Review: "Like Vanessa," by Tami Charles

Vanessa Martin is mesmerized watching Vanessa Williams win Miss America. She is the first black woman to win the pageant ever! Vanessa has dreamed of being a pageant queen, but she never thought anyone with her look had a chance. When she hears a pageant is coming to her own middle school, she takes a chance and enters. She’s not the stereotypical pageant girl, but boy can she sing like an angel. With her talent and some coaching from a helpful teacher, she could really have a chance. But it’s hard to concentrate on winning when you’re poor, not knowing if you’ll have a meal that day, wondering why your mom left ten years earlier, and dealing with an absent father.

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***

#review #family #middleschool #Sequoyahnominee #poverty