Blended

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)

• a young adult novel for mature readers in which an unarmed Black teen is shot by a police officer on the basis of racial profiling
• shares the themes of The Dynamics of Family and The Persistence of Racism

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson (2018)

• a young adult novel about identity and the struggle to find a path to success
• shares the themes of The Dynamics of Family and The Persistence of Racism

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

• a middle grade historical novel by the author of Blended in which the protagonist and her family face discrimination and danger in their 1930s North Carolina community
• shares the themes of The Dynamics of Family and The Persistence of Racism

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes (1926)

• brief poem by the subject of Izzy’s research project
• connects with Izzy’s internal conflicts and the theme of The Implications of Biracial Identity

“Fifth Grade Autobiography” by Rita Dove

• a brief poem that explores identity through family memories
• shares the theme of The Dynamics of Family; use in the Activity’s Paired Text Extension
• study guide for “Fifth Grade Autobiography”

“Gate A-4”  by Naomi Shihab Nye

• a narrative prose poem in which the speaker sees that intolerance is surmountable
• themes of kindness, acceptance, and The Dynamics of Family
• study guide for “Gate A-4”

Other Student Resources

Video clip from Green Book (2018)

• 4-minute film clip; features a principal character, classically trained pianist Don Shirley, spontaneously performing a short Chopin piece followed by “Back Woods Blues,” a boogie-woogie classic, in the Orange Bird, a 1960s Louisiana juke joint
• parallels Izzy’s discovery of boogie-woogie shortly after her classical music lesson
• shares the theme of The Power of Music

Video of piano player performing Jack Fina’s “Bumble Boogie”

• a 3-minute video performance of the boogie-woogie piece that Izzy plays in the novel, “Bumble Boogie”
• YouTube and other online resources archive many versions of “Bumble Boogie”; this one is a close-up of a performer’s hands to provide readers with a better image of the kind of skill Izzy possesses.
• connects through the shared theme of The Power of Music

“10 of Langston Hughes’s Most Popular Poems”

• biographical information, links to poems, and poem descriptions on Biography.com

Teacher Resources

“Racial Profiling: Past, Present, Future,” by David Harris (2020)

• a helpful overview on the American Bar Association website of the legal implications of racial profiling, its original intentions, and its abuses
• shows applications in a variety of significant cases

Black, White, Other: Biracial Americans Talk about Race and Identity edited by Lise Funderburg (1994; updated 2017)

• A classic work on biracial identity among young people in America, the book includes interviews with a number of biracial children.
• Teachers might use select chapter profiles as a subject of discussion or as a prompt.
• Funderburg’s website provides a sample interview that summarizes many of the collection’s themes about diversity, acceptance and intolerance.

Floyd et al vs. The City of New York (2008)

• one of the earliest challenges to racial profiling as an instrument of police protocols; discussed on the Center for Constitutional Rights website
• The case involved the challenge of the right of New York police officers to stop and frisk Black and Latino students coming to and from school.
• shares the novel’s theme of The Persistence of Racism

“Published 50 Years Ago, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ Launched a Revolution” (2020)

• article by Veronica Chambers in Smithsonian Magazine
• a look back at Angelou’s now classic autobiography
• readers can find parallels between Izzy and young Maya
• shared themes of The Dynamics of Family and The Persistence of Racism between the novel and the autobiography