January 13, 2026 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Netgalley
In this novel in verse, Hattie Mae Jenkins leaves her home and family in rural Seed County, North Carolina to go to her cousin’s private school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1938. Attending Miss Abigail’s School for Exceptional Young Ladies will give her the education to have many more opportunities as a young Black woman, but she realizes right away that some of the other students hold her rural background against her. Lisa, whose father is a major contributor to the school, looks down her nose at everything about Hattie Mae. Fortunately, Hattie Mae’s roommate, Bert, is very supportive, even clipping the article in the society page about Hattie Mae’s enrollment and giving it to her. There is also Alabaster, the “school pet”, a boy who does odd jobs around the neighborhood and whose mother runs a shoe repair shop. Hanging out with him reminds Hattie Mae of the good times she spent with her twin brother, James. Cousin Abigail doesn’t want anyone to know that she and Hattie Mae are related, lest she be accused of favoritism. After losing her temper, Hattie Mae learns the hard way that she will not be spared punishment. It’s clear that Lisa’s family is not supportive, which might lead to her bitter attitude, since her father and step mother are always too busy to visit. When Lisa takes a necklace that belongs to Hattie Mae, she threatens to throw it in the river unless Hattie Mae acts as her maid, hanging up her clothes and cleaning her room. This problematic relationship casts a pall over the education Hattie Mae receives and the support she gets from cousin Abigail’s associates. When Lisa finds out that Hattie Mae is related to the school headmistress, she tells her father, who pulls funding from the school. Hattie Mae and Lisa come to an understanding about a secret that Lisa has been hiding, but the school is thrown into chaos nonetheless. Will the students at Miss Abigail’s be able to get donors from their community to keep the school running, and to open the doors to less privileged members of the surrounding Black community?
Strengths: This is a bit of a departure for Flake, but I definitely think she has a flair for historical fiction! An author’s note at the end explains her life long involvement in Philadelphia, and that the character of Bert is based on her own mother, so there is a great long for this topic. There are not as many books about the Great Migration as I would like, and this was a great combination of typical tween school drama and historical details. Boarding school tales are always interesting, and it was intriguing to see Bert and Hattie Mae’s experiences out in the neighborhood as well. Bert’s picketing of a movie theater that wouldn’t hire Black workers reminded me of Shabazz’s Betty Before X. My favorite part of the book was probably the woman who wrote Hattie Mae a list of all of the careers that would be possible; what a great way to highlight the idea that “If you can see it, you can be it.” There are useful notes and reading lists at the end of the book.
Weaknesses: The novel in verse format always leaves me wanting more details about daily life, especially in historical fiction. I was hoping that there would be more information about the employment opportunities for Black women at the time, but the story focused more on the problems with Lisa and the possible closing of the school.
What I really think: Readers of historical fiction like Cline-Ransom’s Finding Langston (and the companion volumes), Ireland’s Ophie’s Ghosts, and Jackson’s Midnight Without a Moon will enjoy this look at what life was like for people who moved from the South to the North during this time period. Binns’ Unlawful Orders: A Portrait of Dr. James B. Williams, Tuskegee Airman, Surgeon, and Activist and Taylor’s Overground Railroad (The Young Adult Adaptation): The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America are good nonfiction companions to add as well.
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