? "A satisfying combination of historical and realistic fiction featuring an interesting and diverse cast." --SLJ, starred review ? "Thoughtful and well-wrought, this novel is compassionate, pointed, and empowering." -- Booklist , starred review ? "Most of all, this is an impressive coming-of-age story whose fully realized protagonist is surrounded by a rich supporting cast. Cultural details artfully evoke the tenor and tone of the times." -- Kirkus, starred review ? "Expressing subtle and blatant bigotries alike, English (the Carver Chronicles series) movingly reveals how an impressionable and intelligent child learns from the injustices that touch her, her family, and her friends." -- PW, starred review "Ms. English has a light touch, and she captures human idiosyncrasy in an honest, witty way that makes her characters relatable, whatever their color or pallor. Unfairness and race-consciousness run through the story--so do surprises.

Bigotry wears many guises. Kindness does too." -- Wall Street Journal ". a true coming-of-age story. The perspective of an upper-middle-class African American family is an unusual and welcome one; and Sophie's interactions with her white best friend make for a particularly honest dialogue. Fans of Rita Williams-Garcia will enjoy this moving, frank novel." --Horn Book " . [It All Comes Down to This] will capture readers at every point, bringing a nuanced understanding to the history of American civil rights that is sometimes flattened in the classroom curriculum.

" --Bulletin.