For Black Girls Like Me

Ages 9 to 11

A debut middle-grade novel about an African American girl who was adopted into a white family. This lyrical and personal story—inspired by the author's own life—explores the complexities of family, race, sisterhood, and belonging.

I am a girl but most days I feel like a question mark.

Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda's family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena—the only other adopted black girl she knows—for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda’s sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can’t seem to find one true friend.

Through it all, Makeda can’t help wondering: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?

Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.

About the Author

Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, writer, and nonprofit educator. She has been telling stories and making her own books since the second grade, when she wore short-alls and flower leggings every day to school. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines and journals, including Buzzfeed News Reader, and she is the author of the poetry chapbook The Lucky Daughter. Mariama holds a master’s in education from Lesley University and master’s in fine arts in poetry from San Francisco State University. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her partner and dapple-haired dachshund, Henry. For Black Girls Like Me is her debut children's novel.