FACE RELATIONS: 11 Stories About Seeing Beyond Color

Contemporary teens grapple with the issue of interracial communication in this anthology featuring such renowned writers as M.E. Kerr and Rita Williams-Garcia. Although the protagonists introduced here represent a broad range of heritages and cultures, most are working to achieve the same goal: connecting to one particular individual, whose skin is a different color. In Jess Mowry's "Phat Acceptance," Brandon—cool on the outside, uptight on the inside—fumbles his first friendly overtures toward Travis, the "mammoth black kid" who sits behind him in class (" '... Oh... phat,' said Brandon, the first 'black thing' that came to mind.... 'I mean with a p,' he added, sweating"), but the two end up making plans to eat lunch together. Irony runs deep in Joseph Bruchac's "Skins" when the Native American/Scandinavian narrator finds he has more in common with Randolph White (one of three African-Americans at school) than with the boy he thought was a "real Indian." Set in Texas right after September 11, Naomi Shihab Nye's poignant "Hum" tells of a Palestinian immigrant boy's unexpected friendship with a blind white man. Offering upbeat conclusions and an even balance of funny and sad moments, this volume is as much about appreciating color as it is about looking beyond it. Ages 12-up. (June)