The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

We bought this for a little local library. My wife fell in love with it! Violet Diamond's daddy was African American, and her mother was Caucasian. Her father's family was not pleased that he married a white woman, and this put a distance between the families. When Violet's father died, all ties were cut. Violet was growing up in a mostly-white town, with a mother and adopted sister who is white. Where does she fit? Violet gets the opportunity to meet her black grandmother, and the journey towards love, forgiveness and reconciliation begins! While Violet is a normal girl, she has a good attitude (a good example for the reader), and those with bad attitudes are shown for what they are. It has a reverent attitude toward God, but doesn't preach. The story has humor, challenge, struggle, and change, and best of all...it has joy! This needs to be read by families of all colors. A delightful book!

This is among my favorite children's novels along with Esperanza Rising and Heidi. What a talented author-- particularly in the area of children's writing that contributes to racial diversity and multiculturalism! This book may be especially helpful for interracial families and children, but it is also helpful for anyone looking to understand the feelings and dynamic of the said family type. Brilliantly written and realistic! By mid-way through it was a page turner and hard to put down.

*****Review******This book is fantastic! It is about a biracial girl named Violet Diamond who blooms into her identity. Violet learns that families stick together. Families come in all shapes,sizes and colors. To become who you really are depends on you and you should discover who you are in many different ways just like Violet. It is an amazing book and I would say the book level is for fourth grade and up. I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I did!Violet's African American dad died before Violet was born. After that Violet was the only African American child in her town and didn't know a lot about her heritage. She hadn't even met her African American grandmother Roxanne. One day her mother decided it was time to meet Violets African American grandmother Roxanne and learn about her heritage. Find out how the meeting goes and how Violet embarks on her journey of self discovery in The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond!

Brenda Woods, a Coretta Scott King Honor winner, presents us with an engaging story of family life "After"--after a father's death. After a family rift. After an interracial marriage. After Violet finally meets the African-American side of her family and begins to discover how to love that part of herself. Violet is spunky, smart and determined. She's also struggling to find her place as the sole black in her family--not an easy task for an eleven-year-old. Most strangers believe she's adopted. (She's not.)The situation is complicated by the tragic circumstances of her father's death--circumstances that make conversation about him a taboo subject. Will she be able to bring the two sides of her family together? Read The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond to find out.This is an engaging story for any reader but is especially resonant for biracial children or children adopted transracially.Gayle H. Swift, author, "ABC, Adoption & Me: A Multicultural Picture Book, adoption coach, adoptive parent and co-founder of GIFT Family Services

My class and I enjoyed Violet’s adventures. The fact that she kept journals really pleased me. I am certain children in my class will take to utilizing that learning strategy. The author painted an emotional picture of how our young heroine faced hard facts of life. I was delighted to learned how Violet discovered and embraced her ‘mysterious’ new family.

As a mother of a biracial daughter, this book was beautifully written. There aren't very many books for us mothers that want to do more for our children but aren't so where to start. It's a light read and easy for her to get into.I love the family connections in this story and shows the love and support Violet receives from her whole family. It's refreshing how they address racial issues without getting confrontational or offensive. I think it's a great start to many conversations to come.

I read this book in one day. So accessible for younger students. It allows you to introduce them to some very "real" issues that are often uncomfortable. WOW. Brenda Woods, you ROCK!! And this, from a "white woman teacher of privilege" who has been looking for a way to introduce my students to so many of the things you address in this book...at their level.

Just the book that I needed for my daughter. She's 9yrs old and she had a ton of questions about being biracial and even though I answered them to the best of my ability the answers I gave her didn't satisfy some of her wonders and concerns that she had with what some people at school were saying about her.So, kudos to Brenda Woods for putting this book in perspective that a child could read and understand.

Spectacular book😍😇😇😇what I didn't like that it was talking about there sellsIn third person which was not very nice