Bronx Masquerade

Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, 167 pages

“While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates.”  I thought I’d read this before because I’ve read a lot of Nikki Grimes’s books but I hadn’t.  Although I don’t care for the poetry format and only really liked a couple of the poems that the kids shared I liked what was happening in this story otherwise.  The revelations that the students were sharing with their classmates and the way they came together as a group made for a great story.  I would give this to reluctant teen readers because the format lends itself well to reading a small amount at a time and the book is not very long, which will appeal.  This is definitely a book for teens who like realistic fiction.