The Road to Paris

by Nikki Grimes

Paris has just moved in with the Lincoln family, and isn't thrilled to be in yet another foster home. She has a tough time trusting people, and she misses her brother, who's been sent to a boys' home. Over time, the Lincolns grow on Paris. But no matter how hard she tries to fit in, she can't ignore the feeling that she never will, especially in a town that's mostly white while she is half black. It isn't long before Paris has a big decision to make about where she truly belongs. Nikki Grimes has created a portrait of a young girl who, in the midst of being shuffled back and forth between homes and realizing things about other people and the world around her, gradually embarks on the road to discovering herself.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, African American, Chapter Books, Childrens

153 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2006

Reviews

[Soleil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys. Add this to your TBR. This book was amazing, and I love it so much. I picked it up randomly from the store and as I started reading I was in awe. The writing is light and geared towards younger audience, but still has so much to offer older readers.

The main character, Paris, is a young girl who has been in different foster homes with her older brother. But they end up being seperated, and placed in different homes. Wary at first, Paris watches the family she is now placed with, but she eventually becomes a part of the family.
This story shows the struggles of a young biracial girl who learns of God's love, and has to decide if she'll give her mother another chance

10 out of 10 stars

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My nine year old suggested I read this book, and I'm glad I did. It is a fabulous discussion sparker with kids and adults alike. I recommend!

[L11-Sharri Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris is a young girl trying to figure out what home means. Paris and her brother Malcolm, were sent to live in a foster home. Malcolm was her protector and closest companion unitl they were separated into two different foster homes. Paris is sent to live with the Lincoln family. Malcolm is sent to a group home. Paris doesn’t believe this will be a good place for her. The Lincolns slowly win Paris over by being kind to her and making her feel included in their family. She meets a girl, named Ashely. They quickly becomes best friends. Ashley’s father does not approve of his “white” daughter playing with Paris. Paris is hurt and decides that she will never have another white friend. Mrs. Lincoln tells her that, “you can’t go through like judging people by the color of their skin.” Paris asks what she is supposed to do then? Mrs. Lincoln tells her to “judge them by their actions. Then decide to hold them close or push them away.” At the park one day, Paris meets another “white” girl and doesn’t want to talk to her. The girls name is Sienna and she is persistent. After a while, Paris realizes that Sienna and her family are kind and genuine. Paris is asked to decide who she wants to live with. This time it is up to Paris to decide where she lives. This book would be good to use with students that are in 4th-7th. This book won the Coretta Scott King Honor.

[Kyara B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for probably 10 years and it’s tailored towards younger audiences but I had never read it.

The entire time reading, I just wanted to hug the main character, Paris. The book does a good job at showcasing how trauma and complex emotions manifest in young children. The narration is particularly good regarding this element.

The bond between Paris and her brother is beautiful. There are also a few other great bonds developed throughout the story along with heartwarming moments.

Quick, easy read with short chapters.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coretta Scott King Honor Book 2007

This book is about the foster care system, it shows some good points and bad points. The story opens with Paris and her brother, Malcolm, running away from a foster home where she has been abused. They stop at their grandmother’s house, but she is not interested in raising two more children so calls Child Services and Malcolm is sent to a group home and Paris goes to the Lincoln’s. At the Lincoln’s, Paris doesn’t know what to expect. She finds herself learning about the meaning of family and fitting in. After learning these lessons, Paris must make a very difficult decision.

As a librarian, I would recommend this book to students in grades 3-6, both who were part of the foster care system, and their peers who need to see what it is like to be a foster child. The book would be a good one to discuss the meaning of family, and how you determine who makes up your family. I wish I had a book like this when my son was struggling with his thoughts about his birth family.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really good story, BAD ENDING. I'll tell you, a book's end can either make or break the story, and this one was a total cop-out. I went through all that emotional turmoil only for Paris to ship off to her mom's apartment leaving so many questions unanswered?! I refuse to believe it. I'm going to pretend she stayed with the Lincolns and lived happily ever after. My emotions deserve better than this.

[Bibliomama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book until the very abrupt ending. Paris deserved more time and space to make a decision. But I guess that's unfortunately what often happens with foster children - they don't get time to think.

Could have been a four * or better with a more nuanced ending.

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is more about a story of family and who we call our family than it is about the main character, Paris being a biracial child.

Paris and her brother Malcolm, had a trifling mother whose irresponsibleness landed them in a string of horrible foster homes. When Paris and Malcolm ran away from the latest home, they went to their grandmother's. This evil woman agreed to let them stay for three days then called child services and had them split up. She wouldn't keep them because she had raised her children already. That was hard for me to read. As a mom, I couldn't imagine not taking care of my own children and if I ever have grandchildren, I couldn't ever imagine turning them away.

At this point, Malcolm disappears and the story is mostly about Paris. She finally lands in the home of the Lincolns and slowly gets used to them. She even makes a new friend Ashley. But one day Ashley's dad returns home from a business trip and when Paris goes over to her house to ask her to play, Ashley's father demands to know who the "blonde-haired nigger girl is" that's standing on his porch.

My heart broke at that point because when I was a little girl in Jersey in the 1970s, I went to a classmate's house to play and when her mother answered the door, I was told that I wasn't allowed to play with her ever again and the door was slammed in my face. I was 10. Still haven't forgotten that.

But, I digress. This is a really great story of knowing who you are and knowing that family is more than the people we shared DNA with. It's also a story of how sometimes people who don't share our DNA take better care of us than those who are our "blood."

The reason I gave the book four stars is because I wanted it to be longer. But, it's a book for a younger audience, so brevity is par for the course.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, heartfelt, and realistic story about an experience of a child in foster care. This is not a fairy-tale, so no happy endings, just lots of mixed feelings. The author accurately depicts the struggle for belonging, prejudice, and the difficulty of choices. The author clearly depicts the strength of human attachment and the complications that ensue when the child is attached to a parent that's not emotionally healthy.

[Oceane Dekesse-Nimi]

This was the best book I've ever read!! Yall need some Nikki Grimes in your life I'm telling you. Girl, you did an amazing job writing this book congrats to you. But seriously get this book and you won't regret it if you don't love it blame it on Nikki but DEFINITELY should.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

[Takia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling and heart-rending tale of a young girl's journey through the foster care system

[Irena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kakvo prijatno iznenađenje od knjižice

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This such a sweet little book. It's definitely made for little ones to read. Although it has beautiful life reminders for Adults too. Super Sweet! 💜🤍🖤

[Dawnmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book that reminds us we are never alone if we carry God in our pocket.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snel boek, mooi verhaal

[Cara Whitehouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book back in 2018 and it was the first book that I could see in my head and almost watch like a movie as I read. I resently read it again and it was like reading it for the first time again. I loved it.

[April Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly loved this book!!!
This book is about a girl named Paris. Paris and her brother Malcolm, had a trifling mother whose irresponsible landed them in a string of horrible foster homes. Paris just moved in with the Lincoln family. Paris is not thrilled to be in another foster home and she has a tough time trusting people. Paris misses her brother, who's was sent to a boys' home far away from her. Over a period of time Paris and the Lincolns grow on each other, but no matter how hard Paris tries to fit in, she can't ignore the feeling that she never will, especially in a town that's mostly white while she is half black. to not give to much away, Paris has a big decision to make about where she truly belongs and the journey to that decision makes the book that much more interesting! This is a really great story of knowing who you are and knowing that family is more than the people we shared DNA with. It's also a story of how sometimes people who don't share our DNA take better care of us than those who are our "blood."
I gave this book a five star! Recommend it to everyone !

[Lucila Soto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very eye opening book of the struggles of a young girl who is in the foster care system with her brother. More people should be aware of this book and the events that are spoken about in it, in order to help those in the foster care.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel tells the story of a girl that has never known a place to be called home. Paris and her brother are in the foster care system and have run away from their abusive foster family. When they get separated, Paris is placed with a nice family that shows her home for the first time. When she finally gets comfortable with where and who she is with, she gets a life changing call from her birth-mother and has to make a decision that could define the rest of her life.
The theme of this novel is the importance of family.
This book would be a great one to read in the classroom to talk about home and family life. You could have the class draw a picture of their house and then write different things that turn their house from just being a roof to a home. This could get the students thinking about what factors makes a home and a family.

[705Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Road to Paris, by Nikki Grimes, was a slightly dull but sweet book. It tells the story of Paris, along with her brother, Malcolm: close siblings who have been placed in numerous foster homes together. However, when Malcolm gets taken away from Paris, who is placed in yet another home with new foster parents, she struggles to adapt to life in her strange new environment: new siblings and, for the first time, kind foster guardians. Though this story starts out promising a dramatic climax, the book leads a steady plot which lacks the climax promised at the beginning, and I felt that the plot, in general, also didn't quite meet the excitement of the blurb. I would rate this book "2 Stars", and would recommend it to readers who enjoy quick realistic fiction books involving a main character who must go through changes and adjust to new environments.

[Cindy Mittendorfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a brilliant novel about a young girl who was in the foster care system. Nobody seemed to want her and she bounced from foster home to foster home with her brother. Eventually they were separated and Paris ended up with a very nice foster family. This novel takes you through Paris's life journey and the many obstacles that go along with foster care. The theme of this book is homelessness. I would use this book in my classroom to teach the students about foster care systems and show them that some kids are not as fortunate to have a family to go home to. I would do an activity where they write a make believe letter to a child in the foster care system.

[Chloe Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is amazing. i’m not use exactly what i was expecting when i started reading it. Paris is such a strong girl and malcolm is just as strong. The situations they both encounter is something that i could never imagine going through. i hope there is a second good that goes deeper into the decision that both of them are needing to make. If you like goods that are heartwarming but also keep you looking for what’s going to happen next, this book is for you!

This book would be good to talk about racism or adoption in class. Paris encounters both of these. this book would be good for any mid level grade.

[Readersaurus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book is beautifully written and moved me to sobbing many times, I can only give it two stars. Too much takes place off the page. And the recurring premise, that if you believe in God and keep him "in your pocket," you will somehow be protected and helped to make good decisions, just isn't developed enough for me to believe it. It didn't protect Paris from anything, and if her mother is ready to be a reliable and kind parent and the end, Grimes doesn't show us that.

[Monique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hooked me at first, but then left me out to dry.

[Sara Easterly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Nikki Grimes’ The Road to Paris from both an adoptee lens and through a child developmental perspective. From both viewpoints, I really liked this book about a young girl who is shuffled between homes in foster care after her mother's drinking gets in the way of caring for her daughter, Paris, and her son, Malcolm.

Thanks to her lived experience with foster care, Nikki Grimes writes a powerful story that resonates emotionally. She captures the vulnerable emotions experienced by Paris, such as missing her brother and feeling scared of the dark—while also showing the ways trauma can manifest, such as proceeding with caution in relationships and putting up protective defenses with maternal figures.

What’s more, Grimes brilliantly weaves in some of the common concepts that affect transplanted children, such as looking for genetic mirroring and seeking belonging. She also captures the confusing and complicated mix of feelings involved when young hearts are attached to two mothers—and the nuances that arise when there are no perfect parents or easy answers.

I loved that music was a place of safety and play for Paris, helping her to ultimately adapt. I also came to love Paris’ foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln—caring adults Paris truly deserved—welcoming Paris into the family, guiding her when racism hurt, and figuring out ways to meet Paris’ needs and help her thrive: at first, by simply adding a nightlight; and more significantly, incorporating Paris in the family album and introducing her to the church and choir that provided her with needed comfort and joy.

Foster care isn’t glossed over into a fairytale adoption story. And yet this realistic story is ultimately a story of survival, hope, family, and love.

[Cam's Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was such a throwback to my middle school reading days. Paris is a biracial child stuck in the foster care system with her brother Malcolm. unfortunately early on they are separated & she is placed in the care of the Lincolns, a Black family that lives in upstate New York.

i was on an emotional rollercoaster with this one. the Lincolns provided Paris with what her alcoholic mother couldn’t- with stability. she went to school, made friends & was even involved in church! ugh her happiness brought me so much joy

this book caused me to reflect on the foster care system within the U.S. check out these facts i found on childrensrights.org:
- On any given day, there are nearly 437,000 children in foster care in the United States.
- In 2018, more than 17,000 young people aged out of foster care without permanent families. Research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to forever families have a higher likelihood than youth in the general population to experience homelessness, unemployment and incarceration as adults
- In 2018, one third of children entering U.S. foster care were young people of color

not many kids get lucky enough to find the right foster family, & much are less fortunate to find a forever home. ain’t it funny that fosters families are paid by the government to take care of these kids, while capable (i.e stable, loving) families of kids put into foster care just mostly need extra aid? it makes me wonder: why does the government want to create broken families?

nikki grimes is definitely a must-read author😍

[Carol Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paris isn't a place. It's the main character, as she finally finds a good foster care family. Paris and her brother, Malcolm, have been neglected and abused, and finally run away. Malcolm is the only consistent relationship in Paris's life, and after this move, they are separated. Malcolm goes to a group home and Paris doesn't even know where he is. She is placed with her new foster family. It's not a perfect family, but over the course of a school year, Paris learns she can trust them and that she has found a real family. At church, she discovers that she is a good singer and that she loves music and being in the choir. At school, she finds out that her new best friend can't be her best friend anymore after her father finds out that his white daughter is hanging out with a black girl - a painful lesson. When Paris first gets to the Lincoln family, she is given her own bedroom, which just reminds her of the closet she used to be locked into, awakening her fears. There is nothing to fear here, though. The author's note indicates that the author also spent time in the foster care system, so perhaps this is based on her personal experiences. In the end, birth mom, Viola, calls Paris to say she has gotten married again and wants to have her children back. Paris must make a difficult decision. She can stay with her new family, who she has come to love and trust. Going back to her birth mom means she can live with Malcolm again, but who is this new man in her mom's life? He's not the first. It's the sort of decision a child shouldn't have to make.

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about an eight-year-old girl, Paris and her ten-year-old brother, Malcolm who grow up in foster homes because their mother is unfit. At the beginning of the story, it talks almost how a home is a funny place because they go from foster home to foster home at a fast rate. When Paris and Malcolm are separated forever into different foster homes, Paris starts to reconsider her idea of home being a funny place. Paris learns that being in her new foster home with the Lincoln's isn't as bad as she thought it would have been. She learns that even her foster family can become her family when she realizes how much they love her and care for her. Later in the book, she is reunited with Malcolm and her mother. Paris and Malcolm must decide to leave their current situations to move in with their mother and new step-father or stay where they are. I am not sure if I agree that they had to decide on where they wanted to live but, I did like how they were given the choice of who they wanted to go with since a lot of times children cannot choose who they want to live with. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads and likes children's literature because the main character and most of the supporting characters are African American but yet the story could be about any child. As a kid myself I believe any kid could relate to Paris' feelings about starting a new school or making friends or playing in the snow.

[Allie Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ended up really disliking this more than I wanted to. It’s middle grade, so the writing was audience appropriate; but I did NOT like the pacing or the ending. Super short chapters and it’s short in general; great. But there is a prologue, and then the next however many chapters are flashbacks to the events of the last year. My problem was we don’t get back to present time until the penultimate chapter! The end of the book is SO abrupt and crappy. It was like… 4 pages abrupt. And it made reading the rest of the book a total waste. (Albeit a insubstantial waste because the book was so short but…) I was confused. Bad ending. No closure and nothing was followed through to the end. The one friendship conflict wasn’t even hashed out enough for me to understand. And maybe I’m dumb, but between the writing and the cover art and the publishing date I have *NO* clue what time period this was written to take place in. I don’t know that it mattered? But it represents the overall lack of cohesive detail I felt this had.