The True Definition of Neva Beane, by Christine Kendall

Each Friday that school is in session, I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for March 22, 2024 is The True Definition of Neva Beane, by Christine Kendall.

Being 12 isn’t easy, especially when you’re Neva Beane. Neva feels beautiful wearing her new bra, but she’s confused by how others respond to the changes taking place in and out of her body. Her best friend, Jamila, is getting all the attention. Her brother, Clayton, is becoming an activist. And Mom and Dad are gone working-again. Grandad and Nana aren’t much help, either, with their old ways and backward views. Neva struggles to find her place in a world that, like the political landscape that's always shifting around her in her West Philadelphia neighborhood, is uncertain, at times scary, but most always, filled with unanswered questions. Neva is left with what comforts her most-words and their meanings, which she chronicles herself. While the pages of her beloved dictionary reveal truths about what's happening around her, Neva must discover the best way to define herself.
https://youtu.be/3e6XW32oeW0