Home and Away

Gr 10 Up—Tasia Quirk is a young Black woman who has everything that she could possibly want. A wealthy family, supportive friends, and a spot as the only girl on her football team at a private high school. Nothing could go wrong, until she catches her mom putting away a box that contains newspaper clippings, copies of her birth certificate, and a Polaroid of her mom and a white man. Her mom confesses that Tasia is biracial and her biological father is white. The teen realizes that everything she knew about her childhood is a lie. She goes on a quest to find out the truth about the mysterious box and where she fits. Montgomery explores the challenges of being biracial. Throughout, readers will cheer for Tasia as she faces difficult situations and realizes how they don't determine her end result. The consistently strong writing and overall story arc will engage teens.