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Blended
Last updated Sunday, April 6, 2025
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Date of Publication: 2016
ISBN: 1442495006
Grade Level: 5th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Apr. 2025
Synopsis:
Eleven-year-old Isabella's parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she's Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she's Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.
Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they're always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she's is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it's also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: "You're so exotic!" "You look so unusual." "But what are you really?"
She knows what they're really saying: "You don’t look like your parents." "You’re different." "What race are you really?" And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn't just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you're only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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Isabella “Izzy” is the biracial child of divorced parents who are working with each other to work out their
custody arrangement with each other and Isabella. Do you know anyone who might be in a similar
situation? What kinds of special arrangements do they have?
Readers: If there is globe or map in the room, try to show the students the distance from Cincinnati,
Ohio and California.
Vocabulary
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blended: to mix something thoroughly so that the mixed things cannot be recognized.
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divorce: an action that legally dissolves a marriage.
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custody: immediate charge or control exercised over a person
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tattoo: a mark, figure, design or word intentionally fixed or placed on the skin.
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recital: a public exhibition of skill given by a musician.
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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Isabella begins playing piano at age 3. She is very good by the time she reaches the main part of the
story and is preparing for a recital. Do you play an instrument or participate in something that requires
lots of practice time like Isabella?
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As the story progresses, Isabella’s parents are working toward what we call today a “blended” family. Parents
remarry and sometimes the new spouse brings children from a previous marriage and/or the new
parent and stepparent have a child together. Do you know of any family situation like this?
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| Craft ideas: |
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Draw a picture of your family doing something you like to do. Include siblings, grandparents, cousins
and pets.
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Draw a picture of yourself doing an activity that you like such as a sport or playing an instrument.
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Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22. Make an Earth Day poster or flyer.
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Easter Sunday is April 20. Make an Easter card for someone.
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| Special activities: |
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Do the Word Search
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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