Synopsis
Eleven-year-old Daughter, called a "zebra" by a boy at school because she is part black and part white, wonders exactly who and what she is.
Ten-year-old Daughter McGuire, her mother, and her younger brother move to a new town after her parents separate. Facing life in a new school, Daughter worries about how she should handle a project on her family heritage since, according to her family tree, she's a African-Italian-Irish-Jeiwsh-Russian-American.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1994-04-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 167 pages | | Height: | 8.3 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 12.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
"Daughter--thats my name. Daughter McGuire--Im eleven."When Daughter McGuire, her mother, and her younger brothers, Satchel and Jerry Lee, move next door to her grandparents, shes faced with starting over in a new school, making new friends, and keeping clear of troublemakers like the Avengers. Life would also be easier if her father hadnt run off to Colorado. If her parents were together again, her mothers creepy friend Jim Signet wouldnt be hanging around.But things pick up when Daughter and her classmates Connie and Anna discover Topknot Cave and start the Explorers Club. And at school Mrs. Jackson, Daughters teacher, suggests an exciting family heritage project. The hitch is that some people think that Daughters family heritage is too "mixed-up". According to her family tree she is African-Italian-Irish-Jewish-Russian-American. One of the Avengers calls her a "zebra", because one of her parents is black and the other is white. Daughter is so upset, she begins to wonder what she should call herself.As her project comes together, Daughter learns more about her background and the story of the courageous woman whose name she carries. Little does Daughter McGuire know that her own courage will soon be tested in a way she had never dreamed of.Sharon Dennis Wyeth wrote The World of Daughter McGuire because she wanted to issue a challenge. As she says, "Daughter McGuires world is by no means perfect. Parents dont behave the way you want them to and there are cruel acts of bias. But there is also humor in this world and love aplenty in Daughter, Satch and Jerry Lee's not-so-typical, typical extended family. I want my readers to make connections in spite of external bias, to celebrate ourselves as individuals in a world where conscience counts more than color."
Eleven-year-old Daughter, called a "zebra" by a boy at school because she is part black and part white, wonders exactly who and what she is.
Industry Reviews
PW singled out Wyeth's ``compassionate renderings of contemporary families'' in this novel about an 11-year-old who becomes the target of racial slurs as a result of her mixed racial and ethnic heritage. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)
Bernstein
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