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Mariama J. Lockington
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For Black Girls Like Me Hardcover – July 30, 2019

by Mariama J. Lockington (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 438 ratings
Teachers' pick
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In this lyrical coming-of-age story about family, sisterhood, music, race, and identity, Schneider Family Book Award and Stonewall Honor-winning author Mariama J. Lockington draws on some of the emotional truths from her own experiences growing up with an adoptive white family.

I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark.

Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena― the only other adopted black girl she knows― for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda’s sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can’t seem to find one real friend.

Through it all, Makeda can’t help but wonder: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?

Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.

For Black Girls Like Me is for anyone who has ever asked themselves: How do you figure out where you are going if you don’t know where you came from?

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    9 - 11 years
  2. Print length
    336 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 2
  5. Lexile measure
    HL500L
  6. Dimensions
    6.35 x 1.07 x 8.45 inches
  7. Publisher
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
  8. Publication date
    July 30, 2019
  9. ISBN-10
    0374308047
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0374308049
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

*A Today Show Best Children's Book of 2019!*
*The Guardian Best Book of 2019!*
*A Good Morning America Recommended Read!*
*A 2020 ALA Notable Middle-Grade Novel!*
*A Booklist 2019 Editors' Choice!*
*A School Library Journal Best Book of 2019!*
*An ALSC Notable Book!*
*A Junior Library Guild Selection!*
*A Bank Street Best Book of the Year!*
*A 2020 Charlotte Huck Recommended Book!*
*A Chicago Public Library Best Book for Young Readers!*
*A Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice!*
*A Cooperative Children's Book Center Book of the Week!*
*A Book Depository Best Book of 2019!*
*A Denver Public Library Best & Brightest List Pick!*
*A 2019 Nerdie Best Middle Grade Book!*
*Five starred reviews!*


"Lockington’s middle grade debut is a gorgeous, tender depiction of a young Black girl seeking the space to thrive . . . the versatility of its style and structure means this novel could be used in many group discussions centering topics from transracial adoption to genre-blending literature. VERDICT An ­essential purchase for all collections." ―School Library Journal, starred review

"An outstanding middle grade debut . . . With intimate authenticity, she explores how fierce but “colorblind” familial love can result in erasure and sensitively delineates the pain of facing casual racism, as well as the disconcerting experience of being the child of a mentally ill parent." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"In this #OwnVoices middle-grade debut, Lockington captures the joy and angst of transracial adoption . . . an authentic and intimate portrayal . . . this is a necessary read for girls struggling with identity and purpose within their families, as well as a powerful coming-of-age story of Black womanhood." ―Booklist, starred review

"Distinctive, lyrical prose with poems interspersed throughout. Keda's world is richly drawn and seamlessly presented in a strong, authentic voice. This magnificent middle grade debut from Mariama J. Lockington is an absolute gift of a book." ―BookPage, starred review

"Lockington's focused imagery and impressively balanced rhythm between prose and poetry share the perspective of a black girl trying to find a place in her community and in her family." ―Shelf Awareness, starred review

"The multimodal storytelling is visually accessible yet conceptually sophisticated, and Keda's narration, in a reflective, comma-free style, has a touch of adult perception to it that helps expand the audience range of the story. Readers will cheer Keda as she emerges with a stronger and more loving sense of herself." ―Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Achingly honest, and so well-observed, FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME is like the most haunting blues song: lyrically rendered, heartbreaking, a wail of a novel that will offer young people and adults alike hope in the fact that we are not alone in our pain.” National Book Award Winner of THE POET X, Elizabeth Acevedo

"Mariama Lockington's novel FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME is a revelation and a gift, brimming with beauty, honesty, heartbreak, and―most of all―love. It is a story in which so many young people, especially transracial adoptees, will be able to catch glimpses of their own complicated realities. This book is one I dearly wish I'd had, growing up adopted―I am so grateful that it exists now. Mariama's is a voice we need, and this gorgeous debut novel is destined to be read, shared, and treasured by readers of all ages." ―Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know

"For Black Girls Like Me is the book I needed as a young girl. My heart ached for Makeda in the difficult moments and swelled as she slowly learned to use her voice. This is a beautiful, necessary book." ―Brandy Colbert, author of Finding Yvonne and Little & Lion

"Lockington's debut is a revelation. Her voice is a much-needed addition in a field that is far too sparse on #ownvoices stories, and this story in particular is one that only lived experience could bring to life. The language is delicious. Keda's story is searing and essential. I can't wait for everyone to read this." ―Tracey Baptiste, New York Times bestselling author of The Jumbies series

"I don't think I've ever read a more moving rendering of the complex dynamics of growing up as a young, black transracially adopted woman today. Debut novelist Mariama Lockington, herself a young black transracial adoptee, nails the experience of being 'loved and lonely at the same time.' She somehow manages to do this while exploring family mental illness, sibling relationships, moving schools and geographies, and the messiness of pre-adolescence. This is a gorgeous new voice that we desperately need in this time of overly-simplistic stories of race, family, and childhood in popular culture." ―Shannon Gibney, author of the Minnesota Book Award-winning YA novel, See No Color

About the Author

Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, educator, and Schneider Family Book Award and Stonewall Honor–winning author. She has been telling stories and making her own books since the second grade, when she wore short-alls and flower leggings every day to school. She is the author of For Black Girls Like Me, In the Key of Us, and Forever is Now, as well as a poetry chapbook The Lucky Daughter. Mariama holds a Masters in Education from Lesley University and Masters in Fine Arts in Poetry from San Francisco State University. She lives in Lexington, KY with her partner and dapple haired dachshund, Henry.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (July 30, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374308047
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374308049
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 11 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL500L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 1.07 x 8.45 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 438 ratings

About the author

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Mariama J. Lockington

Mariama J. Lockington

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Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, author, and educator. She has been telling stories and making her own books since the second grade, when she wore shortalls and flower leggings every day to school. Mariama’s middle-grade debut, For Black Girls Like Me, earned five starred reviews and was a Today Show Best Kids’ Book of 2019. Her sophomore middle-grade book, In The Key of Us, is a Stonewall Honor Award book and was featured in the New York Times. Her debut Young Adult novel, Forever is Now came out in May of 2023. Mariama holds a Masters in Education from Lesley University and a Masters in Fine Arts in Poetry from San Francisco State University, she calls many places home, but currently lives in Kentucky with her wife, her little sausage dog, Henry, and an abundance of plants.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
438 global ratings
Not enough books like this
5 Stars
Not enough books like this
This is a sometimes heartwrenching, but real and hopeful coming of age story but with so many complex dynamics added including transracial adoption, and growing up with a parent dealing with mental illness.It is beautiful mix of poetry and prose as the author relates her story while uncovering glimpses into Makeda's heart as she contemplates her life including thoughts of her birth mother and her place in the world as a black girl growing into a young woman.This book is a wonderfully thought provoking addition to the sparse choices available for a diverse middle grade reader audience.The recommended age group is 9 years and up which seems reasonable based on the content.I recommend it as it is a fascinating read not just for black girls as the title indicates but also to provide a broader perspective for any child, boy or girl.
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Top reviews from the United States

Arctic lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book content PG13
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book that fits a special need for youth coming to terms with their racial identities different from their adopted parents. Spoiler alert it includes parental mental illness and suicide attempt. Well written. just wish I had known that content before giving to my 10 year old.
One person found this helpful
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Tanya Guerrero
5.0 out of 5 stars Such an Important Book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019
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Ahhhh... This book is so, so important and it deserves all the hype. While some of the themes were weighty—mental illness of a parent, depression, racism, bullying, the repercussions of transracial adoption etc., the story ended on a hopeful note. Yet, not so hopeful that it felt like it was neatly tied with a perfect bow. The characters were fully fleshed out, Keda, her sister Eve, and her parents, particularly her mother. I always appreciate an MG story, where the adults feel real, not just figures in the backdrop of the story. And the writing was authentic, unique in its usage of punctuation, with lines that often made me pause to reflect. Perhaps my favorite is towards the end of the book, "I am a girl becoming a woman. My skin a home and a hurt." I highly recommend this beautiful book!
8 people found this helpful
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L Ramee
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing.
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2020
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I don't even know where to begin for this book. It blew my mind. So well written and so relateable, even though I'm not an adoptee. Maybe that was the magic of this book. Even though it was so specifically about a Black girl being adopted by white parents, it was so much more than that. The sibling dynamics, the worry and concern that comes from having a parent with mental issues. It was so believable. I couldn't put it down. And although there are some hard moments for sure, at the end it was hopeful, and uplifting and I just loved it.
3 people found this helpful
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Charlene Patton
4.0 out of 5 stars For Black Girls Like Me
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020
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Like Makeda, the main character, the author is herself a transracial child who was adopted by a white family, and her experience lends authenticity to the book. Although it is a work of fiction, it underscores the harm that comes from the pretense that an adoptive family is the same as a biological family. It is not. What is an adopted child to make of it when her roots, her culture, her personal history, and the identity of her biological parents are all kept from her, shrouded in mystery? The only logical conclusion is that there is something unsavory, something shameful, about her past and, hence, her very self. When the rest of the family is silent on the subject, the adoptee, like Makeda, is left to grapple with it on her own. Makeda’s situation is exacerbated when her family moves from Baltimore to New Mexico, and she must leave behind her the one friend who is like her, another transracial adoptee.
Black Girls Like Me also dismantles the popular image of adoptive parents who are seen as wearing halos and are somehow exempt from the vagaries of life--family disputes, divorce, loss of jobs and the resulting economic woes, and, as with Makeda’s mother, mental illness.
As a retired English teacher, I can see this book as an excellent selection for class study. I would also recommend it to those who are interested in adopting a child or who are currently raising an adopted child, whether biracial or not.
For those who are interested, another excellent read that explores these issues is The Leavers by Lisa Ko, in which a Chinese teenager, the son of an illegal Chinese immigrant who is abruptly deported back to China, is adopted into a white family.
6 people found this helpful
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Phyliss Merion Shanken
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Inside View into the Experience of Trans-Racial Adoptee
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023
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I appreciate your allowing me to be inside the mind of a child who tried to make sense of their placement in life. This book gave me more insight into the black child’s plight in this mixed race world. Thanks
One person found this helpful
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Loves To Read
5.0 out of 5 stars Important topic
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2023
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Every adoptee (and adoptive parent) should read this. Such great insight into the trauma adoption can cause.
One person found this helpful
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Carmella
5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry, music, and heart in this important debut
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
This beautiful book, full of poetry, music, and heart, ought to find a place on every library or classroom shelf. Lockington perfectly captures the complicated nature of growing up as an adopted black child in a white family, feeling equally loved, smothered, lonely, misunderstood, and desperately curious about her biological parents. The book raises issues about race and identity that will foster excellent classroom discussions.
2 people found this helpful
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LLO10
5.0 out of 5 stars An important voice from the adoption community, and a beautiful book for all
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2019
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This book is so important for so many reasons. Not only is it from an #ownvoices writer, it's beautifully written, the characters are compelling, and the emotional journey is honest and gripping. This is the kind of book that many kids have been waiting for: one that reflects an experience that is common, yet rarely depicted in literature. Tender, thoughtful, and moving, FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME is a must-have for school and library collections, as well as for every young reader.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Haley Radke
5.0 out of 5 stars I've read it twice now and enjoyed it even more on re-read.
Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2021
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I loved this book. It is a unique look through a transracial adoptee's eyes at living in a white family. I learned so much about microaggressions and subtle ways adoptees are 'othered'. I appreciated the lyrical details and style. The letters, the songs, the dreams, the blog, all of it is carefully woven together seamlessly. I've read it twice now and enjoyed it even more on re-read. Mariama is a fabulous author and one to watch.

*Spoilers to come:
Some challenging topics (mental illness and a suicide attempt) move it from middle-grade to YA in my estimation, but I've been conservative on that front for my own kiddos. I also loved seeing the topic of adoptee life explored without a search/reunion plot.
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SallySilk11
5.0 out of 5 stars For Young Black Princesses
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2021
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A excellent book for young black girls.
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Evergreen
4.0 out of 5 stars Parents Need to Know
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2019
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This book is suitable, no, almost perfect for adopted black girls and anyone who wants to open their heart and know more about life as an adoptee. Although it is an excellent, honest and hopeful book, the reason I can't say that it is perfect is because it includes an attempted suicide which may not be appropriate for some children. A book delving into the topic of mental illness is so necessary and important but parents need to know that the main character's mother attempts suicide. While talking with care and respect about suicide and its prevention is important, this may be a trigger for some readers. Parents with children who are at risk should be aware that details about the suicidal behaviour are shared.
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