Black Star

The Door of No Return #2

by Kwame Alexander

The riveting second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi’s granddaughter, Charley, who’s set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.

You can’t protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have.

12-year old Charley Cuffey is many a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee’s Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South.  

Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big. She knows he has so many more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn't old enough to know about certain things like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge and why she can never play on the brand-new real deal baseball field on the other side of town.  

When Charley challenges a neighborhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. But when the picnic spills over onto their ball field, she makes a fateful decision.  

A child cannot protect herself if she does not know her history, and Charley's choice brings consequences she never could have imagined.  

In this thrilling second book of the Door of No Return trilogy, set during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Poetry, Novel In Verse, Sports, Historical, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2024

About the author

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and New York Times Bestselling author of 21 books, including The Crossover, which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Passaic Poetry Prize. Kwame writes for children of all ages. His other works include Surf's Up, a picture book; Booked, a middle grade novel; and He Said She Said, a YA novel.

Kwame believes that poetry can change the world, and he uses it to inspire and empower young people through his PAGE TO STAGE Writing and Publishing Program released by Scholastic. A regular speaker at colleges and conferences in the U.S., he also travels the world planting seeds of literary love (Singapore, Brazil, Italy, France, Shanghai, etc.). Recently, Alexander led a delegation of 20 writers and activists to Ghana, where they delivered books, built a library, and provided literacy professional development to 300 teachers, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an International literacy program he co-founded.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...

Have you ever been blown away by an authors ability to beautiful capture such a dark, but true part of history? Two years ago, I was blown away by the first book in this series The Door of No Return. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the sequel, but it did not disappoint. Although I can't say much, Black Star is just as beautifully crafted as it's predecessor. Alexander is a literary genius. I thought it was interesting that he utilized the same rhyming scheme in the second book as he did in the first book when both of the character reach a rather dark climax. Although Kofi makes appearances in this one, it does center the story of Charley. Not only are readers getting another realistic portrayal of Black history, but they are also getting the opportunity to know a really dynamic character who wants to challenge gender norms and her role in society. With such a real, yet heartbreaking ending, I'm looking forward to seeing how Alexander wraps up this trilogy.

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having adored The Door of No Return, I was apprehensive about picking up its sequel but I had no need to worry. Black Star was just as unforgettable, powerful and compelling as its predecessor. I devoured this in a few hours, finding it impossible to pull myself away from. I am incredibly intrigued and excited as to how book three will continue to explore this family’s story. I can’t recommend these lyrical and moving books more highly.

[Julia Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant and devastating.

“Without seeing / we can have no imagination / and without imagination / there is no possibility…”

[Matt Glaviano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book and loved every second of it.

Much like the first book in the series, I found this book to be exceptional in every way. Alexander's pacing is as fantastic as his characters, which are almost as fantastic as his writing.

It's possible that what I liked the most about this novel is the way is echoes the first book in the series. While I'm not sure that you would need to have read that book to enjoy this one, given the cyclical nature of the story arc and the overlapping characters in the books, my reading of this novel was deepened and enriched by having read it's predecessor. The abrupt ending of this book makes more sense in a context that includes how the first book went down, too.

I cannot wait to see how a third book in this series plays out. When it's set, how the characters overlap, HOW IT ENDS... man, I hope it's a hopeful ending but I'm not sure it can be. I hope Mr. Alexander can stick the landing - what he's achieved so far is superb.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great cover, though Charlie looks younger than 12, and this could keep my 7th graders from wanting to pick it up. If a book is geared for middle school, then the cover characters should look like they are in middle school. As far as the story goes, I wish there had been more baseball action to appeal to my sports fans.

[Isobel Macleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Black Star was devastating and beautiful in equal parts. It is set during segregation and revolves around Charley a 12 year old black girl living in the South who grows up being told never to cross the 'Great Bridge' but never truly understanding the gravity of why this is. Charley loves baseball and dreams of playing professionally when she grows up and soon gets a chance to show how good she really is at the annual church picnic. Things don't go to plan when her friends decide to play their baseball game at the new pitch over the bridge.

Black Star is written in verse and this really contributed to the beautiful flow of the story and highlighted the important message. Kwame Alexander's command of emotive language completely captured me and I could picture everything so vividly. It is a book that children and adults alike should be encouraged to read.

Thank you to the publishers for.sending me a copy!

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the 1920's (approx), Charley loves two things - baseball and the stories her grandfather tells her about his birthplace in Africa. Most people at the time, don't think sports are a thing for girls - and Blacks in Virginia at the time are dealing with the powerful impact of segregation and Jim Crow. Alexander writes fantastic characters, and his novels written in verse are immersive and exquisite. Excellent blend of historical fiction and compelling storytelling. I will read anything Kwame Alexander publishes.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off the charts. Such an important story for every child to know. Charley Cuffey dreams big. She’s sure to be the star pitcher for the women’s negro league some day. She’s certainly the best pitcher in Jones Mill. But all of that changes when she and her best friend Cool Willie Green find themselves playing on the wrong field against the wrong kids. Beautifully tied to Kwame Alexander’s first book in this series, The Door of No Return, with a brief glimpse at the final book in the series yet to come. This novel jumped much further ahead in the family saga than I imagined it would but it worked brilliantly.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher, I felt blessed to rely on specific authors to convert reluctant readers into enthusiastic readers. Kwame Alexander is one such author, so I was excited to pick up a DRC of Black Star from @littlebrownyr and @lbschool.

Black Star is the story of Charley, a young, strong, inquisitive, baseball-playing 12-year-old girl growing up in Virginia during the segregation era. Told in verse, Charley’s voice is powerful and beautifully accessible for young readers. The novel’s extremely relatable characters will appeal to middle-grade students as will the baseball narrative at the forefront of the story.

Although I’m no longer in the classroom, I constantly thought about how I would have used this novel in my history and language arts classes for small group reading or a whole-class unit study. Brutal truths are delicately woven throughout Charley’s story, exposing the cruelty within American history while also underscoring the necessity for courage, compassion, sensibility, and honesty in our world.

Black Star is the second in the series, but the first I’ve read. It easily reads as a stand-alone. I’ll be picking up the first in the series for my library and looking for the third when it publishes.

Black Star publishes September 24. Thank you to Little Brown Young Readers for the DRC.

[Jessica Tungett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book through the multicultural Wakelet on the Coretta Scott King Book Awards website, where it is listed as a 2025 author honor title. Published by Little, Brown, and Company, this novel follows Charley Cuffman, a 12-year-old Black girl living in the Jim Crow American South, and she dreams of becoming the first female professional baseball pitcher. Her grandfather, Nana Kofi, shares his stories of his African homeland and the family’s journey from Ghana to America. Charley is a passionate, resilient, and determined young girl.

Kwame Alexander writes the book in poetic form as a verse novel, bringing the story's emotional depth to life. Charley navigates her dreams, racial barriers, family legacy, and history with language that is lyrical but accessible. The verse format adds rhythm and pacing to engage even “reluctant” readers.

The cultural representation in this book is incredible. The novel includes historical descriptions of the Negro Baseball Leagues, the Great Migration, and Ghanaian heritage. Charley’s story highlights a legacy of Black dreams and ancestral histories that feel alive and vivid.

This novel would be ideal for grades 5-8 and can be used in multiple ways. For example, it can show students how the line breaks, rhythm, and white space affect the tone and pacing. Students could use a graphic organizer to track Charley’s growth, goals, conflicts, and heritage throughout the story, connecting to middle school standards. Students could create a verse about family legacy for writing and cultural linguistic activities to explore voice and poetic formats.

Overall, I really enjoy this book. Black Star is an engaging, moving, and culturally rich novel. I highly recommend it for middle-grade readers and classroom libraries.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, just like the first book. The author communicates the story through plenty of dialogue, using the oral traditions of the first novel through a new generation of characters. Overall, this second book is lighter, brighter, more child-like - but with an equally dark and tragic ending. You do get answers to the first book in this one, and I hope the third (when/if it comes out) will do the same for this second book, which leaves you on a cliff.

The audiobook uses a lot of narrators for the different characters, which is fun sometimes but whiplash at other times. It is not as smooth as it could be in some parts of the book, and takes a little bit to get used to.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Kwame Alexander gold! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hard to read at times, but so important! This is history

[Raya Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming and heartbreaking. I love the free verse style.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely blown away by this book! Kwame paints such a vivid picture that you can see and almost taste the descriptions. A very powerful and moving story.

[Luke Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went in with mild expectations because of the first book but this was amazing. The story, the characters, the connection and explanation of the first book's storyline was so amazing. Definitely a recommended read!

[Melissa Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seat yourself in the 1920’s, Virginia. Marcus Garvey wants to take people back to Africa. Charlene’s Black family is big supportive, and normal. As much as the first book was a celebration of Ghanaian culture, this one was a celebration of Black culture in the 20s. It introduces middle grade readers to Marcus Garvey, Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, Granny Moses (briefly), Cool Papa Bell, and several Black poets. There are loving descriptions of Black church and the picnic afterwards. But there is also lynching - how they drank lemonade and sang hymns. There’s land-owning Black people who can be made to feel powerless by white boys. And there’s the absolute dread that there’s nothing you can do, no conversation, no civility, no explaining, that will make amends for the misunderstanding and keep the mob from coming for your kid.

[HaileyAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charley's dream is to become the first female pitcher in professional baseball. But as a black girl from the American South, she knows that dream may be out of reach. Especially as she hears her Nana's stories of his ancestors and his childhood. She knows that despite her baseball skill, she is not allowed to play on the new ball field across the bridge. But when a picnic game goes wrong, she makes a choice that will change her life forever.

This is technically the second in a series, but I haven't read the first. However, I think it stands on its own well. It's written in verse, so it reads quickly. My only issue is that it takes so long to get to the conflict that is alluded to in the description. Like, all of it happens in the last 100 pages.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This follow-up to The Door of No Return does not disappoint, because this author’s writing and storytelling are both fantastic. In book two, readers pick up with Kofi’s granddaughter, who loves to listen to his stories about the past almost as much as she loves baseball. When a baseball game leads to the unexpected, the outcome is far worse than Charley could have imagined.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care that this is listed as a "Middle Grade" novel. This one, like The Door of No Return (though not nearly as bad as that one), gutted me. Knowing what the character Kofi had gone through in TDoNR, then this... and sweet Charley who is just a little girl with big dreams... Gutted, I tell you, gutted!

As always, Alexander's words are music and full of so much emotion in so few words. Very strongly recommend.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but didn't blow me away. I liked the first book better than this sequel or add-on. The Door of No Return had so much more action and amazement for me. Black Star wasn't terrible, but it wasn't my favorite.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book

Sequel to The Door of No Return, which I have not read.
Charlie/Charlene Cuffey, 12, is a black girl with big dreams, dreams of pitching for a professional baseball team like the black women up North. Charlie and her best friend, Cool Willie Green practice every chance they get, not nearly as much as they want because Charlene’s mother wants her to be a proper, well-behaved, flute playing girl. Charlie adores her grandfather , Nana Kofi, who with a hated cousin, also Kofi, survived being captured in Africa and the perilous journey in the slave ship, but also had to swim to safety when it sank. He dreams of going home, since his beloved wife died, but he is old and ill. He holds Charlie’s dreams aloft Hopi g they will someday come true, but first they must survive segregation in the south. Charlie’s determination to prove her worth against the boys, puts them all in danger, with disastrous results.
Told in free verse, feelings and emotions shine through as do dreams and and hope, and a REALITY that Charlie had never anticipated. The horrors of evil poetry becoming real in their own lives due to her actions and hard-headed determination will make, men, fathers, hers and Willie’s and others will stand against the hooded white robes and burning torches. Charlie knows “ that what comes after and is a holocaust of hell is what Mr. Claude McKay called the coolest pain, an awful sin that will never be forgotten that I’ll never forgive myself for. Charlie, her mother, her grandfather, her uncle Albert, flee, pausing only to let Willie and his older brother Johnny leap into the car that is heading north toward freedom and never-ending guilt for Charlie.
I must admit that I had a very tough time reading this award-winning novel of segregation , of people like Mary McLeod Bethune trying to improve the lives and hopes of Black people, of the strict rules that helped to keep blacks safe even as they yearned for real freedom. I am glad I have read it, but I am heartbroken at the same time. Kwame Alexander has created a novel of such powerful depth of understanding, nobility, of doing what must be done, and knowing that taking that stand will put your life on the line, but that is what you do to protect your family.
Wow.

[Sometimes IRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. This was so good, I need the last book to this trilogy. In fact can someone do up a collector’s edition of all three (when the last book is out) so that I can have them and cherish them?

Black Star by Kwame Alexander is the second book in The Door of No Return trilogy and this was not a snooze. No middle act woes here because this is a story that needs to be told. Our narrator here is Charley, granddaughter to Kofi Offin from the first book. It’s a different era but the discrimination is still there in the form of segregation. This certainly poses problems for a young girl with big dreams. Will the world come crashing down on Charley as she makes her dreams reality?

I cannot express just how much I love this book. The form, the themes, the characters, everything was superbly done. It took everything I loved in the first book and made me fall in love all over again. It functions pretty much as a standalone story, but knowing what happened in the first book brings out certain themes and patterns so much more. It also brings out the flavour of this story being a generational family one. We get the idea that there is nothing new under the sun, with each fresh horror being a spin on old stories. It sounds bleak and it is because the reality has been so for generations. However, there is so much love and joy in the lives of the characters that one can see how suffering and discrimination does not define one.

A theme that I found really interesting that was repeated in both books is that of the balance between protecting the innocence of the young and revealing the truth for their survival. Yes, some things are hard to understand and even harder to bear. However, the price of that ignorance can be high. Truly, there is no right answer and it is horrific that this question even has to be posed.

Diversity meter:
Black characters
Strong female character

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Charley loves to play baseball, but becoming a female baseball player is a lofty goal in the time and place she calls home. Luckily, she has a grandfather and good friends and family who support her ambitions, and she is able to play in her neighborhood at the very least. But when one game gets out of hand, Charley begins to realize that the secrets her elders have been keeping from her are about to have a very real effect on the course of her life.

This sequel to The Door of No Return introduces readers to Kofi’s granddaughter, a brave young person who shares the tenacity and grit of those who came before her. While it is not necessary to have read the initial book before reading this one, it is helpful to have a sense of where Kofi came from as he shares his stories with Charley. Written in much the same style as the previous novel, this book appears primarily in verse, using poetry to its fullest extent in describing a life in America’s past. Though the quantity of words used is few, the weight of them remains substantial as readers become more familiar with Charley’s story.

Because of the design of this book, it is well-suited to a classroom read thanks to its wide accessibility. Ample white space welcomes reluctant and less confident readers into the storytelling, while more adept readers will be able to appreciate the nuance that is written into every line. This is at once a story of a girl who is trying to find her place in a world that is not quite ready for her and a tale of the strength that a family can share over the generations. While it is a fictional tale, real life is tangible within this novel as Charley and her companions leap from the page and into readers’ hearts. This is a powerful addition to libraries and classrooms serving middle grade readers.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read both this and The Door of No Return in close succession, I got on with the verse form far more easily here - possibly because it's set in more modern times and so felt more 'natural' to imagine without needing prose descriptions to set the scene. I still have a definite issue with how the author chooses to finish books without an actual ending though.

As with the first book, this spends a long time setting the scene and then flies through the actual conflict in under a hundred pages before abruptly ending without a resolution. It stops rather than brings the narrative to a natural close. Once could have been overlooked. Twice is a deliberate stylistic choice and it didn't work for me at all. If the third book follows the same kind of pattern, it'll skip ahead decades and we'll see some of the resolution in it through the eyes of a new character.

That said, the author does have a way with words and vividly brings to life this time the era of discrimination, racial tension and segregation in American history. It felt more accessible for youngsters than the first book and also less horrifyingly dark with no not so oblique references to rape this time round. Charley's recounting of her grandfathers wish to be on one of the boats back to Africa was heart breaking for instance.

All in all, this is just skimming four stars, as many of my issues with engaging with the first book weren't present anymore, but the lack of a resolution is a big enough issue to be glaring particularly second time round.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

[South Brunswick High School Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why, Kwame Alexander? Why? You create beautiful characters, lead me to love and care about them, only to shatter me with your endings! I felt that at the end of Swing, in The Door of No Return, and now in its sequel Black Star.

This is my favorite kind of sequel, a book that answers the questions readers have been holding since closing Kofi's tale, but opening to a wonderful new character, setting, and adventure. Charley Cuffey is Kofi's beloved granddaughter. Through her story readers recognize that Kofi not only survived the shipwreck, but made a life for himself in America. Kofi, or Nana as Charley calls him, has led a rich and interesting life filled with the hardship and violence one expects of a boy who grew into a man kidnapped and sold into slavery, but also one that continues his own Nana's stories, wisdom, love, and legacy by passing down his tales to his children and now grandchildren.

Charley loves baseball and is a crackerjack pitcher, despite the fact that she and her friends cannot play on the beautiful new baseball field on the other side of the Great Bridge. Nana, her parents, and her entire extended family are very clear, she is not to set foot on the bridge or beyond, but that field is just so tempting. Sometimes temptation leads to trouble. Set in Jim Crow Virginia at the start of the Great Migration, Charley's journey will leave readers anxiously waiting for the next installment! I hope Charley's dream of becoming a professional baseball player and college professor comes true.

[Milly Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published 6/2/25 The second in the Door of No Return trilogy. This book - again in verse - jumps from where we left Kofi at the end of Book 1. We are now in 1920 Virginia where there is segregation and the KKK are apparent. Kofi - Nana Kofi is now a grandfather and the story focuses on his 12 year old granddaughter Charlene, Charley. Charley loves baseball - is good at it and dreams of becoming a baseball player - a lofty dream for a young Black girl at that time. She has a small group of friends and when she challenges the pastor’s son, a bit of a bully, to a baseball match - the consequences are so much worse than she ever imagined and we have another ending that leaves us wanting to turn a page that isn’t there. Although Nana Kofi is not the main character, in his talks with Charley we find out what happened after we left him - although you do not need to have read Book 1 to read this. Once again the author gives us a glimpse of what if was like in Virginia at that time - a lesson in Black history - but also, in Charley, a character who is almost ahead of her time because she wants to challenge her role. We have the KKK and the violence they bring, something that the adults try to shield Charley from until …. I enjoyed this, the characters and getting to know what happened to Kofi. It wasn’t as harrowing as the first book, but the ending still packs a painful and heart-breaking punch. I want to see what happens next.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander has a storyteller's style in this second book in the series, The Door of No Return. Black Star is the story of Nana's granddaughter. The town they are in is racially divided not by train tracks, but by a bridge. There is much tension whenever Nana goes to pay his taxes on the other side of the bridge. Charlene, Charley, Cuffey knows this tension as she goes with her grandfather one day and sees the way he is treated by adults and by kids her own age. Charley is not like other kids in her community. She loves learning. She loves playing baseball. She is not a fan of the flute her mother wants her to learn. She has a tight bond with her immediate family and the stories of their lives. She knows her pitching is a gift and does not like when another child tells her that girls cannot be better and accepts a challenge to a game. When on the day of the game, there is no way to use the field by their church, Charley tells the kids there is another field and they cross the bridge. From that moment on there is much happening very fast and you will be in it with Charley as there is no turning back.

Alexander is an amazing writer and storyteller. I cannot thank him enough for putting Mary McLeod Bethune in this story. Her story is so much a part of American History and it is rarely in our testbooks.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how the FMC Charley dreams of being a baseball player - I can relate as I wanted to break through gender norms as a child myself. However, being a young Black girl in a segregated era and community, her path is even more difficult and dangerous than mine would have been (and she is a way better pitcher than I likely was at that age). Woven into Charley's story is Nana Kofi's story from The Door of No Return. Though the prose in this entry of the trilogy didn't resonate with me quite as emotionally as The Door of No Return, it was still definitely worth a read. Be warned though that this book also takes a hard and heartbreaking turn, just like the first book, and has several events that are tough to read. But also remember that the repugnant violence and hatred portrayed reflect the reality for so many of our fellow human beings (which actually makes it tougher for me to stomach - knowing that this isn't some made up fantastical fiction; this is how horrible racism is/has been in our country). I look forward to the final installment in this trilogy because of Kwame Alexander's way with words and ability to share important, even if hard to hear, reflections on life as a Black kid throughout history. I may not be able to fully relate to these experiences, but I can listen and learn.

[Shonda Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kwame Alexander’s Black Star was the perfect choice for my four-year-old son, who recently asked to read a chapter book. The way the chapters were structured made it engaging and accessible for him. I appreciated how the story seamlessly transitioned from poem format to prose, offering a unique reading experience. The shorter poem segments often included level one and two sight words, which allowed my son to read many of the pages independently.

One aspect that stood out was the ending, which concluded in a somber tone. While I wasn’t entirely keen on the despair that lingered with the conclusion, I couldn’t help but reflect on the author’s opening statement: this book is for everyday people who were Black stars in their own way, living normal lives that often go overlooked. As Kwame Alexander expressed, "Black History is more than a timeline of ‘firsts’ and ‘inventions.’ It’s also about the regular families that lived, laughed, loved, danced, worked, failed, hoped, cried, and died just like everybody else.” That message resonated deeply and added a layer of poignancy to the entire story.

Overall, Black Star was an enriching read, balancing moments of joy, resilience, and realism that left a lasting impression.


Shonda Moore
Reading enthusiast

[Leah T. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished "The Black Star" by Kwame Alexander and I loved it. It's the second part of "The Door of No Return" and follows Kofi's journey across the Atlantic. As a 7th grade teacher, I'm always looking for books that will grab my students' attention, and this one definitely fits the bill.

Even though a lot of my students say they don't like poetry, Alexander's style makes the story flow so naturally that they forget they're reading poems. I especially enjoyed how he weaves in Ms. Cookman's character and builds on the themes from the first book. The way he describes Kofi's experiences is both powerful and accessible for middle school readers.

What I really appreciate about Alexander's writing is how he can tackle such heavy historical themes while keeping the story engaging and age-appropriate for my students. I've got his other books in my classroom library, and they're always being checked out. This one will definitely be joining them.

If you've got middle schoolers who enjoy books like "The Crossover" or just love a good story, "The Black Star" is definitely worth picking up. The poetic format actually makes it a faster, more interesting read - even for kids who think they don't like poetry!