One Book Baltimore
One Book Baltimore provides opportunities for Baltimore City 7th and 8th graders, their families, and community members to connect through literature by reading the same book.
One Book Baltimore is a collaboration among several local organizations to provide opportunities for Baltimore City 7th and 8th graders, their families, and community members to connect through literature by reading the same book. Discussions and programming will be held across the city to spark conversations in our community.
My Fairy God Somebody
Our spring 2025 book is My Fairy God Somebody, by Charlene Allen.
The way Clae’s mom tells it, Clae’s dad took off when she was a baby, end of story. Ever since, it’s just been the two of them, living in the coastal city of Gloucester, where Clae is one of only a few Black girls. But when Clae discovers clues about a mysterious person she calls her fairy god somebody, she’s determined to know more.
Her chance comes when she’s accepted into a summer journalism program in New York City, where her parents lived before she was born. With a couple of leads and a steel resolve, Clae leaves home for the first time to find out about her history.
New York is as full of magic as it is mystery, not to mention romance. From Brooklyn to Broadway, Clae and her new friends, Nze and Joelle, explore neighborhood haunts and hustles, discovering a family trail that some- one’s tried hard to bury. So who is the fairy god somebody? And can Clae use her sleuthing skills to find out the truth?
Set against one unforgettable New York City summer, this is the story of lies that run deep and patterns that are meant to be broken. Clae, Nze, and Joelle will stick with you and remind you that every girl deserves to write her own story.
Read or Listen to the BookCharlene Allen
Charlene Allen has a MFA in writing for children and young adults, which means she gets to go to school to read and write all day, a truly fantastic experience. On the activist side, she does a lot of work to promote restorative justice and end mass incarceration, because she believe those things can truly change the world.
A Community Collaboration
One Book Baltimore is a collaboration between the Enoch Pratt Free Library, T. Rowe Price Foundation, and Baltimore City Public Schools.
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