Keeping It Real is another authentic friendship tale from writer Paula Chase. I love the way she captures young teenagers' voices and brings them to the pages of her work. Her stories are relatable for younger teenagers and I hope that Chase continues to write them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A bit unfocused. It's putting together big ideas but doesn't fully integrate them so nothing ever gets fully explored. The final twist felt unnecessary. While initially interesting, by the end I mostly found it tiresome.

Paula Chase has a unique voice that is not easily done in middle grade books. I was immediately drawn into Mari’s story through her voice and the fashion and drama. The drama just kept going and the pages kept turning. Chase has a way of developing characters in such a way that you can see them and feel for them. By the end of the book, I wished I could be a fashion designer, or at least dress like one, and my heart was repairing after being torn to pieces. I absolutely loved this story and know that is a story that is needed with a theme that many will connect to.

Chase just has a knack for writing relatable and real kids and capturing authentic dialogue. I've preferred other titles, but this is still a great pick for your collection.

Marigold Johnson is excited to spend her summer as part of Style High- a program at her parents' wildly popular company, Flexx Unlimited. Not only will she get to stretch her style muscles, but she will get to work with her best friend- Justice.

The first day shows Marigold right away that her summer is not going to go quite as planned. Justice seems a little distant, Chandra is TOO much, and Kara doesn't seem to like Mari from the jump.

I enjoy Paula Chase's writing every time I pick up one of her books. This was no exception. I enjoyed the overall storyline but rated it a bit lower because the end seemed rushed. There was a lot of built-up tension and then a flood of resolution. While I know that once a revelation occurs there isn't always a lot of story left to tell, I would have liked there to be more exploration of the outcomes.

I loved this! Unfortunately publication plans at Shelf Awareness (where I was assigned to review this) changed and my review was not printed, but I do talk this book up where I can!

This was a great read. I spotlighted it as book of the day on my social media platforms, and I included it in a monthly roundup of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction blog.

This was a good book, and I enjoyed reading it. However, I think the advertised age-range might be low/wrong. There's a lot of language and slang that makes it too mature for middle-grade. For example in some rap lyrics that are quoted- "Girls be on my tip because they ride it, get it." The students also make sexual comments to each other. I did enjoy Marigold's story (her internship in her parent's business, her friendships, and the lessons she learns). I would just recommend it for grades 7th+.

Keeping It Real is a riveting upper middle grade about family, privilege, and conformity in the Black community. With a perfect in-between voice, this book is perfect for older tweens and younger teens in the eighth grade and older. Kids who enjoy stories about the arts, friendships, and family drama will enjoy this one.

On a summer internship for Black teens, the boss's daughter struggles to fit in with her peers while a family secret challenges her worldview, resilience, and capacity for forgiveness.

This hard-hitting (but fun) middle grade novel explores the complex dynamics of privilege and class within a Black community. Mari's authentic and realistic pre-teen voice will be accessible to middle school readers, who will see their own struggles to fit in reflected through her experiences. A must-buy for middle grade fiction collections and middle school book clubs!

Mari and her best friend Justice are both go-getters who come from different sides of the tracks. Mari's family owns a business, Flexx Unlimited, which leaves Mari set for life; whereas, with Justice the only way he's going to make it out after they graduate is through scholarships and opportunities. Which when one arises at Flexx, an internship, Mari finds herself wanting to be doing something as well this summer since all of her friends seem to be working. Mari finds a way to get into her parents business to help out, but they are insistent she WORK - it won't be fun or all sunshine and rainbows just because of who she is. The other interns aren't thrilled with the work they've been given at first, but as time goes on some start to open up to the ideas of what they are doing. The only problem is, one girl, Kara, does not have a soft spot for Mari at all - then a big family secret drops that might change Mari's whole life trajectory.. or does it?

<b>What it's about:</b> Marigold Johnson attends the Flowers Academy, an elite private school. Her parents insist that she get the best education they can provide for her - and thanks to their incredibly popular fashion company Flexx Unlimited, the Johnsons can provide a lot. Mari loves designing fashion as a hobby, but she doesn't pay much attention to her family's business - she's more concerned with doing well in school.

Mari's friend and classmate Justice attends Flo-A on a basketball scholarship; he's one of the best players in the league, and he's one of the most popular kids in the school. But while Justice may have incredible skills on the court, his passion is hip-hop fashion. So when he's chosen to be one of the three teens to participate in a special summer-long style internship at Flexx Unlimited, he is over the moon. Justice is also surprised that Mari didn't know about the program, but Mari is not, since she rarely pays attention to her parents' business, and generally is "allergic" to anything that seems like working for her folks.

The idea of working with Justice, and getting to continue her hobby as part of the internship, captures her interest. She manages to talk her parents into giving her a shot.

But her parents warn her that she has to give the other kids in the program plenty of space to do their thing, because they're not from the same kind of privileged background as Mari.

As the summer unfurls, Mari finds herself caught between expectations - Justice's, the other interns, her parents, and her own. And when Mari starts to feel left out, she has no one to turn to to help her figure out what to do about it.

No one ever said fashion, friendship, or family is easy.

<b>What I thought:</b> One of the things I enjoy most about Chase's books is that they are grounded in the everyday experiences of the characters. While they have conflicts to deal with and obstacles to overcome, those difficulties are ones that young teens face regularly - fitting in, figuring out who they are, pursuing their interests and polishing their abilities, trying to see a path to their future, maintaining friendships, dealing with the changes that come as part of growing up. These are universal issues that middle grades readers can relate to. I hate to make the pun, but Chase is really good at keeping it real!

This book is a little different than Chase's <i>So Done</i> books, in a few dimensions. Most immediately noticeable to me, there is only one perspective provided (as opposed to alternating every chapter between two main characters). It completely makes sense for the story Chase is telling here - if readers had other sides of this story, it would undercut some of the reveals. Still, it would have been fascinating to see this story unfolding from the perspective of one of the other three teens in the book.

This book is also dealing with a very different type of character. The <i>So Done</i> books focus on a set of characters living in Del Rio Cove, a lower income area. Marigold is coming at the world from a very different place than those kids, and it's interesting to see the ways in which her family's affluence giver her a different experience than the kids from the Cove - and even more interesting to see the ways in which it doesn't.

Mari finds herself constantly being shut out of situations. At school, she's one of the only Black kids, and she's had to deal with some racist ignorance. At the internship, she's both the "rich kid" and the boss's daughter, making her feel like a double outcast.

I appreciate that Mari is dealing with difficulties, even though on paper her life is wonderful. It's a great reminder that it doesn't matter how much "stuff" you have, it's how you relate to - and connect with - the people around you that really matters.

Mari is also a very thoughtful child. She frequently looks to the family's live-in friend/nanny/housekeeper, Ms. Sadie. Ms. Sadie helped to raise Mari's father when his mother wasn't able to, and has become like a third parent to Mari. Mari has multiple moments throughout the book where she is consciously thinking about Ms. Sadie's age, and considering that Ms. Sadie will not be around forever, no matter how much Mari and the Johnsons love her. This is pretty deep for a middle schooler, but it's a great little thread that's woven into the story. While this makes Mari sad, she pivots to focus on the here and now and enjoying having Ms. Sadie in her life, rather than focusing on the darker aspects of her future. I think teen readers could stand the reminder of mortality, as well as the lesson in not taking their loved ones for granted and trying to enjoy the present.

As thoughtful as Mari is in certain areas, she's also a typical clueless teen in others. Not only do I love the realism of that idea, that people can be strong in one dimension but weak in the next one over, but it provides lots of great chances for conversations among readers. As an impartial third party, the readers can see that although Mari thinks her actions make sense, she is actually creating several of her own problems because although she cares about others, she's not great at seeing things from their perspective unless someone is leading her through it step by step. Again, I love this very regular-teen detail.

<b>Why I rated it like I did:</b> As a writer, Chase is on par with Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jewell Parker Rhodes. She is a master of characterization, giving each of her protagonists depth and heft. She is also gifted at taking the everyday events teens deal with and turning them into engaging stories that provide middle grades readers with lessons, without hitting them over the head.

This book is an engaging piece of realistic fiction that has lots of fun elements that are regular life for some people, but almost fantastical for most of us - and it's great to get to explore that world a bit from the inside.

This book deserves a place in every middle grades book collection in school and public libraries. Students will enjoy the story and might even learn a thing or two along the way.

Mari's mother and father run a highly successful business located in District City, Flexx Unlimited, that is involved in producing fashion and styling celebrities. When her best friend, Justice, earns an internship there, Mari asks if she can work at Style High as well, since it seems a better plan that doing volunteer work or hanging out with with Ms. Sadie, who is a grandmother figure to her. Since she goes to a predominately white private school, Flowered Arms, she's excited to spend time at the mainly Black business, especially since Justice will be there. Her parents are okay with this, but very insistent that she actually WORK, and not just take advantage of the situation because they run the business. The other interns, including Chanda and Kara, are working with Marques and Joel, and the work is not what they envisioned. Instead of immediately styling celebrities, they have to inventory collections, clean and reorganize items, and serve as general gophers. While this is better than cooking burgers, like her cousin is doing, Mari wishes it were a bit more exciting. Chandra is not too bad to work with, but Kara is always rather mean, and seems to have designs on Justice. When there is a competition to style the musician Magiq, Mari gets to show her talents. When a family secret from the past emerges, how will Mari's involvement in the family business be affected?
Strengths: Chase is an avd advocate of upper middle grade titles, and does a fantastic job of making her characters a bit older. This allows them to have more freedom and agency to conduct their lives, which is hugely appealing to my students! Mari's lavish lifestyle, brushes with celebrity, and private school will also delight readers who probably don't live this way. I'm always a fan of books where the characters pursue their passions and work, and the fact that the internship was less glamorous than the interns thought it would be was a great lesson. The family secret was a great twist that I did not see coming, and the way the family dealt with it was realistic. Plenty of friend drama, family dynamics, and outrageous fashions make this an intriguing read. The cover is such a great pop of color!
Weaknesses:This has a fair amount of slang, which is a great way to represent youth culture. My reservations about this arise because slang varies in different parts of the country and changes over time, so this might not be slang my students use, and might date the book more quickly. On the bright side, I learned a lot of new words!
What I really think: Chase's So Done, Dough Boys, and Turning Point all do well in my library, so I will definitely be purchasing.

The below is an excerpt from my 'Five Reasons to Read' post for this book:

For young readers who love fashion, especially hip hop fashion, then Keeping It Real is for you. Mari, the main character of Keeping It Real, is a Black girl whose parents own a successful hip hop fashion business called Flexx Unlimited. When Mari joins her parents’ special program called Style High for young teenagers interested in fashion for the summer, she is thrown into the world of fashion, and even gets the opportunity to style an up-and-coming musical artist. Creativity and passion for art is celebrated in this story.

What I loved about Keeping It Real, though, was that it has an incredible nuanced exploration into how being Black doesn’t mean one singular thing – particularly when they have different upbringings, family situations, and of different social classes. Mari’s parents are wealthy, which affords Mari a certain degree of privilege, and this is contrasted in her conversations with Justice, who is more cognizant of the oppression and privilege that Black people experience. In other words, Keeping It Real is a great portrayal of how, even though sometimes we may share the same identity as someone, different circumstances may shape the way that we perceive the world – and also the privileges we may have and what we may be shielded from.

Keeping It Real is also about fitting in and that uncomfortable feeling of not feeling like we belong. Mari goes to a private school called Flowered Arms, or Flo-A; a school with mostly white kids with only a few Black kids. Mari doesn’t quite fit into Flo-A, and that’s why she connects instantly with her friend Justice, another Black young teen who attends because he’s on scholarship.

The story adds another layer of ‘fitting in’ when Mari joins the special program with three other teenagers – Justice and two other Black girls, one who seems to dislike her instantly. Mari struggles to fit into the group for several reasons – because she comes from a wealthy and privileged family, unlike her peers, and her parents own the company that the teens are interning in, thus bringing in a power dynamic - and the emotions that she feels are relatable, honest, and so vulnerable.

Keeping It Real explores the dynamics of the four young teenagers in Style High and I loved how nuanced the relationships were. Justice and Mari’s friendship in particular was brilliantly explored; sometimes friendships can be complicated by things that we may not necessarily control, particularly when Mari takes her privilege for granted and doesn’t understand Justice’s frustrations. Both Justice and Mari’s feelings and positions are authentic and relatable – there wasn’t a character I disliked because I could understood where they were coming from.

At the final quarter of the story, Keeping It Real has a twist that genuinely surprised me – but it also neatly brought the pieces of the puzzle together. Without spoiling what the twist is, the twist is a powerful exploration of how the choices and mistakes that people make can have huge rippling effects that can affect and shape a person’s life. More, it doesn’t leave it as just that; from the twist, the story also shows that it’s possible to make amends and that healing can begin if we give people a chance and empathise.

Marigold or Mari as she is called is a young African American girl learning to navigate coming from wealth, adjusting to being in a predominantly white school and having to deal with being caught in two world being black but not a black child from impoverished means and still not being accepted by her white classmates. Liking a boy(Justice) who may not see her that way and it could possible be because of her wealth and prestige behind her. One summer she interns in her parents hip hop company along with Justice and two other girls who won internship in the company. As the four of them navigate what it takes to style and understand the hip hop fashion world Mari again have to deal with one of the girls in the internship named Kara who seems to immediate takes a dislike to Mari and Justice seem to be into Kara that sets Mari mind into a tailspin. It all comes to a head when Kara and Mari have a an argument that reveal the reasoning why Kara may not be feeling Mari at all. A great look into a hip hop clothing companies way of possible doing things. A great read that I belief today's teenage would be able to comprehend.

Keeping It Real is the story of Marigold who’s just graduated from junior high and is about to enter the summer right before she goes to high school. She is the daughter of two parents who run a very successful hip-hop-oriented fashion company called Flexx and because of that, she is held up at a higher status at her school. Because of her background, she also gets a lot of flack from her best friend Justice who she has a major crush on. He among others says she’s too bougie or not Black enough. To prove naysayers wrong and that she is a hard worker she decides to join Flexx’s summer program in order to prove that she has the skills to succeed on her own.

Mari has trouble fitting into the summer program right from the start. As people label her by her parent’s status she finds herself clashing with Justice even more. She knew that things weren’t going to be easy but from the beginning, she starts to feel as if she didn’t make the right decision.

Mari struggles with being labeled as something she’s, not and does her best to be accepted by the rest of the crew. But the more she tries the more she gets labeled as fake. This is an obvious gap between her and the others because of their background and she knows she can’t change that. Also, it’s a story of revaluating friendships, understanding others, and growing up. Mari is faced with situations and how she handles them affects the rest of the summer experience. Most of all it’s a book about how we judge other’s appearances and make assumptions.

Ms. Sadie whipped around, arms folded. “You know better than that. Don’t go talking that nonsense, putting people in boxes ’cause of where they from. That little girl ain’t no different than you or nobody else out here trying find a way for herself.” My eyebrows dipped in confusion. “I was just joking.” “It’s not funny , Marigold. And if you acting like you better than people, then I got an idea what them other kids think about you.”

Keeping It Real is a story about being yourself, family dynamics, and friendships. It had some unexpected twists that I didn’t see coming which added to the overall plot. I appreciate that in Chase’s books she keeps it 100% real with her readers. She really connects to her intended audience with the way she writes and also the themes she discusses in her novels. I highly recommend her middle-grade books.

First of all, let me get this out of the way: if I had to pick a major concern with this book, it would be the pacing. Without spoiling, there is a pretty major twist that happens about 80% of the way through the book that changes a lot, but by the time the twist happens there is very little time left to deal with the repercussions of it, and so that part winds up feeling rushed. I would have had the twist be discovered close to the middle of the book, so that the fallout gets the time it deserves.

Apart from that, this book was pretty enjoyable. The main character is definitely flawed, and is at times an unreliable narrator, but she is not unbelievable in her thoughts and actions - you can tell why she acts the way she does throughout the book. And I did learn a little bit more about fashion that I knew before, so that was a fun bonus. I could see some teens really resonating with this book, and think that anyone curious about it should give it a shot.

Excellent upper middle grade that will keep readers engaged with its characters and premise. Students interested in fashion who also love stories about friendship, family, and changing dynamics will love Paula Chase’s new book. Recommended.

Another fantastic book by Paula Chase. This is great book for upper middle grades students. It is a true coming of age story that tackles, socioeconomic diversity, friendship, family and community. It tells the story of Merigold Johnson whose wealthy parents run a fashion corporation and is one of the only Black students at her elite private school and her summer experience working as part of her parents program for kids. Through this program she makes a friend, questions her friendship with a long time friend and finds out a family secret. It is engaging, authentic and relatable.