THE KAYLA CHRONICLES
Sherri Winston
Little, Brown for Young Readers
Fiction
Hardcover: 9780316114301
Paperback: 9780316114318
208 pages

Kayla Dean wants to be a journalist. She considers herself a rampant and knowledgeable feminist who calls her dad the "Great Oppressor" for his less-than-modern ideas about a woman's place in the world and his feelings about his outspoken oldest daughter. Her youngest sister, the little beauty queen, seems to be his favorite, and Kayla often sees herself as a fourth wheel in their little family. In fact, at a family event, photos are taken of the perfect sister, her mom and her dad together --- but no one notices that Kayla is not in the picture.

Not in the picture, figuratively speaking, is how Kayla feels until she begins a campaign to find the rampant sexism in a school tradition. Having created a group called SPEAK ("Sisters Providing Encouragement and Kindness"), she watches as her investigative report into the local dance team's aversion to girls with small breasts becomes a big deal campaign --- one that challenges her every feminist viewpoint, along with her friendships and other relationships as well.

Wanting to be a strong female, quoting from the recorded words of many a famous woman of strength and character, Kayla is a teen you can really cheer for --- but she also has her girliness intact, particularly when it comes to cute shoes. It's a specific although hackneyed perspective to take on a young woman who stands out from the crowd the most, just when she has the opportunity to belong to said crowd right in front of her. The main thrust of THE KAYLA CHRONICLES is that sometimes the things we most think we couldn't live with become the things that most change our very existence and challenge all of our previous thoughts about how the world works.

Kayla often calls upon the prodigious and meaningful memories of her maternal grandmother, the one with the fierce intellect and brave, bold heart. It is wonderful to read in a young adult novel aimed towards girls about a respect for the women who have come before and how their accomplishments helped pave the way for the life they are able to live now. Since Kayla is African American, these memories take on an even more poignant bent as she deals with the unspoken taint of racism in the world around her. She manages to embrace all the sides of herself as a young woman and give others the same benefit of the doubt, all the while proving to herself and to her unbelieving father that the strength inside her suits her to a tee. Such journeys of personal discovery, peppered with a healthy dose of women's history, make THE KAYLA CHRONICLES a special and fascinating book.

The author really goes for broke here. Sex, religion, racism, the whole of female black history, the importance of intelligence, the desire to be useful to the world and living within a well-intentioned state of seriously enacted morals all have an important part to play in the many dialogues that the story encircles. I highly recommend this book to young girls everywhere, regardless of race, creed or color. Kayla's struggle to be true to herself and the women of the past to whom she feels she owes so much is a significant, heartrending story.

Congratulations to Sherri Winston for proving that "chick lit" can be fun, intellectually satisfying and emotionally relevant, all at the same time. I loved THE KAYLA CHRONICLES and am passing it on immediately to my 13-year-old niece. I'll get another copy for my six-year-old daughter, who I'm sure will find it instructive and insightful in seven years.

    --- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

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