I loved the novelty of the premise of this book. Poppy is a girl who lives in a dystopian, high divided society. The divisions on based on skin color and Poppy has blue skin. The Blues are technologically advanced and have rules for everything and harsh consequences for disobedience. One day Poppy is out in the woods near her home picking berries when she comes upon a bear. As she's running for her life, she accidentally crosses into the Orange community. Poppy has been taught that Orange people are backward and lazy and not really that smart, so she's surprised to meet Marigold who is smart and kind and very hard working. Marigold helps Poppy get back (because from the Blue side, crossing the boundary is punishable by death) and both girls agree that they won't tell anyone. Except that war breaks out and Poppy and her grandmother have to flee their homes and the Orange sector seems the safest place. This is a terrific story about prejudice and racism and how people aren't always what you've been told. I think it will be super through provoking for middle graders and as well as a fun read.

I am so impressed with this book! Although it is designed for middle-grade readers, readers of every age can benefit from the book's messages, especially in today's troubling times. The author does a brilliant job with world-building and keeping groups of people divided by their skin color. And the indoctrination is taught early on.
Poppy, the lead character, is Blue and is taught early on that Blues are superior. She follows the rules she is taught (rather forced to learn), and there are consequences for breaking these rules. But stepping outside her kingdom brings her into the Orange world and meeting a girl who becomes a friend, and she starts questioning what she's been taught. She also has a grandmother, Bibi, who remembers the world before this division and tells Poppy that she once had an orange friend. However, the price of friendship can cost Poppy her life.
The lessons in this book are so deep. On the basic level, can you be friends with someone different from you? What is the price for that? As a therapist, I worked with middle-grade high school students and dealt with this issue regularly. If someone wanted to step outside their own "group" and develop friendships, they risked being shunned. It takes courage to take that leap.
On a deeper level is, of course, the indoctrination and the prejudice. And how timely is this story! We are at a time of deep division, and people are having difficulty speaking with each other. That's why this book is so powerful. It forces readers to think and rethink the messages they are hearing. It calls for a dialogue. And that's what is needed now.
I highly recommend this book to kids, teachers, librarians, and parents to share and discuss with their children.

"Poppy and Marigold" takes a very refreshing twist on the topic of racism through the lens of young children. Growing up in a segregated world with strict rules makes young Poppy believe she and her lifestyle are superior. This is until she meets Marigold, one of the inferior Yellows, who seems to lead a very different but happier life. This is When Poppy starts questioning everything she has learnt.

A story for young readers as well as adults, definitely a reommendation

This is a truly eye-opening book for readers of all ages. The simple prose should appeal especially to younger readers but I enjoyed the book a lot. We have a world where people of different colors live separately with strict border control and no mixing. We see interactions between the factions, the prejudices and the different life styles each live. The protagonist is a 12 year old girl, so all our observations are from her point of view and therefore a bit childish and naive. I thought it was a beautiful read that tells us so much about discrimination of all kinds and how especially children will mostly just copy their parents perspective. Would recommend to anyone, its a quick but impactful read

Thank you to Serenity Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Twelve-year-old Poppy all her life has been taught that Blues are the superior beings to all other colors but especially look down upon Orange. Poppy’s precinct abuts to the border with Orange, complete with warning signs that anyone entering Orange will be shot and the same for anyone crossing from Orange to Blue. One afternoon, Poppy was gathering berries near the border when a bear came after her. In a panic, Poppy blindly ran away, eventually crashing into Marigold. Marigold led Poppy up to her treehouse and when Poppy came out of her panic realized that Marigold was an Orange! With a storm coming, Marigold brought Poppy to her home and Poppy soon realized that her lifetime of indoctrination was wrong. How will she be able to return home, knowing what she now knows?
I cannot say enough positive things about this book. I loved it from start to finish! What a great way to approach the way people view each other. It is a quick read and will certainly hold your attention. I highly recommend this book for readers young and older (grade 3 and up).
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