The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

 

Over the weekend, I finished reading The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert. This realistic fiction novel is about Alberta Freeman-Price, a twelve-year-old black girl who is starting seventh grade and loves surfing in her California hometown of Ewing Beach. Although she has long been best friends with Laramie Mason, Alberta is the only black girl in her grade and there are things about her experiences that Laramie doesn't understand. When another black girl, Edie, moves into the bread and breakfast across the street with her mom, Alberta is eager to befriend her. As they get to know each other, Alberta learns quickly that she and Edie have less in common than she expected. Edie dresses goth and misses Brooklyn, where she moved from in New York. Soon, the two girls find a box of old journals in Edie's attic and decide to solve the mystery of who wrote them, despite their differences. As Alberta befriends Edie, Laramie begins hanging out with Alberta's enemy, Nicolette McKee, despite Alberta's warnings. As change becomes a persistent presence in her life, Alberta wonders if her friendship with Laramie will survive while learning about a woman's experiences with racism from reading the journals with Edie.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I could definitely relate to Alberta's struggles with maintaining friendships in middle school and I was intrigued by the mystery of the old journals that Alberta and Edie found. I also liked how Alberta and Edie didn't have everything in common even though they're both black. I think over the course of the story they learned a lot from each other's experiences being from opposite sides of the country. In contrast, I felt like Laramie was the wild card as the story progressed. I knew Laramie trying to be friends with Nicolette wouldn't end well, but I could imagine that she felt lonely when Alberta began spending so much time with Edie. I wanted Alberta, Edie, and Laramie to find a way to be friends together, and the end of the book didn't disappoint. Additionally, the journal entries interspersed throughout the novel were one of my favorite parts and I loved how the identity of the writer was gradually revealed despite Alberta and Edie's impatience at times. I was actually surprised by the answer. The Only Black Girls in Town is a terrific story of friendship and the lengths a person will go to in pursuit of a better life. Anyone should read it.