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The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
Dove "Birdie" Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she's on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past . . . whom she knows her parents will never approve of.
When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family's apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded -- she's also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she's known to be true is turned upside down.
Review from School Library Journal:
Sixteen-year-old Dove "Birdie" Randolph faces challenges during the summer before her junior year of high school. She is expected to spend the summer taking SAT prep classes and helping at her mom's beauty salon, but what she really wants to do is spend time with Booker. Unfortunately, because Booker has been in trouble with the law, Birdie knows her strict parents won't approve of the relationship, so she sees him behind their backs. In the meantime, her aunt Carlene comes to live with the Randolph family after completing rehab. The troubled relationship between Carlene and Birdie's mother adds a layer of complexity to Birdie's summer plans; Carlene also provides Birdie with an ally to figure out how to convince her parents that Booker has dealt with his legal issues and is on the right path. In the midst of all this, a long-kept family secret surfaces and Birdie has to redefine the way she sees her family. This is a lovely portrait of a close-knit urban African American family that offers insight into the push from within for black excellence. In addition, it portrays a family struggling with addiction and helps illustrate what recovery can look like. Also, big cheers for a darker-skinned African American teen on the cover.
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