LET'S GET TOGETHER

Two Black girls in Pasadena navigate the complexities of a newfound family relationship.

Eleven-year-old Liberty Perry has been a foster kid for as long as she can remember. After years of moving around to different households, she’s happy with her new foster mom, Joey, and Joey’s cat, Hansberry. When Liberty begins sixth grade at her 10th new school, Biddy Mason Community School, the last thing she expects is to meet her doppelgänger. Like Liberty, Kenya Norwood has dark skin and striking hazel eyes, but the similarities end with their physical resemblance—and the girls don’t get along. After they get into a fight, Kenya’s father, Wes, comes to school and recognizes Liberty as Kalilah, his missing daughter. A DNA test confirms this fact, unraveling the twins’ family history and posing a question of reunification that complicates Liberty’s recent, joyful acceptance of an invitation to be adopted by Joey. But the girls form a kinship bond despite their differences, and Kenya hatches a plan to make Joey and Wes fall in love so they can all stay together forever. The matchmaking schemes involve a luncheon, a Halloween trick-or-treat outing, a surprise Thanksgiving family dinner, and a camping trip, all leading up to a satisfying and realistic conclusion. The third-person perspective alternates between Liberty’s and Kenya’s points of view. Colbert sensitively and age-appropriately addresses complex issues around mental health, substance abuse, and the foster care system.

A compassionate, emotionally intelligent story about family and belonging that will resonate widely.