Pieces of Why

July 6, 2015
When Tia was four years old, her father robbed a house and was sentenced to life in prison. It’s not until a baby dies in a neighborhood carjacking eight years later that Tia learns the whole truth: he killed a 12-year-old girl during the robbery. The baby’s murder stirs bad memories in Tia’s working-class New Orleans community, and she unjustly bears the brunt of this ill will. Tia’s reclusive mother avoids talking about the past, while her own shame and questions so overwhelm her that she loses the ability to do her favorite thing: sing. Her voice teacher, Ms. Marion, wisely tells her, “Sometimes if you’re having trouble creating something beautiful, you’ve got to find the joy in your life.” Surrounded by a strong supporting cast, Tia is a sympathetic protagonist searching for that joy, and the answers she needs to rediscover her voice come from some unexpected sources. Going (Fat Kid Rules the World) skillfully tackles topics of race, class, and violence in a moving testament to family and friendship, love and loss, and the power of forgiveness. Ages 10–up. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown.

June 15, 2015
Sometimes sugarcoating the truth can leave a bitter taste. Such is the lesson in this middle-grade tale. Tia, a gifted young singer, lives alone with her mother. They have meager means, but thanks to working two jobs, Tia's mom manages. All Tia wants is to someday use her passion for singing to make a difference. However, after a neighborhood tragedy, Tia struggles to find her voice through the maelstrom of discordant notes hurled by folks who somehow know more about her incarcerated father than she does. When Tia learns that her well-meaning mother has intentionally misled her about why her father was imprisoned, Tia feels alienated from her close-knit New Orleans neighborhood and her best friend, Keisha. It's a noble effort on Going's part, and she does a commendable job of bringing readers into Tia's hardscrabble neighborhood. Still, this story feels sadly one-note; it's a tale that moves inexorably toward a predictable conclusion-one that feels less and less likely by story's end. Tia and Keisha's friendship is a sweet one, but the story stumbles in an attempt to draw huge parallels between the girls' relationship and Tia's relationship with her own parents. The major conflict of the story-Tia's coping with the real reason her father is in prison-feels like a stretch. Young readers may not be willing to sing in this hallelujah chorus. (Fiction. 10-13)

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July 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-Tia's gift for singing has led to solos in her youth choir in New Orleans where she lives with her single mother. At 12, Tia knows that her mother is working all the time to provide for them, and often turns to her friend Keisha's family for support. Tia knows that her father is in prison, but never had much other information from her mother until the recent shooting of a baby during a carjacking in the neighborhood gets people talking. She soon hears that her father murdered a 12-year-old girl during a robbery years before. Suddenly Tia's voice leaves her as she tries to cope with the guilt and shame as well as her feelings of empathy for the family whose baby was the victim of the recent shooting. Though Tia finds warmth and caring within her friend Keisha's family, she overhears a visiting aunt claim that Tia's whiteness and her father's background make her a bad influence on Keisha. Kenny Lin, a boy who stutters yet is a warm and caring friend, provides romantic interest and expands on the diversity of this multicultural community. Crucial to Tia's working through her concerns is the leadership of Ms. Marion who directs the choir and helps Tia face her mother and eventually her father in prison. A concert to benefit victims of crime subtly shows that the families of the perpetrators are also victims. VERDICT Going's straightforward prose doesn't overwhelm the story, but keeps it on a level that the likely audience will find appealing.-Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 More than anything in the world, Tia dreams of being a singerand not just any singer, but one like Nina Simone, Adele, or Mahalia Jackson, a singer whose voice can change the world. But, she thinks, seeing as I was only twelve and poor as dirt, that was a universe away. Perhaps. In the meantime, Tia takes voice lessons from Ms. Marion and sings in the Rainbow Choir with her best friend Keisha. But then there is a drive-by shooting, and, in its wake, Tia learns a shocking truth that will change her life and compromise her ability to sing. Is her dream gone forever? Going's new novel, with its nicely realized New Orleans setting, is a tender, accomplished story about the coming-of-age of a girl whose good intentions are challenged by uncertainties and her efforts to do what is right, even when that's frightening and painful. Readers will empathize with Tia and wish her well as she struggles to deal with the truth and hold on to her dream.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

October 26, 2015
Tia is 12 years old, loves singing in the choir with her best friend Keisha, and dreams of being a professional singer. But her youthful optimism and innocence are shattered by a murder in the community, which ultimately reveals an ugly secret about her father, imprisoned for life. Parsons narrates in a youthful voice that perfectly evokes a young girl’s questioning and conflicting emotions on the cusp of adolescence: discovering that the world contains both beauty and horror, learning that people are not pure evil or pure good and that forgiveness is possible, and trying to figure out where she fits in. Parsons also deftly differentiates among the different character voices so that it’s always clear who is speaking. This is a well-done audiobook of a compelling coming-of-age tale. Ages 10–up. A Penguin/Dawson hardcover.