Shalan Mitchell’s Reviews > Blended > Status Update

It leaves the reader to do so much of that wondering on their own. I think it is confusing/unfair to leave early middle grade readers with these moments and questions without a character alongside them to help process it all. I struggled with other aspects of the story, like the narrative voice feeling older, but ultimately I feel like this book did a lot without doing enough. I give it a very generous 3🌟.

For instance, the main character identifies as black instead of mixed race, and that sentiment is expressed in one solitary conversation. I worry that this single scene perpetuated the narrative that bi-racial/multi-racial children must choose to be one race instead of embracing all they are.

I was very frustrated and a little disappointed by this book. I expected it to be about blended family dynamics and the bi-racial experience. It was, but I wanted the author to explore these topics more deeply. I struggled with some of the narratives she created but didn’t develop/expand on.