A Detroit girl's journey of friendship, family, and finding her voice in the turbulent 1960s.After moving from her beloved Detroit neighborhood to an unfamiliar suburb, Georgia lies to enter a poetry contest for Detroit residents only. With her brother in Vietnam, Georgia tries to settle into her new life, but she misses her old friend Ceci, her familiar street, and the local deli. She wonders if she'll ever belong.
To make matters worse, Georgia must intercept the contest announcement before her family uncovers her deception. During that summer, Georgia discovers her own resilience and the power of truth when lies ring hollow. For middle grade readers who enjoy historical fiction, friendship stories, and coming-of-age tales. Keywords: 1960s Detroit, middle grade historical fiction, friendship.
"Miles from Motownis 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 ofCaptain Superlative
Lisa Sukenicis a poet, author, and fourth-grade teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Her fiction and poetry appears inEveryday Haikuand two Off Campus Writers Workshop anthologies.Miles From Motownplaced first in the 2016 SCBWI-IL Prairie Writers Day Manuscript Contest and was a finalist in Fitzroy Books’ 2019 Kraken Book Prize.
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![Miles from Motown [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/3/5/3/2_5439951.jpg "Miles from Motown [Paperback]")