A Summer of Kings by Han Nolan

Fourteen-year-old Esther Young is determined to have a memorable summer full of adventure and she plans on accomplishing this by pursuing a relationship with eighteen-year-old King-Roy Johnson, a black teen who has come to live with her family after being accused in the murder of a white man in Alabama. King-Roy and Esther bond but as King-Roy becomes increasingly involved in the Nation of Islam and the teaching of Malcolm X he becomes increasingly angry and pushes Esther away. To counter King-Roy's anger, Esther begins to read Ghandi and takes his "be the change you want to see in the world" message to heart. Esther sets out to change her life, her family, and make a difference to King-Roy. A Summer of Kings is a powerful novel of triumph and tragedy. Esther is a likeable narrator whose determination to be the change will inspire many readers. Though well-written and thought-provoking, Nolan brings everything to an almost-too-neat conclusion (albeit not a happy one). Readers will laugh, cry and keep turning pages.