Like Vanessa
It is 1983 and Vanessa Martin, a thirteen-year-old African American girl in Newark's public housing, dreams of following in the footsteps of the first black Miss America, Vanessa Williams; but the odds are against her until a new teacher at school organizes a beauty pageant and encourages Vanessa to enter.
In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty.
| SKU | 119241 |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781580898997 |
| Language | English |
| Page Count | 304 |
| Product Type | Paperback Books |
| Book Type | Middle Grade Novels |
| Additional Contributor | Vanessa Brantley-Newton |
| Primary Contributor | Tami Charles |
| Age Groups | Ages 10 to 12, Ages 13 to 15 |
| Publisher | Charlesbridge |