The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi W. Durrow, 2010

Elevator Pitch Summary: Narrated by both adolescent and adult characters, this book is an insightful story of a mulatto girl who not only has to deal with the inherent racism in the United States, but also the mysterious death of her family.

This is a quick read with a suspenseful storyline surrounding the protagonist Rachel's family's death.

Read this if you're in the mood for: A good, page-turning book that highlights some unpleasant things about how kids and adults treat and perceive race in the United States.

Black or White
The daughter of an African American military man and Danish woman, Rachel grows up in Europe before her mother Nella leaves her father for another man and uproots her family to Chicago.

The story begins with Rachel moving to Portland to live with her grandmother and aunt.  Each chapter is voiced by a different character so parallel story lines run concurrently.

While starting their new lives in the United States, Rachel and her mother soon realize that in the US, race not only defines a person, but also is a critical part of one's identity.

As a result, Rachel and her siblings are not seen as individuals with distinct personalities.  Instead, they are perceived as oddities who need to be classified as either black or white.

With its different voices, the novel effectively tells of the struggles that Rachel must deal with concerning race at school, and the struggles her mother Nella must deal with in the adult world, which sadly, is not much more forgiving or understanding than the elementary, junior high and high school worlds that Rachel inhabits. 

Falling From The Sky
An underlying storyline that drives the novel is the mystery surrounding the tragedy of Rachel's family's death, which is how Rachel ends up in Portland with her grandmother and aunt.

Two endearing characters stem from this storyline and provide a fuller view of Nella's struggles and love for her children.

Bellwether Prize
The Girl Who Fell From The Sky was awarded the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, which is a prize established (and funded) in 2000 by Barbara Kingsolver to recognize fiction that addresses social justice issues.

I have not read anything by Kingsolver, but know friends who have and highly recommend her books.