Yolanda's Genius

Yolanda's Genius

by Carol Fenner (1995)

Newbery Honor Book

Very nice story, a lot going on -- moving from city to suburbs, plus-size females, musical talent, making friends, missing father, drug dealers, etc. etc... -- the book could've been twice as long, but it focused the last 3rd and ended interestingly. The same book could be written from Yolanda's brother Andrew's POV.

I really like the cover art also; sometimes I don't look twice at a cover, but I kept glancing back at this one...

connections: Chicago blues music, The Sound and the Fury