This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Candice Davis is a middle school Special Education Teacher in Washington, DC, with a background in film. She started her career in education as a Curriculum and Personnel Specialist, writing grants and proposals. Due to her desire to have more of a direct impact with disadvantaged students, she transitioned into teaching. This is Davis’s debut book. She holds a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology with a focus in Social Foundations from the University of Virginia and a BA in Film and Video Studies from George Mason University.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Melanin Brown Discovers America, written by Candice Davis and illustrated by Benedicta Buatsie, is a middle-grade book that centers around thirteen-year-old student Melanin Brown. Melanin is a seventh-grader at Shirley Chisholm Preparatory Middle School where she has a comfortable group of friends and is proud to be living in Washington D.C. During the Pledge of Alliegance, Melanin and others in her class notice a new boy doesn't stand up for the Pledge. This does not go down well as the new student, Michael, soon become the target of bullies. He remains on Melanin's mind even as she is diverted by the many activities she participates in, but one student named Carl is particularly aggressive with Michael, and there is some reluctance to intervene since Carl's family is a deep-pocketed sponsor of the school. Melanin then decides to seek some advice and mull over Michael's predicament about what she should and should not do, taking appropriate action in her own way.
Melanin Brown Discovers America is a contemporary, highly engaging book that reads easily. Candice Davis provides Melanin with a strong voice that has the authenticity of a normal teenage girl, and we are able to get to know her through a first-person narrative that is witty and fun. I loved getting a mini-tour of her school as she highlights what it has to offer and what those who walked the halls before her achieved. There are some really appropriate nods to the change happening that is long overdue, such as the renaming of the school to Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress. There are also undercurrents of things that still require change, such as donations being used to influence disciplinary action and the abuse Carl is subjected to, which indicates the need to transfer his humiliation onto another. I love how Melanin's approach to Michael is a learning moment for her also, reinforcing that she is still a child despite her maturity. The illustrations by Benedicta Buatsie are among some of the best I've seen. They bring the whole story to life in a way that words alone cannot do. Overall, this is a wonderful book and as a mother to a teenager of color, I look forward to stacking the shelf with more Melanin adventures.
