Miles from Motown

by Lisa Sukenic

Overview

Twelve-year-old Georgia Johnson is sure she can win the “Spirit of Detroit Poetry Contest,” judged by her idol, Gwendolyn Brooks. After moving from her beloved Detroit neighborhood to an unfamiliar suburb on the outskirts of the city, Georgia lies to prevent becoming disqualified from the contest (which is for Detroit residents only) by using her aunt Birdie's address. With her older brother deployed to Vietnam, and her family worried about when—or if—he'll make it home, Georgia tries to settle into her new life. But she misses the old—her friend Ceci, the cracks in the sidewalk that used to catch her skates, the hide-and-seek tree, and the deli on the corner. She wonders if she'll ever make new friends or feel like she belongs. To make matters worse, she must also find a way to intercept the contest finalist announcement that will be mailed to Aunt Birdie's mailbox before her family uncovers her deception. During that summer, Georgia discovers her own resiliency in the face of upheaval and the power of truth when lies ring hollow.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646030897
Publisher:	Regal House Publishing
Publication date:	08/21/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lisa Sukenic is a poet, author, and fourth-grade teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Her fiction and poetry appears in Everyday Haiku and two Off Campus Writers Workshop anthologies. Miles From Motown placed first in the 2016 SCBWI-IL Prairie Writers Day Manuscript Contest and was a finalist in Fitzroy Books' 2019 Kraken Book Prize.

Editorial Reviews

"Miles from Motown is a beautiful coming-of-age story. The prose-poetry fits perfectly like a well-worn baseball glove. Exhilarating. Inspiring. I couldn't put it down!" —Ronit Bezalel, Award-winning director of 70 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green 


"Like the city it's named for, this novel has an engine all its own and that engine never stops. Once you start reading, you can't put it down. It's more than a book, it's a whole experience; a full-throttle reminder of how it feels to come of age in a chaotic time and place. Georgia's journey speaks to the poet in all of us." —J. S. Puller, Author of Captain Superlative

From the Publisher

08/01/2021

Gr 4–6—It's the summer of 1967 and rising seventh grader Georgia's life is changing in this coming-of-age novel in verse. Her family is moving from Detroit to an unfamiliar suburb seven miles away. Even though the move isn't far, Georgia is upset that her parents won't tell her the reason for the move and is devastated to move away from her best friend Ceci, her Aunt Birdie, and her beloved Detroit neighborhood. At the end of the school year, Georgia entered the "Spirit of Detroit Poetry Contest" judged by her idol poet Gwendolyn Brooks—she had to lie to enter (it is only for residents of Detroit) by using Aunt Birdie's address. In her new neighborhood, Georgia makes friends with Naomi, her first white friend, who attends the same summer day camp but also faces racial bullying from some of the other kids in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Georgia's oldest brother Ty is in Vietnam and her brother Jerome is also upset about the move and having to switch schools prior to his varsity senior year baseball season. Juggling being the new kid in town, balancing friends old and new, and trying to intercept the contest announcement from her aunt's mailbox keeps Georgia busy. Lyrical prose keeps the story moving and readers will be rooting for Georgia to win. Georgia and her family are Black and Naomi is white. Their new neighborhood is predominately white. VERDICT An additional historical fiction purchase that will resonate with readers facing change as Georgia builds resiliency.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga P.L. Syst., OH

School Library Journal

2021-06-16
A 12-year-old Black girl is uprooted from her home during the summer before seventh grade.

Georgia Johnson was prepared to spend the summer months of 1967 lip-syncing to records with best friend Ceci and spending time with her favorite aunt, Birdie. Those plans changed when her parents abruptly move the family from Detroit to Southfield, a predominately White and Jewish suburb, for reasons unknown to her. On the last day of school, Georgia’s teacher encourages her to submit a poem to the Spirit of Detroit Poetry Contest; the catch is that contestants must live in Detroit, so Georgia uses Aunt Birdie’s address. She begins to find her place in her new neighborhood as she is forced to attend a summer camp, where she befriends Naomi, a White girl. The Johnsons have a few brushes with racism in their new neighborhood. As she agonizes throughout the summer over when she might hear about the contest results—and over having lied about her residence without telling her family—Georgia frets about the possible consequences of her deception. This free verse, first-person novel may help middle-grade readers navigate changing friendships and moving to unfamiliar places. Unfortunately, the characters overall feel rather generic and lacking in texture. Georgia’s daily accounting of events creates a steady pace, but coupled with the anticlimactic storyline, it makes for a monotonous tone.

A slow story about facing change. (Historical verse novel. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews