Twists and Turns - Hardcover

McDonald, Janet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374399557 ISBN 13: 9780374399559

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2003

Synopsis

The Washington sisters make good in the ’hood

It may have taken them an extra year or two to do it, but the Washington sisters finally graduated high school, and this definitely calls for a celebration. But after the party ends, then what? The girls have no plans. Unlike their smart best friend Raven Jefferson, who’s away at college, and their nerdy best friend Toya Larson, who’s in computer training, and
their overall best friend Aisha Ingram, who's rocking in TV commercials, Keeba and Teesha are still hanging out on neighborhood benches as if nothing's changed. Then an older friend convinces the sisters that they, too, have a skill – braiding hair – and why not make a business of it? With a loan from Aisha, the Washingtons open TeeKee’s Tresses in a rented storefront, and the future looks pretty solid . . . that is, until a rival’s jealousy, a landlord's greed, and a politician’s scheme turn the sisters' world upside down.

Janet McDonald introduces readers to two sisters who discover that all you have to do is stick together to handle life’s many twists and turns.

About this title

About the Author

Janet McDonald (1953-2007), a lawyer, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to her previous young adult novels set in Hillbrook Houses, Chill Wind, for which she received the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award, and Spellbound, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, she is also the author of the adult memoir Project Girl.

Reviews

Grade 7 Up-Keeba and Teesha Washington have just graduated from their Brooklyn high school. Their neighbor and friend Skye March, the local librarian, has moved from her middle-class condo into the projects. Her theory is that for inner-city teens to be a successes they need to see success. Hoping to keep the sisters from becoming part of the unemployed "bench generation," she floats the idea of opening a beauty salon. Since the girls are known locally for braiding hair and already have a following, the next natural step is to become businesswomen. Through a series of events, both fortuitous and devastating, the teens learn a number of life lessons, especially that, with the encouragement of family and friends, anything is possible. The prose contains plenty of street dialogue that most teens can readily relate to and the story has both humor and poignancy. The main characters exhibit both strengths and considerable vulnerability. This story shows readers that opportunities are open to everyone, including themselves.
Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

*Starred Review* Gr. 7-12. Raucous and tender, harsh and hopeful, McDonald's latest fast-talking story about teen project girls in Brooklyn Heights focuses on the sisters, Keeba and Teesha. They have both finished high school, and avoided the traps of pregnancy, drugs, gangs, and crime. With the support of friends and the community, they start a small neighborhood hair salon. But business is slow, very slow; and, worse, there's a movement afoot to privatize the housing projects and move out the poor residents. As in Chill Wind (2001) and Spellbound (2002), the poetry and wit are in the daily details: the gossip on the benches, the home girls when they feel "premenstrual and mean." The salon is destroyed by vandals from the neighborhood where the sisters live and also by the landlords and politicians. Yet the story is inspiring--not because of a slick resolution or a heavy message, but because McDonald shows how hard things are, even as she tells a story of teens who find the strength in themselves and in those around them to rebuild and carry on. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374399557
• ISBN 13: 9780374399559
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144