Having read both this and The Door of No Return in close succession, I got on with the verse form far more easily here - possibly because it's set in more modern times and so felt more 'natural' to imagine without needing prose descriptions to set the scene. I still have a definite issue with how the author chooses to finish books without an actual ending though.

As with the first book, this spends a long time setting the scene and then flies through the actual conflict in under a hundred pages before abruptly ending without a resolution. It stops rather than brings the narrative to a natural close. Once could have been overlooked. Twice is a deliberate stylistic choice and it didn't work for me at all. If the third book follows the same kind of pattern, it'll skip ahead decades and we'll see some of the resolution in it through the eyes of a new character.

That said, the author does have a way with words and vividly brings to life this time the era of discrimination, racial tension and segregation in American history. It felt more accessible for youngsters than the first book and also less horrifyingly dark with no not so oblique references to rape this time round. Charley's recounting of her grandfathers wish to be on one of the boats back to Africa was heart breaking for instance.

All in all, this is just skimming four stars, as many of my issues with engaging with the first book weren't present anymore, but the lack of a resolution is a big enough issue to be glaring particularly second time round.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

'Black Star' is another powerful verse novel for teenagers by Kwame Alexander following on from his magnificent 'The Door of No Return'. That novel explored Asante history and the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade by telling the story of Kofi Offin growing up in what is now Ghana before he is captured, enabling us to understand the richness of pre-colonial African history and culture.
'Black Star' fast-forwards two generations and introduces us to Kofi's granddaughter Charlene who lives with her parents and Kofi in Virginia in the early 1920s during a time of racial segregation. I have read a lot of stories set in the Jim Crow era, but I think this was the first novel I have read to feature a Black character with a living relative who had been born in Africa - perhaps something relatively rare as Kofi is transported to America as the Civil War is underway and slavery is about to be abolished. But this allows for Kofi to pass his stories down to Charlene and for her to take pride in his strength and determination.
Much of the novel focuses on Charlene's everyday concerns - her aspiration to be a major baseball player at a time when women's baseball has very little recognition is front and centre of the story, but Alexander gives us hints of a wider canvas, through inclusion of the real historical figures of Marcus Garvey and Mary McLeod Bethune, as well as references to segregation and white supremacy of which Charlene is only dimly aware. Foregrounding Charlene's sporting interests and her friendships allows us to connect with her - in the same way that we did with Kofi in 'The Door of No Return' - but a shocking twist once again reminds us of the evils of racism that persisted in this period and still do today. But although this is a harrowing read at times, there is also plenty of hope - in the determination of Charlene and her family and the strength of her community.
I believe Alexander has planned this as the second part as a trilogy - I wasn't expecting such a big gap between the first two volumes but found the generational shift surprisingly effective, and I am now hoping that the third book will introduce us to Charlene as a grandmother in order to explore yet another era.
As ever, Alexander's verse is highly compelling and skilfully crafted, making this an accessible read even for those who may believe that they do not like poetry. It is certainly a book I will be sharing with my pupils and colleagues - many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

The second in the Door of No Return trilogy. This book - again in verse - jumps from where we left kofi at the end of Book 1. We are now in 1920 Virginia where there is segregation and the KKK are apparent. Kofi - Nana Kofi is now a grandfather and the story focuses on his 12 year old granddaughter Charlene, Charley. Charley loves baseball - is good at it and dreams of becoming a baseball player - a lofty dream for a young Black girl at that time. She has a small group of friends and when she challenges the pastor’s son, a bit of a bully, to a baseball match - the consequences are so much worse than she ever imagined and we have another ending that leaves us wanting to turn a page that isn’t there. Although Nana Kofi is not the main character, in his talks with Charley we find out what happened after we left him - although you do not need to have read Book 1 to read this. Once again the author gives us a glimpse of what if was like in Virginia at that time - a lesson in Black history - but also, in Charley, a character who is almost ahead of her time because she wants to challenge her role. We have the KKK and the violence they bring, something that the adults try to shield Charley from until …. I enjoyed this, the characters and getting to know what happened to Kofi. It wasn’t as harrowing as the first book, but the ending still packs a painful and heart-breaking punch. I want to see what happens next.

A historical verse novel, set in America during Segregation. Charley loves pitching baseballs and would have been a star player if it wasn't for two things, Charley is a girl and she is Black. Naively unaware of any real danger in the town, and boosted by a famous Black woman's team in the news, Charley's skill shows up the local white boys during an (un)friendly game. The humiliated teens retaliate, putting their community in the greatest danger.
Kwame approaches this story with compassion, he doesn't flinch from telling awful truths, or fudging events that Black people experienced to make them more palatable to the reader. Charley is socially naïve, her family focussing on what she could achieve and enjoy in life, rather than terrifying her with the dangerous ideals of groups like the KKK. You quietly wish that she had made different choices but the louder voice wants her to live in a world where she was free to be herself and make those choices without harm to herself and her loved ones. Powerful, heart-breaking, wonderful stuff.

I have read the 1st book in this series and I'm so glad I got to read the 2nd book and I enjoyed reading this book