Caprice - by Coe Booth (Hardcover)

About the Book

After a wonderful seven weeks at Ainsley International School, twelve-year-old Caprice has been offered a full scholarship and she should be delighted, but instead she is full of doubts because what happened at the last night dance has brought back the memory of being sexually abused by her uncle as a four-year-old; worse, her maternal grandmother is ill, and that means going back to the house in Baltimore where it all happened--Caprice has never told anybody but now, as she realizes that her grandmother knew, she tries to find the words to tell someone, and the strength to finally confront her abuser.

Book Synopsis

From the groundbreaking author of Tyrell, an astonishing middle-grade novel about a girl overcoming the secrets and abuse of her past.

This should be an exciting time for Caprice. She has been offered a place at the school of her dreams, where she's just had a fantastic summer. But this great opportunity coincides with a lot of internal doubt and the disturbing news that her long-estranged grandmother has fallen ill and may be near death. As Caprice tries to figure out her future, she is pulled back toward her past, and the abuse she endured from her uncle when she was little -- an abuse she's never told anyone about.

With extreme sensitivity and honesty for middle-grade readers, Coe Booth has written a painful but ultimately healing novel about finding support from your parents and friends, articulating your truth, and choosing your own path.

Review Quotes

Praise for Coe Booth's Tyrell:

A 2007 LA Times Book Prize Winner for Young Adult Fiction

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

"A gritty and gripping first novel." -- The New York Times Book Review

* "Heartbreakingly realistic... Unlike many books reflecting the contemporary street scene, this one is more than just a pat situation with a glib resolution; it's filled with surprising twists and turns that continue to the end." -- Booklist, starred review

"The definitive tale of the modern African American urban youth." -- Voice of Youth Advocates

"The author so convincingly grounds her story in Tyrell's tough-talking but vulnerable voice that we are won over to his side." -- Horn Book, starred review

"Booth combines the rhythm of raw street lingo with the harsh realities of an inner-city urban life to illuminate the labyrinth of Tyrell's world... This is a thrilling, fast-paced novel whose strong plot and array of vivid, well-developed characters take readers on an unforgettable journey through the gritty streets of New York City's South Bronx." -- School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for Kendra:

* "Booth has a talent for emotional honesty... feelings of abandonment and betrayal radiate from the page... Booth delivers dynamic characters and an engaging story." School Library Journal, starred review

About the Author

Coe Booth is a graduate of The New School's Writing for Children MFA program, and a winner of the LA Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction. She is the author of Tyrell and Kendra, and was born and still lives in the Bronx.