Both Roads Taken: The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes

Nikki Grime's Coretta Scott King Honor book, The Road to Paris, brings to life a remarkable character in Paris Richmond, a bi-racial girl, deserted by a father ashamed of a dark-skinned child, neglected by her alcoholic mother, beaten and locked in a closet by a foster mother, rejected by her grandmother, and finally separated from her main support, her older brother Malcolm, and sent upstate to a new foster family in a small, mostly white town.

Like her white counterpart, Lucky, in the 2007 Newbery Award book The Higher Power of Lucky, Paris is a surprisingly resilient child whose spirit still responds to anything positive which comes her way, from a friendly family dog to a new school friend, and continues to hope for something good in life. Paris's new foster family are kind in a matter-of-fact way and she slowly opens up to her foster brothers and the teen-aged foster sister in the home. The year progresses in a wonderfully ordinary way, with a big family Thanksgiving, a Christmas gift from her friend and gloriously exhilarating sled rides, a chance to sing in the church youth choir, and a pretty Easter dress, until Paris realizes that she has become a comfortable part of her new family. From her older foster brother, Paris learns to "keep God in your pocket," to hold onto the faith that she is intrinsically loved and valued in the world.

Then two disturbing events break through Paris's happiness. Her friend's father calls her "a little nigger girl" and forbids his daughter to play with her, and Paris's mother calls and hints that she wants to try "this family thing again." Torn between the fear of leaving the comfort zone she's found with her foster family and the desire to live with her brother Malcolm as a family again. Paris is drawn to her mother, partly by the warm memories of her early childhood before her mother began to drink, and partly by her mother's apparently genuine attempts to change her life and earn her children's return.

Paris has to choose, knowing that for her "the road not taken" will "make all the difference." That she can choose and know in her heart that, whatever she decides, she will prevail, is a real coming of age for Paris.