Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Hitting, Reference to a bombing)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
5th grader Cooper Dale lives in 1963 Pittsburgh in a predominately white neighborhood. She wishes she could be white and shine ( shine as in stand out in a good way) and wants to feel good about her black heritage. While she makes some good friendships in her all white class at school, she is bullied by a boy named Wade Carter and she feels picked on by her teacher. She deals with the turmoil of the times like the Birmingham church bombing and the assassination of President Kennedy. She revels in the rise of the Beatles. During the course of the year, Wade's mother falls ill with cancer and leaves school for a time. Cooper struggles with how to treat him when he returns. Cooper grows as she finds her own way to shine.
Radiant shows how to spread compassion in many directions: for oneself, for friends, and for enemies. It is a sweet coming of age story. Light imagery and Wizard of Oz imagery weave the story together throughout the book. While many significant historical events take place in the book, they are only mentioned in passing. The verse style of the book limits the richness the story could have had if these events would have been elaborated on. Cooper is of white and black heritage. Most of her friends are white. A friend that appears later in the book is Hakim, who is also of black heritage.
MOMMAC
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