Radiant is a beautifully written novel in verse. All Cooper wants is to shine, But she finds herself encountering obstacle after obstacle...being the only non-white student in her class, her classmate Wade who bullies her relentlessly, having the teacher of her nightmares and wishing she could skip to 6th grade. But there are bright moments for Cooper, as well. She, along with her sister, discovers the newest musical sensation, The Beatles. She helps Pap raise new pointer puppies. Cooper learns about family, about herself, and about giving grace to others as she navigates her way through this story. The brevity of text will appeal to reluctant readers, while the story will appeal to all.

Wow! Such an amazing book! Thank you NetGalley & penguin group for an arc of this book. Reading middle grade verse was new for me and I enjoyed it very much! No notes! Highly recommend for young readers.

In this middle grade historical novel in verse, Cooper Dale is in fifth grade in 1963, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She lives with her father, who is a baker, her mother, who cleans houses, and her older sibling Fred and Maxine. She has the "meanest" teacher, Mrs. Keating, and often experiences horrible treatment by classmate Wade Carter, who is very racist towards her, calling her names like "Mud Face" and "Pooper". The only black student in class. It's a great novel for introducing middle-grade readers to 1960’s history and pop culture.

This is an introspective middle grade novel written in verse. Set in 1963, there are plenty of historical details and pop culture references. It would be a good book to introduce kids to historical fiction.

Good historical fiction, written in verse form. This one would be great for introducing middle-grade readers to 1960’s history and pop culture.
*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

This was a really quick read and I really enjoyed the historical elements. I do kinda wish more of the sociocultural stuff was focused on, but the focus on Cooper and her interpersonal dynamics was really good and gave me lots of good feelings.

It is 1963. The Beatles have just come to America, and Cooper Dale is in the 5th grade with a teacher she had heard horrible things about. She is the only Black child in class, and although she is told to be color blind about race, it doesn’t work quite the way the white people think it will.
Wade, the class bully, has taken it on himself to make her miserable, but is always she who gets in trouble if she does anything, such as stick her tongue out at him.

Told in blank verse, sparsely, but with enough details that was know what is going on, and how Cooper feels, about all things.

A beautiful look at what life was like, in 1963-64. So much happened. The book feels well researched, and reflects the feelings of that time, including the assassination of JFK.

The book is named Radiant, because Cooper doesn't want to just Shine, because that can mean other things, but wants to radiate like a star.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published the 7th of January 2025.