Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Chlorine Sky
- Author: Mahogany L. Brown
- ISBN: 0593176391
- Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
- Copyright Date: January 12, 2021
Genre: Coming of Age/Poetry,/Contemporary Fiction/Realistic Fiction
Format: Book
Awards/Honors: YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominee 2022
Reading Level/Interest Level: Teens Grades 10-12, Ages 15-18 (Baker & Taylor Titlesource360)
Plot Summary: Chlorine Sky is a coming-of-age novel written in free verse about Skkyy, a high school student who is trying to find her place socially. She has a fight with her best friend, Lay Li, and realizes how toxic their relationship has been. Skyy’s sister is always mean to her and putting her down. Her father is in prison and her mother is always at work. The only place that she feels like she can be herself is on the basketball court. On the court, she has the confidence to play with the boys and tries not to let their attitudes get her down. Skyy also loves to go to the community pool to float and look up at the clouds. While she and Lay Li aren’t speaking, Skyy makes some new friends and starts to realize how supportive, positive relationships can be. This story is about love, loss, and finding oneself.
Author Background: Mahogany L. Browne is a writer, poet, organizer, and educator. Browne was born and raised in California. She moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1999. Browne is the director of the Bowery Poetry Club and artistic director of Urban World NYC (MoBrowne, N.D.). She has received many fellowships and honors, including a nomination for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work -Poetry (Wikipedia, 2021). Browne is the author of several books, plays, articles and audio recordings. Chlorine Sky is Browne’s first YA novel. Her second one, Vinyl Moon, is scheduled to be released in January 2022.
Critical Evaluation: Chlorine Sky is a beautifully written novel-in-verse about a young girl coming of age. It is told in the first-person point of view. Each chapter is a short poem which captures Skyy’s life. The book is fast moving, engaging, and powerful. Skyy’s neighborhood is described in detail, as are the characters. Even though the book is short, there is so much to it. Many teens will see themselves and thier friendships in this story. Chlorine Sky is a good choice for reluctant readers due to its length, fast pace, and engaging use of language. Fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Nic Stone will love this book.
Creative Use for a Library Program: For a library program, I would combine this with the the program for Every Body Looking and other novels-in-verse. The library could hold a poetry writing workshop and find a local poet or poetry teacher to come to the library and work with the teens. After the teens write their poems, they could have a poetry slam. Members of the library staff could be the judges, and the teens could also vote for their favorite poems.
Speed-Round Book Talk: The only place Skyy feels at home is on the basketball court and floating in a pool. When she gets in a fight with her best friend, Skyy re-evaluates their relationship and starts to become her own person. If you are looking for a short, fast moving, “unputdownable” book, Chlorine Sky is for you! Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Nic Stone.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense: The only potential challenges for Chlorine Sky would be some swearing and references to drug use and sex. Since the recommended age group for this book is 15 and older, I do not foresee this being a problem.
Reason for Inclusion: Chlorine Sky is beautifully written, fast moving, and engaging. The story about outgrowing a friendship is one that many teens will relate to. So is having a first kiss, first date, and making new friends. This book is a fast read and hard to put down which makes it a good choice for reluctant readers.
References:
Audiobook Excerpts. (2021, February 11). Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L Browne audiobook excerpt. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3LdtTgsAfk&ab_channel=AudiobooksExcerptsAudiobooksExcerpts
BlackStar Projects. (2021, February 22). Mahogany L. Browne talks poetry and CHLORINE SKY (BlackStar Live!). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LADpthAT5iU&ab_channel=BlackStarProjectsBlackStarProjects
MoBrowne. (N.D.). Bio. Retrieved from http://mobrowne.com/index.html
Wikipedia. Mahogany L. Browne. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahogany_L._Browne
Debby's YA Mini Library Collection 