Let’s Get Together

Liberty Perry, who is in foster care, did the math, and her first day of sixth grade is the 10th time she’s been the new kid. Though she’s used to moving around and adjusting to fit in with ever-changing circumstances, her recent placement, with empathetic Joey in Pasadena, feels different, and she hopes this move will be her last. Meanwhile, Kenya Norwood is looking forward to spending sixth grade at the top of the social hierarchy with her best friends. But the first day of class brings a shock for both Liberty and Kenya, whose disastrous first meeting and uncanny resemblance becomes the talk of the school. After the girls’ mutual dislike escalates to a physical confrontation, Kenya’s single father reveals a shocking secret: Liberty and Kenya are twins, and their late mother kidnapped Liberty when they were babies. In this nimble, winning reimagining of The Parent Trap, Colbert (The Only Black Girls in Town) examines—via the protagonists’ strong characterizations across dual-third-person POVs—the potential social and emotional effects of navigating the foster care system alongside nuanced depictions of substance reliance and children managing complex relationships with parents and caregivers. Most characters are Black. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Sept.)