Hello everybody, I’m back with yet another OBOB book! This time I have with me Blended, written by Sharon M. Draper. I have, in fact, read this book before OBOB, but the competition reminded me why I love it so much! A truly insightful story filled with the hard truth of the world, as well as a heartwarming plot that will have you rooting for the characters the whole way through. In addition, Draper has also written the well-known book Out of My Mind, so if you’ve happened to read that, then there’s a pretty good chance you’ll like this one as well!

Blended takes you into the mind of a young eleven-year-old pianist named Isabella as she struggles through her life with divorced parents of two different races. Every week she has to switch between two houses, two families, two backpacks, you name it! With things going like this, nothing can ever be perfectly right. Instead, things can be the opposite.  School is starting to heat up, when, during a serious discussion in class, Isabella’s friend, Imani, freaks out on a kid named Logan for a very genuine reason. Later, Imani comes in after gym and opens her locker door to find a noose hanging there right in front of her! It doesn’t take long for the police to show up and for school to shut down. With the stir at school, Isabella already feels on edge, and then she gets some news that makes her anxious as well. Both her parents are getting married. Her mom to a nice guy named John Mark, and her dad, to his girlfriend Anastasia, who also happens to have a son named Darren.  Isabella is starting to feel even more split in half, and her weekly exchange doesn’t make it better. Every Sunday at the mall she goes from a green backpack to a purple one. From practicing on her portable piano to a grand, classic one. At least one thing that doesn’t change now is her love and talent for playing the piano. A big concert is coming up, and Isabella can’t wait to show the audience what she’s got. But on the way to the show, when she and Darren stop for ice cream, something occurs that will change her life forever. And you’ll never guess what it is.

Are you intrigued? Excited to hear what happens next? Angry that I won’t tell you? Then I suggest you buy Blended, or rent it out from your local library, because it just might be a read you’ll never forget!