Black Dove White Raven

Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein, 357 pages

Emilia Menotti and Teodros Dupre' lived in the United States with their mothers, who did air shows until Teo's mother, Delia, known as Black Dove, was killed in a freak accident.  Delia's dream was to move to Ethiopia, where Teo's father was from before he died, because in Ethiopia, Teo would not have the same stigma that he did in the U.S.  Rhoda, who was lost without Delia, was determined to live her dream, so, within a few years, she moved herself, Em, and Teo to Ethiopia.  Teo and Em had always been raised as though they were brother and sister and Teo and Rhoda though of each other as mother and son.  But when trouble invades Ethiopia, the fact that they have no legal relationship becomes a problem, along with the fact that Teo's father was Ethiopian, which binds him more closely to their laws.  Em and Teo have always written stories featuring themselves as White Raven and Black Dove but Em isn't sure if she can come up with a way to help Teo.  Written alternately from Em's and Teo's points-of-view, this story chronicles their lives from the time they are about five, until they are sixteen, but concentrates most heavily on the time they spend in Ethiopia.  The ending of this book takes place during the time that was a prequel to WWII, when Italy was attacking Ethiopia, a part of history that I really didn't know anything about.  I really liked this story and I think that teens who like historical novels, especially about civil rights, and like a little bit of adventure will want to read it.