From beloved, bestselling historical novelist Tracy Chevalier, whose mega-hit Girl with a Pearl Earring enchanted readers around the world, comes a poignant, unforgettable adaptation of Othello set in the fierce world of preadolescent children, where the grown-up forces of love and jealousy, and the hurt of being ostracized, can be as real and as devastating as for any adult. “O felt her presence behind him like a fire at his back.” Arriving at his fourth school in six years, diplomat’s son Osei Kokote knows he needs an ally if he is to survive his first day–so he’s lucky to hit it off with Dee, the most popular girl in school. But one student can’t stand to witness this budding relationship: Ian decides to destroy the friendship between the black boy and the golden girl. By the end of the day, the school and its key players–teachers and pupils alike–will never be the same again. The tragedy of Othello is transposed to a 1970s suburban Washington schoolyard, where kids fall in and out of love with each other before lunchtime, and practice a casual racism picked up from their parents and teachers. Taking us vividly into the lives and emotions of four eleven-year-olds–Osei, Dee, Ian and his reluctant “girlfriend” Mimi–Tracy Chevalier’s powerful drama of friends torn apart by jealousy, bullying and betrayal will leave you reeling.

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