Ebony and Ivory

10/30/2018

Blended by Sharon M. Draper

Is normal never being sure of what normal really is?

Eleven-year=old Isabella feels that she is constantly being pulled in different directions. Her life ping-pongs back and forth, as her parents share custody. She lives part-time with her black father, his girlfriend and her son. Alternate weeks are at the home of her white mother and future stepfather. Two different homes. Two different families. Every. Other. Week.
At dad's house, she is Isabella and practices her music on a grand piano. To mom she is Izzy and prepares for her upcoming recital on an electronic keyboard.
Then there are the Exchange Days, the dreaded moments when her two sets of parents meet at the mall and Izzy/Isabella must switch backpacks, lifestyles, and identities.
It's confusing.

Draper has fashioned a compelling portrait of a biracial girl living with conflict. In addition to the tension between her parents, Isabella faces racial hostilities: her best friend Imani discovers a noose in her locker. Who would do something like that? And why? On a shopping trip Imani and Izzy discover an exclusive dress shop. They are tailed by security and eventually asked to leave the store. Is it because of the color of their skins? Their young age? When her soon-to-be brother is accused of theft, things take a frightening turn. These encounters leave her shaken.

Blended combines questions of identity, racism, friendship, and family. Like a Sonatina and an old-time swing tune, Draper's novel for young readers hits all the right notes. Melody and harmony blend in one dazzling performance.

Listen Up

Izzy/Isabella prepares for the Pianopalooza by learning music composed in the eighteenth century. She also discovers a treasure trove of old boogie-woogie and blues numbers. Want to hear these two very different musical numbers?