Charlene Allen's sophomore title, My Fairy God Somebody, is a YA bildungsroman featuring a young Black woman who spends an unforgettable summer in a new city and uncovers concealed truths about her family.
Sixteen-year-old McCauley "Clae" Mitchell has been awarded a scholarship to Sleuth in the City, a prestigious New York City summer program for future journalists. Clae is excited--New York will be a huge change from her boring Massachusetts hometown, where she and her mother are one of only a few Black families. Additionally (and secretly), Clae thinks she may be able to find her estranged father, who lived in the city at some point. Clae snoops in her mother's closet, hoping to find more information about her father, and discovers that someone in New York--"a fairy god somebody"--has been secretly sending her money. As she prepares to leave, Clae connects online with two other Black girls in the program, Joelle and Nze. The young women develop a bond and grow closer yet when they meet in person, supporting each other through wedding plans, an illness, and Clae's attempts to connect with her past.
My Fairy God Somebody is an outstanding YA mystery about a Black teen exploring and coming to terms with her family history. Allen (Play the Game) skillfully covers teen friendships and family dynamics through Clae's first-person point of view, sensitively expressing how perplexed Clae feels about her lack of kinship and connection with her community. As Clae delves deeper into her search, Allen makes space for the young adult reader to consider themselves and their own heritage. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer