Stevie just moved across town away from all of her friends and is about to start school. Her parents have been fighting a lot, and she's worried they'll get divorced like her new friend Ally's parents did. Her dad is white, a former CIA spy, and a working man. He believes he should work and her mother should stay home to cook, clean, and take care of the house. He hasn't seen is sisters in years because they disapprove of Stevie's mom because she is Black. When Stevie's cousin Naomi moves in with them, things start to come to a head between her parents. Naomi is outspoken and wants to join the Black Panthers to make a difference in the community. As things between Stevie's parents begin to shift, her mom is gone more & more, and she discovers that her dad is spying on her mom. Clouds Over California is a great book to fuel discussion on race, relationships, and the Black Panther movement.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

This one might be interesting to explore with a middle grade reader. You could discuss the universality of the experience - racism and sexism and it's place in the time period as well as the comparison to the modern experience. The plot doesn't quite live up to expectations. We are introduced to the CIA and Black Panthers as concepts in the early chapters but neither is ever fully explored. The plot is a bit meandering, the pacing and tension out of sync.

Perfectly serviceable middle grade novel set in 1970s southern California. Topics covered include racism, mixed race identity, Black hair politics, the Black Panther Party, sexism, and divorce. The topic of coercive spousal abuse, including monitoring and spying on partners, is present but is not dealt with in a satisfactory way. TL;DR Spoiler: The MC's father phone taps the family phone so he can monitor who his wife is talking to, eventually "catching" her in the act of taking secret college classes so she can work outside of the home. While the mother in turn leaves and the father briefly admits he was wrong to tap the phones and apologizes for his actions, at no point is there a serious discussion about the abusive nature of this action and the MC appears to either agree with his actions or at least find them morally neutral. Honestly, I spent the last 1/4 of the book assuming it was going to end with a murder-suicide as the guy became increasingly creepy....before suddenly becoming an ideal dad because he took his kid body boarding?!

Clouds over California by Karyn Parsons is about 12-year-old Stevie, who spends a summer with lots of changes happening in her home life, parents, going onto middle school., and her cousin living with them because she’s deemed as problematic when she’s a community activist. As a biracial woman, I appreciated the storyline about Stevie’s curls and how others saw it as hard to manage—asking her mother to keep it braided and tamed as best as they could. Hair is such a big thing for young people, especially people of color. I remember growing up in the late 70s and 80s when my mother wouldn’t allow my hair to be out of Princess Leia buns on each side of my head. So the day that Stevie literally lets her hair down to celebrate her birthday, she becomes a source of laughter for classmates who don’t understand what she has to endure. There were some really tough parts in the story when it came to her parents and their separation. I found a few things really cringe-worthy—real, but bad behavior from a parent because he didn’t want his wife to work outside of the home. Mom was a rock star. She wanted more for herself and for her family, but the 70s were a different time than today.
I enjoyed the cousin’s side story of wanting to help her Black community with resources such as meals, reading, etc. Toward the end, having a rally with Angela Davis as a speaker was lovely. The symbolism of strong Black women throughout the generations were not lost on me. This novel was about embracing change and shifting views and attitudes about the world, especially as one grows up and grows out of love, friendship, etc with others.
Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Love me a book written about the 70’s!
Stevie (short for Stephanie) has a lot to navigate in her life. She hears her parents arguing about Mom wanting a job. She’s having to endure a new school, with kids that think she’s either exotic or an alien, because she’s Black and has untamable hair. Her older cousin is now living with Stevie’s family, and is involved in some clandestine activities that are worrisome; Naomi is very interested in some group called The Black Panthers?…
So much nostalgia! Roller skates with huge colored wheels, “new” Judy Blume books, summer days of staying outside until sundown with little supervision, etc. Ah, memories.
The author did a great job of letting the reader get into Stevie’s head and feel what it was like to be biracial in 1975, in a small California town. The scenes where the kids at school took liberties with touching Stevie’s hair were cringe-worthy; I would have wanted to either hide, or hit them away.
Another interesting part was the historical aspect of the rise of the Black Panther group at this time. The author dealt with the subject deftly, even throwing in a surprising twist. (I kept hearing Forrest Gump saying, “Black Panther Party” in my head!)
All in all, this is historical fiction for middle-grade readers that would be great to have in classrooms. Children of the 70’s would also devour it!

A cute, if-a-bit-typical MG new-kid-at-school-family-troubles-type book set in California in the 1970s.
*Loved the amount of family in this book, Stevie has aunts and an uncle on either side of her family that have a presence in her life. Stevie's aunts are black and their dialogue and mannerism remind me a lot of my own family. *Stevie wearing her hair in braids even though she felt too old for it was relatable
On the less positive side,
*I wish Stevie had been more of an active protagonist.
*I also wished the setting would have had a bigger effect or at least mood.
*It kind of bugged me that the MC tries smoking, and while she finds it unpleasant, there's really no other pushback on it.
*This book has all the elements, but none of them felt strong enough to really make it very memorable.

I really enjoyed this book. This heartbreaking, moving story really had me rooting for Stevie. We follow Stevie on her adventure to figure out what is happening with her parents and her cousin Naomi. Overall, great book.