This is a lovely little book that should appeal to all kids as it addresses universal issues with a very special flavor. I loved how Sicily started to learn more about her own heritage as a Black Panamanian and how she chose to share it--and how it impacted her relations at school. And, I admit that as an adult, I learned a lot! It would be a great selection for a parent to read along with their child. And I think everyone will love Sicily as she is certainly very relatable. What a great book for children to start thinking about their own heritage!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's very special!

In many ways this is a typical middle-grade fiction novel. There is a mean girl who toments our main character, and their are friendships, and sometimes the beginnings of romance.

But this is different because Sicily is a Black Panamanian, and people at her new school have trouble figuring out what she “really is” and where her people are “really from”.

So, rather than just get angry, Sicily begins to ask her family about it, as well as do research on how the people of the Caribbean came to Panama to help build the canal, and remained to become part of the country, as Sicily’s ancesters did.

And she does this mainly for herself, because she loves to write in her journal.

This is a sweet story of differences and how they should be embraced, and shared. Silicy has friends from her old school that she hangs on to, and makes friends at her new school. And she learns to stand up for herself, against the mean girl, who tells her that she won’t be in the new online newspaper the school is putting out, so don’t even try.

I like how Sicily stands up for herself, even against her grandmother who tells her that wearing braided hair is ghetto, and ugly, and that she should relax her hair to fit in.

Great book. I love how the history of the Black people in Panama is woven into the story as well.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

I so enjoyed reading Sincerely Sicily! The dialogue is natural, it's a fast and easy read, and Sicily is a TRULY relatable character. I absolutely think she will resonate with middle-grade readers, whether they understand exactly what she's going through or whether they're learning for the first time about a person who doesn't look like them. Burgess treats issues like Black hair pride, the difference between race and culture, and making new friends all with the same amount of deftness that feels just right. Highly recommend.

I received a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sicily is looking forward to middle school with her friends. Unfortunately, the new middle school, right across from her house, opens just at the wrong time. When Sicily’s teacher assigns her students to start the year by presenting on their culture, only Sicily gets questions as to whether she’s telling the truth-how can she be Black, but speak Spanish at home? Worse yet, her Abuela is complaining about Siciliy’s braided hair, saying it is low class and inappropriate. And the 8th grader who organizes the school e-news site seems to dislike her, too.

Sincerely, Sicily is a story about finding your place in the world. It is also one of the best books I’ve read that integrates history with a contemporary story. I didn’t know about the history of the Panama Canal and the role of Black Men in building it, nor of the racial divisions between laborers based on skin color. I believe a lot kids will see themselves in Sicily, and learn something in the process. This is an excellent book by a debut author, Tamika Burgess, and I hope we hear more from her. Well done.

I was really excited to read this book because I saw a little girl who looked like me. Tamika is a brilliant author who captured the issues surrounding racism and discrimination in the eyes of a middle grader.

The confusion Sicily faced about the color of her skin or her hair — I felt it! The most beautiful part was that she had support from her family to stand up for who she was. "We are Black first, before anything else. I also always want you to remember we come from Africa first.”

Sicily was able to handle the questions thrown at her and educated herself about her history. In turn, sharing it with others.

It was good to see such representation and I can't wait for kids and parents to get a hold of this gem.

Sincerely Sicily, a heartwarming story about a Black Panamanian girl, perfectly balances the angst of starting middle school with the pride that emanates from someone when they begin to understand their place in the world. Tamika Burgess does a wonderful job exploring intergenerational conflict, the expectations of first-generation Americans, and the confluence of race and culture in a way that’s relatable to middle grade and older students.

All middle schoolers will find some common ground with Sicily. For those, like me, who are also first-generation and have come up against similar intergenerational conflicts, thank you, Tamika, for showing people like us in your storytelling.

Looking forward to more from Ms. Burgess!

The cover had me running to open up the pages. A cute young girl on the cover with a journal in her hand drew me in.
I really enjoyed the middle-grade novel. I learned so much about Panama. The story was realistic and well-written. I could relate to Sicily, her family, and her friends. I felt like I was a middle school girl in this book.
Sicily was really trying to find herself. Her family and friends were her support system. She did find her gift or did she?
I recommend this to middle-grade and high-school students. I give this book 4 stars.

SINCERELY SICILY is a beautiful middle grade novel that is certain to make so many young people feel seen, understood, and heard. Sicily, a sixth-grade Black Panamanian girl, is thrown all sorts of real life challenges her way. At the start of the novel, Sicily is thrown into so many difficulties: a new school, making new friends, classmates who she doesn't connect with (and some that are so rude!), missing her old friends, a fight with her grandmother, and a longing to get into a magazine writing club that seems run by the harshest bully of all. Burgess brilliantly weaves all of these realistic challenges together, creating a character who has a lot to learn and a lot to teach young readers. I was so impressed with how all of the storylines came together, and how Sicily grew throughout the story. I think that young people will absolutely love this book and that it would be an excellent choice for classroom teachers.

Wonderful story about self discovery and pride of heritage. About teaching others who you are. And about first crushes/love interests (in a very sweet way). Loved how author Tamika wove the generational challenges in while keeping it fresh and relevant to what is going on in schools today. It is a quieter story that slowly works its way under your skin and into your heart.

Sicily is starting at a new school where none of her friends will be going. One of their first assignments is to write about their culture. Sicily wants to talk about Panama where her family is from. Sicily loves her braids, but Abuela makes her feel bad about wearing her hair in braids. Things get so bad that Sicily ignores Abeula when she comes over because she made her feel so badly about her braids. When Sicily has a chance to submit a piece for the online school magazine, she wonders if she should submit something about Panamanian culture. Will she do it?

This is a really great book. I think every middle schooler and their parents should read this book. I loved how we learn more about Sicily and where she comes from. And her family and history of her family from Panama and Africa. I really loved all those bits of history throughout and seeing Sicily blossom as she knows more about who she is.
I like the friendship dynamics too, they were so real, how they had a few fights, but made up and made it better.
I liked the talk of first crushes too.
The family dynamics are really great in this one too, not just in Sicily's family but her friend's families also.
A really wonderful book that taught me a lot!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

SINCERELY SICILY is an incredible debut and easily a standout and favorite Middle Grade book. It is impossible not to connect to and root for Sicily while seeing her struggle with a new school, first crushes, and discrimination all while learning more about her culture and finding her voice through writing. The pacing of the book is perfect and the beautiful, emotional, and fun writing makes it difficult to put down! Sicily's voice is so authentic, and she will immediately feel like a read to readers who will be able to learn a bit about Afro-Panamanian culture and history and the importance of standing up for and accepting oneself along with her. Truly a wonderful book that had me laughing and tearing up and loving every page. SINCERELY SICILY should be at the top of booklists for Middle Grade readers, and will stay in their hearts long after finishing.

This is a wonderful novel that grabbed me from the very beginning. The main character’s voice is so real, and her experience of being separated from her friends when they are zoned for different schools is very relatable. Sicily is dealing with so much all at once: a new school, a very disappointing experience with her grandmother who she’s always been super-close with, grief over the loss of her grandfather, a first crush, friendship challenges, and in addition to all those things, racism and hair discrimination. Author Tamika Burgess did an incredible job of making me feel as if I was truly experiencing the events that happened, as well Sicily’s emotions, throughout the story. I especially loved her interactions with her family members, as well as her new (and old) friends. Her wish to be a writer for the school online magazine and her persistence as she struggles with what to write about are also a very interesting part of the story and an important part of her journey. This is a book that will build empathy and understanding, especially as Sicily discovers more about her own unique background and learns to stand up for herself. It all just felt so real, and so important, and is sure to spark many wonderful and much-needed conversations. This book is powerfully and beautifully written, and I absolutely loved it. Five stars for SINCERELY SICILY.