My Life As An Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ebony Grace's life is in turmoil; her beloved grandfather who was a NASA engineer since the 1960s and Ebony's best friend (and only friend, since she has trouble making friends) has suddenly disappeared. Her mother will not explain anything except to send Ebony Grace to her father's Harlem home for a week that ends up being the summer. As Ebony Grace struggles, she alienates her friend from times she has visited her father. As Harlem becomes her reality, Ebony Grace keeps immersing herself in the fantasy world of Star Trek and Star Wars. I wished a few things for this book as I read it---the adults had their own agendas- Ebony's mom was an angry, thinks she is better than everyone person---she never tells Ebony to have fun in Harlem but always admonishing her stay away from the junkyard, and the kids. Her grandfather, her hero, does not help at all in keeping Ebony grounded in reality and supporting her visits with her father. Her father had me fooled; I really liked him and thought he was getting a raw deal, but when he deliberately takes Ebony's wired $$$ from her grandfather, I threw up my hands with all these supposed trusted adults and their agendas and the harm it was doing to Ebony Grace. What I did love about this book was the nerd element and how effectively Zoboi's portrayal is of Ebony Grace. I do not think this is a book all middle school kids will read, but the geeks will see themselves in Ebony Grace.

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