Can't Stop the Shine

In Can't Stop the Shine by Joyce E. Davis, we are taken into the home of the Jefferson sisters. Mariama (Mari), 16, and her sister Kalia, 18, are born on the same day but two years apart and could not be more different. Mari, a student at a prestigious Atlanta-area private school is a stellar student and an athlete excelling in track & field. Besides having a competitive spirit, Mari loves hip-hop and hanging out with her two best girlfriends, Colby and Shauntae. On the other hand, because Kalia sings, acts and plays classical piano, she attends their local area high school where there is a performing arts program. Kalia spends her time with her best friend since they were young children, Dewayne, who lives just across the street. Mari encourages her sister to enter a singing competition at their local radio station. If she wins, Kaila will obtain a one-year recording contract with Fire Records and be able to record an album. Although hesitant, because it really goes against her grain, Kaila enters the contest. What she learns through this process tells her a lot about people in the music industry and she also learns something about herself, mainly how to persevere while having relationship issues of her own and seeing her parents go through marital problems. Joyce E. Davis does a magnificent job of illustrating the bond between two sisters, enduring difficult times and sharing in joyous occasions. What the sisters experience are real-life issues that affect average African-American teenage girls all the time. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, learning about the characters and how they develop into better people because of their circumstances. The characters, storyline and language were very age-appropriate for the age group intended and I would recommend this book to any African-American high-school girl that needs encouragement to read more. Lena Willis APOOO BookClub