Camo Girl

Z isn't just Ella's best friend; he's her only friend.  Ella doesn't really know how it happened.  It seems like one day everything was fine, and the next everyone had turned against Ella and Z.  The kids call Ella Camo Face because her skin has patches of brown and black.  Ella knows she's ugly, but it still hurts to hear the taunts of other kids.


Ella is Z's protector, and partner in the fantasy he's created.  He calls her lady Eleanor and milady and talks like he's in a story about King Arthur and Camelot.  Ella knows the fantasy helps him deal with life since his daddy left and they lost the house, but sometimes she's ready for the fantasy to be over.  Everyone else teases Z and calls him a freak.


One day a new boy shows up at school.  His name is Bailey, and Ella thinks he's beautiful.  Plus, he's the only other black kid in school.  For the first time in a long time, Ella wants to break out the protective circle she's drawn around Z and herself.  But part of her knows it's pointless.  Bailey is cool and normal and good-looking.  Why would he want to be friends with Camo Face?


But things aren't always what they seem on the surface, and Bailey, Z, and Ella have more in common than she would've thought.  Maybe being "normal" isn't as hard as Ella thought, but Z may not be able to handle all these changes, and all three kids may not be able to keep their secrets for much longer.  


Camo Girl is the newest book by Kekla Magoon, who also wrote one of my favorite books, The Rock and the River, so read that one, too!