. In wanting to shine a positive light on foster care, I think the author may have gone a step too far and made the Carters just a little too good to be true. I’m sure there are many great foster families out there, but these characters just did not ring true for me. The same applies to Dess. The tough girl persona grated on me (as was probably the intent), but for a girl who had been in the system for more than a few years, Dess is basically a good girl at heart. This is where the novel struggled a bit to find its tone. On the one hand, we know that Dess is living in fear of her father “The Felon” and the members of his motorcycle gang. Her mother was an addict who was abused by her “The Felon,” but always went back to him anyway. Someone who grew up under such rough circumstances would be likely to have developed some bad habits of her own, but this is not the case with Dess. When she gets into a fight with Hope, she calls her a “big, fat, ugly, stupid princess.” Not exactly gritty. Optional purchase where there is an audience for novels that deal with serious issues that don’t get too intense.
Grades: 7-10
Characterization: Mediocre
Literary Value: Mediocre
October 6, 2016
I fear that for me, this title is an active turn-off. I get that it means, “As different as…” But I still think it’s a stupid-sounding title. The story is quite good, though.
This is a story where Dess, a white teenager caught up in the foster care system, goes to stay with the black family that’s been fostering her mixed-race baby brother. There’s a lot of embedded issues in a situation like that, obviously, and in less deft hands you can see how it would turn into a preachy message-fic kind of story. Davis almost completely avoids that, mostly by drawing her characters really well, both the protagonists and the secondary characters; and also by keeping a tight focus on the specific, individual concerns of her two protagonists. Dess is dealing with a pretty difficult background, lingering PTSD, and hard-held mistrust of everyone. Hope, who is about her age, is dealing with a new foster sister who is admittedly pretty difficult at first. Theirs is the central relationship in the story, which is told from their alternating points of view.
I didn’t really care for this story until the two girls kind of worked out their relationship. I liked them both and wanted them to be friends. Of course I knew that was going to happen, so I was patient. Once it did, I liked the book a whole lot better. Both Dess and Hope are really so well drawn, and so are Hope’s parents – and Dess’ mother, too, actually, though we see her parents only in absentia, which requires a whole extra layer of deft, doesn’t it, to pull that off. The whole story is really about family, and the details and voices in this story are so beautifully handled that all the family relationships feel completely real. It’s hard to believe these people aren’t all real and living in some nearby town. I got pretty invested, I must say, and would gladly read a sequel. Personally I think Dess was essentially hallucinating the biker gang members, but Davis never makes this clear – an ambiguity I really like – but in a sequel, I expect we would find out.
This is a story where Dess, a white teenager caught up in the foster care system, goes to stay with the black family that’s been fostering her mixed-race baby brother. There’s a lot of embedded issues in a situation like that, obviously, and in less deft hands you can see how it would turn into a preachy message-fic kind of story. Davis almost completely avoids that, mostly by drawing her characters really well, both the protagonists and the secondary characters; and also by keeping a tight focus on the specific, individual concerns of her two protagonists. Dess is dealing with a pretty difficult background, lingering PTSD, and hard-held mistrust of everyone. Hope, who is about her age, is dealing with a new foster sister who is admittedly pretty difficult at first. Theirs is the central relationship in the story, which is told from their alternating points of view.
I didn’t really care for this story until the two girls kind of worked out their relationship. I liked them both and wanted them to be friends. Of course I knew that was going to happen, so I was patient. Once it did, I liked the book a whole lot better. Both Dess and Hope are really so well drawn, and so are Hope’s parents – and Dess’ mother, too, actually, though we see her parents only in absentia, which requires a whole extra layer of deft, doesn’t it, to pull that off. The whole story is really about family, and the details and voices in this story are so beautifully handled that all the family relationships feel completely real. It’s hard to believe these people aren’t all real and living in some nearby town. I got pretty invested, I must say, and would gladly read a sequel. Personally I think Dess was essentially hallucinating the biker gang members, but Davis never makes this clear – an ambiguity I really like – but in a sequel, I expect we would find out.
June 6, 2016
*possible minor spoilers*
Unlike other reviews, I'm fine with the ambiguous ending. Life in foster care doesn't end in a neat little bow. I'm glad this book doesn't either. Written by an author who grew up in Hope's shoes, Hope's side seems to ring a smidgen more true. I can't think of any other stories (or even blog sources) from a foster sibling, so I think this voice is Important.
As others have said, this book is written from two perspectives, two teenage girls, one in foster care, who moves to the family caring for her 4 y.o. brother, and the other is the daughter of the foster family. Dessa is tough and wary of letting anyone get too close. After all, she's just protecting herself because they'll just leave her anyway. Hope is put-upon and occasionally resentful of it, a lot is asked of her. She's already privileged from birth and so she can't seem to catch a break, since all the foster siblings need more than she does. At first I felt that Dess's troubles were glossed over a bit, but as we went into the story and her ptsd starts appearing, it gets a bit more real. There's nuances, you should read to see them. Also, I do wish that the cover girl was a bit heavier, though, as she was described in the book.
I also can't recommend enough: Three Little Words, a memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter who was in foster care for almost ten years. She talks a lot about her acting-out behaviors as a kid and why they made sense to her at the time. #OwnVoices
Unlike other reviews, I'm fine with the ambiguous ending. Life in foster care doesn't end in a neat little bow. I'm glad this book doesn't either. Written by an author who grew up in Hope's shoes, Hope's side seems to ring a smidgen more true. I can't think of any other stories (or even blog sources) from a foster sibling, so I think this voice is Important.
As others have said, this book is written from two perspectives, two teenage girls, one in foster care, who moves to the family caring for her 4 y.o. brother, and the other is the daughter of the foster family. Dessa is tough and wary of letting anyone get too close. After all, she's just protecting herself because they'll just leave her anyway. Hope is put-upon and occasionally resentful of it, a lot is asked of her. She's already privileged from birth and so she can't seem to catch a break, since all the foster siblings need more than she does. At first I felt that Dess's troubles were glossed over a bit, but as we went into the story and her ptsd starts appearing, it gets a bit more real. There's nuances, you should read to see them. Also, I do wish that the cover girl was a bit heavier, though, as she was described in the book.
I also can't recommend enough: Three Little Words, a memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter who was in foster care for almost ten years. She talks a lot about her acting-out behaviors as a kid and why they made sense to her at the time. #OwnVoices
March 21, 2017
Although I enjoyed the premise of this book - white foster teen joins wealthy black foster home and learns to trust - there were a few things that kept me from enjoying this book as much as I would have liked.
Firstly, the frequent references to race and class felt "forced" and a little polarized. Dessa made frequent statements about "all" black people or "all" wealthy people (i.e. she did not think black people did yoga, were Jewish, etc.) She also assumes that wealthy people think others are "nasty" and tends to imply that her white foster sister assumes her to have poor hygiene or be sloppy/unkempt.
It also felt a little too unbelievable to have Hope and Dessa clash as passionately and harshly as they did in the middle of the book, yet so quickly become close and think of each other as sisters by the end of the story.
The story ending also felt totally unrealistic: Dessa runs away to go to the side of the dying grandmother whom she resented and refused to acknowledge during the rest of the book, only to be followed by the entire foster family even though the young baby is in critical condition in the hospital.
The names that the characters called each other - "Hopeless" and "Dessturbed" also felt a little forced; it would have worked once, but to carry it through the entire book felt awkward. It also felt awkward to call Hope's uncle Henry "Aunt Henry" throughout the book - was this character gay?
Firstly, the frequent references to race and class felt "forced" and a little polarized. Dessa made frequent statements about "all" black people or "all" wealthy people (i.e. she did not think black people did yoga, were Jewish, etc.) She also assumes that wealthy people think others are "nasty" and tends to imply that her white foster sister assumes her to have poor hygiene or be sloppy/unkempt.
It also felt a little too unbelievable to have Hope and Dessa clash as passionately and harshly as they did in the middle of the book, yet so quickly become close and think of each other as sisters by the end of the story.
The story ending also felt totally unrealistic: Dessa runs away to go to the side of the dying grandmother whom she resented and refused to acknowledge during the rest of the book, only to be followed by the entire foster family even though the young baby is in critical condition in the hospital.
The names that the characters called each other - "Hopeless" and "Dessturbed" also felt a little forced; it would have worked once, but to carry it through the entire book felt awkward. It also felt awkward to call Hope's uncle Henry "Aunt Henry" throughout the book - was this character gay?
February 14, 2017
I really liked the book especially because there is so much stress going on between the sisters (one of which is a foster kid) in my story. It shows how they grew closer and relied on each other sometimes. I would totally recommend this book to anyone.
P.S. there is some bad language in it.
P.S. there is some bad language in it.
March 4, 2018
DNF. I was nearly done, but when the two girls suddenly became friendly without any visible character development, I got irritated and decided to move on to something else.
The book is written in first-person present-tense from Dess's perspective, and then switches to third-person past-tense in Hope's chapters. The switch in perspective wasn't a big deal (personally I dislike when there are multiple first-person narrators; I tend to lose track of who's narrating), but the switch in tense was always jarring.
Anyway. Too much boring description of furniture, poorly done characters. Dess's slang was Bad.
The book is written in first-person present-tense from Dess's perspective, and then switches to third-person past-tense in Hope's chapters. The switch in perspective wasn't a big deal (personally I dislike when there are multiple first-person narrators; I tend to lose track of who's narrating), but the switch in tense was always jarring.
Anyway. Too much boring description of furniture, poorly done characters. Dess's slang was Bad.
August 18, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by this story of a white teenager in foster care, sent to live with an educated, well-to-do African American family. The foster family has a daughter the same age as the central character and, as expected, the two teens are off to a rocky start. Obviously the two become friends, the hardened foster child warms up the her new family, and the book ends on a hight note. However, the story between the beginning and the end is credible, interesting, and worthy of a read.
July 3, 2016
Cute story. Very tame story line that tries to add some suspense, but it got lost somewhere.
June 25, 2017
This was a cute middle grade read. It takes some rather weighted subjects—the foster care system, racism, broken families—and treats them with respect while not being overly preachy in any regard. It’s another book that I think I would have appreciated more as a younger reader—it’s well-suited to the tween audience. And it’s rare that I say that because most of the time it sounds pandering (“this book wasn’t good enough for adult me, but maybe kids will like it because they’re less critical”), but in this case it feels true—this is an intelligent book that I can see kids in the sixth/seventh grade bracket enjoying.
One of the ways I felt this was a fitting tween read was because it sounded age-accurate in a way that a lot of fiction doesn’t these days. It doesn’t play things up to be overly intense or gritty in a way that doesn’t feel like a real fifteen-year-old’s life, but it also doesn’t make the characters sound naïve in the way of first graders. I’m slightly on the fence about the accuracy of the protagonists’ ages—most of the time they sounded fifteen (I am so sick of reading about witty, worldly fifteen-year-olds when most of them are anything but), and yet there were a few moments when the overall tone and style of speech felt a tad more juvenile, like maybe the girls belonged as eighth- or ninth-graders rather than sophomores. It’s a minute detail, but one that matters because the shift in the way kids think in those years is pretty significant and does a lot for a novel’s believability, especially when you’re catering to tween and teen readers.
Age stuff aside, there are a few other ways this novel feels unbalanced. There’s a sudden rushed final act, like the author ran out of pages and had to wrap it up quickly. The book also spent the perfect amount of time building up the enmity between Dess and Hope, but their switch to friendship happens overnight in a way that felt grossly unfair to everything that came before. I love tween enemies-to-friends stories, but there has to be a believable build and turning point: I feel like Peas and Carrots just missed the turning point.
Anyway, this is a competent novel that is pretty much squeaky-clean but doesn’t feel like it’s playing down to its tween audience, and I think that age group will really enjoy it. It’s not The Mother-Daughter Book Club or anything like that, but it’s still a sweet story about family, friendship, and belonging.
3 stars.
One of the ways I felt this was a fitting tween read was because it sounded age-accurate in a way that a lot of fiction doesn’t these days. It doesn’t play things up to be overly intense or gritty in a way that doesn’t feel like a real fifteen-year-old’s life, but it also doesn’t make the characters sound naïve in the way of first graders. I’m slightly on the fence about the accuracy of the protagonists’ ages—most of the time they sounded fifteen (I am so sick of reading about witty, worldly fifteen-year-olds when most of them are anything but), and yet there were a few moments when the overall tone and style of speech felt a tad more juvenile, like maybe the girls belonged as eighth- or ninth-graders rather than sophomores. It’s a minute detail, but one that matters because the shift in the way kids think in those years is pretty significant and does a lot for a novel’s believability, especially when you’re catering to tween and teen readers.
Age stuff aside, there are a few other ways this novel feels unbalanced. There’s a sudden rushed final act, like the author ran out of pages and had to wrap it up quickly. The book also spent the perfect amount of time building up the enmity between Dess and Hope, but their switch to friendship happens overnight in a way that felt grossly unfair to everything that came before. I love tween enemies-to-friends stories, but there has to be a believable build and turning point: I feel like Peas and Carrots just missed the turning point.
Anyway, this is a competent novel that is pretty much squeaky-clean but doesn’t feel like it’s playing down to its tween audience, and I think that age group will really enjoy it. It’s not The Mother-Daughter Book Club or anything like that, but it’s still a sweet story about family, friendship, and belonging.
3 stars.
February 3, 2021
When Dess, who is white, was 11, she called social services to save her multi-racial baby brother Austin from her dangerous and abusive father (he is not Austin's father). Four years later, after spending lots of time in foster care and group homes because both of her parents are incarcerated, Dess learns that she is joining her little brother Austin at his foster home. Meanwhile Hope, who is Black, starts sophomore year with an unfortunate incident involving a too-early period, but her mother cannot come get her because she's picking up Hope's new foster sister, Dess. Neither girl can stand each other to start with. Hope thinks Dess is mean and skinny and untrustworthy. Dess thinks Hope is clueless and entitled, and does not trust Hope for her parents because she’s had too many bad foster experiences. As the fall unfolds, though, the girls start to adjust and accept each other more. But Dess can’t afford to get comfortable, since she knows she will not be there for long. Right?
I thought this was really well-written. It reminded me a bit of "Fighting Words" by Bradley, which was aimed at a younger audience, and which was even more raw in terms of what had happened to the girls before they found a foster home. In this one, the focus is really on the foster experience with a good foster family, though Dess' frightening past still affects her, of course. I thought her past experiences were unfolded well, bit by bit, which is also how she got used to Hope's family. I don’t think this has the best title, though. Perhaps if it had a more appealing, less middle-grade, less "this is a humorous book" title, it might have gotten more attention. I could see a lot of readers enjoying this one.
I thought this was really well-written. It reminded me a bit of "Fighting Words" by Bradley, which was aimed at a younger audience, and which was even more raw in terms of what had happened to the girls before they found a foster home. In this one, the focus is really on the foster experience with a good foster family, though Dess' frightening past still affects her, of course. I thought her past experiences were unfolded well, bit by bit, which is also how she got used to Hope's family. I don’t think this has the best title, though. Perhaps if it had a more appealing, less middle-grade, less "this is a humorous book" title, it might have gotten more attention. I could see a lot of readers enjoying this one.
November 3, 2016
Decent YA book about a topic that is a little different than the current trending YA topics - foster care. The two teen characters, Dessa and Hope, were well-drawn. I thought they provided a realistic picture of what it was like to be both a foster child and a teen living with foster siblings. Real without being too gruesome or graphic.
The adults in the book were pretty flat, but they are not really who the book was about. Uncle Henry and Mr. Carter, especially, seemed a little too good to be true. The mother was more 3 dimensional. The beginning of the story touches on Hope's, the biological daughter, feeling of being ignored or having too high expectations from her parents. I wish this was followed up on and addressed later in the book. It is an important point.
My main gripe with the book is the cover. I know authors have little or no say in the cover art, but it does rub me the wrong way when it seems that the artist hasn't even read the book. Hope, the African American character, is supposed to be chubby, unfashionable and wear sweats most of the time. This is a pretty big part of the story, as Dessa, the foster child, remarks on it often and it causes a lot of tension between the two girls. So why is she pictured as a skinny fashionable teen on the cover?
The adults in the book were pretty flat, but they are not really who the book was about. Uncle Henry and Mr. Carter, especially, seemed a little too good to be true. The mother was more 3 dimensional. The beginning of the story touches on Hope's, the biological daughter, feeling of being ignored or having too high expectations from her parents. I wish this was followed up on and addressed later in the book. It is an important point.
My main gripe with the book is the cover. I know authors have little or no say in the cover art, but it does rub me the wrong way when it seems that the artist hasn't even read the book. Hope, the African American character, is supposed to be chubby, unfashionable and wear sweats most of the time. This is a pretty big part of the story, as Dessa, the foster child, remarks on it often and it causes a lot of tension between the two girls. So why is she pictured as a skinny fashionable teen on the cover?
January 15, 2024
I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, most of the book consisted of constant insult hurling between characters, and I got sick of that pretty quickly. The insults were low blows and made me uncomfortable to read. Then again, it is understandable for someone in that situation to react like that, and makes sense. However, I would have liked to see more and better characterization. Dess got the best character work done, but even hers wasn’t all that it could have been. Most of the other characters made decisions which I could not decipher why they chose to do them. The other characters fell flat, and seemed to lack motivation and drive. Or rather, they had motivation, but the reader was never informed of what it might be. The ending was sweet and I would have liked to see more of this side of the relationship. That may not be realistic, but once the relationship was repaired/begun, the book ended. I would have enjoyed at least of few more pages of this part before it had ended. This is on the lower side of middle grade, but I don’t know if this is a great book for younger kids to read. The positive messages were buried under all of the hating, and if they want to read a book about life in foster care, there are other books that are higher quality than this one. I also don’t know where the cover photo came from- it does not reflect the character descriptions in the book.
November 13, 2018
Closer to 2.5 stars, but rounded up.
Honestly, this was just a compilation of tropes, and it would work better as a middle grade rather than YA novel (with Dess and Hope in middle school rather than high school): the morality was simplified, the outcomes predictable, the characters archetypical. Seriously though, Dess is your typical hardened delinquent-ish foster kid who only cares about her birth family; Hope is more relatable, but still a pretty typical tryhard good girl; their conflict boils down pretty easily to superificial petty dislike based on projections of their own resentments and insecurities (though Hope gets points for trying to be nice). I’m not sure why Dess’s chapters were told in first person and Hope’s in third; it seems to imply that Dess is the “real” main character, but that’s not what alternating-POV usually conveys.
It’s pretty much the definition of a feel-good novel, about different types of family, tasteful diversity (with mild incidents of racism to highlight the wholesome status quo, though it’s directly addressed at most once). So I guess it’s heartwarming, but not in the way that leaves an impression.
Honestly, this was just a compilation of tropes, and it would work better as a middle grade rather than YA novel (with Dess and Hope in middle school rather than high school): the morality was simplified, the outcomes predictable, the characters archetypical. Seriously though, Dess is your typical hardened delinquent-ish foster kid who only cares about her birth family; Hope is more relatable, but still a pretty typical tryhard good girl; their conflict boils down pretty easily to superificial petty dislike based on projections of their own resentments and insecurities (though Hope gets points for trying to be nice). I’m not sure why Dess’s chapters were told in first person and Hope’s in third; it seems to imply that Dess is the “real” main character, but that’s not what alternating-POV usually conveys.
It’s pretty much the definition of a feel-good novel, about different types of family, tasteful diversity (with mild incidents of racism to highlight the wholesome status quo, though it’s directly addressed at most once). So I guess it’s heartwarming, but not in the way that leaves an impression.
December 29, 2016
Enlightening, important, but maybe characters are a bit 'typical' and maybe some events are a bit convenient. But there's lots of stuff here that isn't cliched or predictable, too. And I love that it's not really Juvenile lit, as the girls are teens, but it's not YA, because they're not boy-crazy or caught up in melodramatic rebellions against the world, so it's good for those in-between readers that don't really have many books just right for them.
I have to admit that I just didn't quite feel it. I did read the whole thing, never thought about DNFing it, but still, I just wanted to smack the girls and tell them to get a grip, act as smart as they clearly are. But hey, that's mean, I had to remind myself: they are just kids, and there are a lot of challenges going on that make it difficult for them to think things through clearly. So, I dunno. I think there's a lot to love about this book, but I can't quite give it four stars, personally.
I have to admit that I just didn't quite feel it. I did read the whole thing, never thought about DNFing it, but still, I just wanted to smack the girls and tell them to get a grip, act as smart as they clearly are. But hey, that's mean, I had to remind myself: they are just kids, and there are a lot of challenges going on that make it difficult for them to think things through clearly. So, I dunno. I think there's a lot to love about this book, but I can't quite give it four stars, personally.
March 27, 2021
Full review at Somewhat Reserved, my blog!
The funny thing is, I've actually read this book some years ago but finally found this old review.
Apart from my notes, I obviously don't remember a ton about this book... except from hating Odessa, of course.
One thing that I found interesting was how Dess' POV was in first person, while Hope's was in third person.
At around the beginning of the book, Hope starts sophomore year with a huge yellow stain on her yellow skirt. I could only imagine how embarrassing that could be!
Hope was also overwhelmed with how popular Dess was at the first day of school, especially since she's so grumpy and unfriendly at home.
The funny thing is, I've actually read this book some years ago but finally found this old review.
Apart from my notes, I obviously don't remember a ton about this book... except from hating Odessa, of course.
One thing that I found interesting was how Dess' POV was in first person, while Hope's was in third person.
At around the beginning of the book, Hope starts sophomore year with a huge yellow stain on her yellow skirt. I could only imagine how embarrassing that could be!
Hope was also overwhelmed with how popular Dess was at the first day of school, especially since she's so grumpy and unfriendly at home.
July 9, 2018
This is a great glimpse into the world of foster homes. Hope is the teenage daughter of an African-American family who share their home with their foster children: Austin, a four-year-old boy, and Jamaira, a baby who suffers from seizures and other physical problems. Along comes Odessa, a teenage white girl, who is a half-sister to Austin. She comes with a lot of anger, a lot of fear, and a lot of frustration. Tanita S. Davis shows us the hardships and the triumphs of foster care. There are some amazing people out there who open their homes to children who need love and stability. Kudos to foster parents who truly love the kids they parent.
November 25, 2018
The premise is interesting, and the twist (which, unlike the Goodreads description of this book, is not revealed in the book's own blurb) of a white foster teenager joining a black family is unexpected and really adds another layer to the story. Overall, though, the book just doesn't work. The ending is rushed, the events of the climax are unnecessary, Dess and Hope don't talk like normal sophomores, and they switch from mortal enemies to friends in what seems like one night. The whole thing--title definitely included--is too cutesy, too "happily ever after." And don't even get me started on how neither girl on the cover looks anything like their description in the book.
December 11, 2018
Well written novel about the relationship between two foster sisters. The personality conflict between the birth daughter in the family (who is very comfortable with her much younger foster sibs but now has to deal with a peer) and the most street-wise foster teen was a bit too easily resolved. Direct observations of her own racial biases by the white foster daughter encountering an upper middle class black family and the gentle treatment of the foster baby who seems to have a fatal illness (but is very lovingly cuddled by all family members) held my interest and provided good messaging for the intended YA audience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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