The Other Half Of My Heart (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Minni and Keira are twins that love spending time together and appreciate each other's uniqueness. Minni is shy, smart, and loves to volunteer, while Keira is outgoing, has dyslexia, loves gymnastics and fashion. However, there is one more unique trait that is different about them. Minni is white with straight, red hair and Keira is black with curly hair. Yes, they are actual biological twin sisters born to their black mother and white father. The girls have just turned 11 and their Grandmother Johnson has convinced the girls to be part of the Miss Black Pearl Preteen National Achievement Program. Minni doesn't want to participate, partly because she doesn't think she will be accepted with her white skin, while Keira is positively elated about the pageant. During the pageant the twins are forced to deal with the fact that their different skin colors elicit different reactions from people and they need to decide if that changes the way they feel about each other.Appropriate for grades 4-7, The Other Half of My Heart explores the difficulties that multiracial individuals face. It explores themes of individuality, identity, family, racism, and equality. The story being told from Minni's perspective was interesting, but as a reader I also wanted to know Keira's perspective which we didn't get until late in the book. It was nice to see that Minni gained the strength she needed to confront the identity crisis she was facing, but the book ended in a nice and neat package, which isn't really the case in real life, especially in regards to racism and self-acceptance. However, still a valuable resource to use with students in order to explore multiracial concepts. I enjoyed this tween book about twin sisters of a black mother and white father. The sisters look very different and are often confused for friends instead of sisters. They have very different personalities and interests, but both are painted as interesting, smart, and complicated, and neither is supposed to be better than the other. The part I liked the most was that the sister with light skin constantly wonders if she "is black" and wishes she looked "more black." They live in predominantly white Washington state but go south to compete in the annual "Miss Black Pearl Preteen Pageant."Also, my 4th grade girls (students) LOVED it. Several girls formed an impromptu book club to read and talk about it together.
What do You think about The Other Half Of My Heart (2010)?
An overall sweet story with an unexpected undercurrent about the effects of modern day racism.
—ryooma31
ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!! AMAZING!! its girly, funny, && heart touching.. i love it!
—Cameron
Great family story and insight into multi-cultural families.
—Rebecca1232
