Fifteen-Sixteenths

by Renae Weight Mackley

[sstaley]

Fifteen-Sixteenths takes place in 1963 South Carolina. The USA is in the middle of a Civil Right's movement and Charlotte is trying to hide her mixed ancestry from everyone at her all-white high school. Charlotte tries to fit in as a young caucasian girl but knows that someone may find out about her black Grandmother who is temporarily living with her.

I loved how this story within a story, tells the stories of two teens in different time periods dealing with struggles of standing up to others, wanting freedom, and finding that courage deep within themselves. Charlotte has heard all her life of Mary, a slave during the Civil War period and how she desired her freedom and showed such bravery in achieving that. Charlotte finds herself in a situation where she needs to glean the wisdom and courage from her ancestor Mary about learning how to fight her own modern-day battles of injustice.

This novel is a great platform to showcase how even as a teenager you have the power to change things in your life and in society. Charlotte is a great character who is very likable and teens and adults will relate to her and cheer her on. This is a very worthwhile read.