Black Star
Black Star by Kwame Alexander, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 9, 2025, is a compelling addition to the Door of No Return trilogy. This edition spans 384 pages and is presented in English. The narrative follows 12-year-old Charley Cuffey, who aspires to become the first female pitcher in professional baseball while navigating the complexities of life in her segregated town. As Charley grapples with her dreams and the realities of her environment, she learns about her family’s history and the challenges that come with it.
Readers will find a rich exploration of themes such as family life and the difficult discussions surrounding race and identity. Charley’s journey is marked by her determination to succeed in a world that often limits her aspirations, and her interactions with friends and family reveal the importance of understanding one’s history. Set against the backdrop of the segregation era and the onset of The Great Migration, this story delves into the struggles and triumphs of an American family, making it a poignant reflection on growing up and the impact of history on personal dreams.
Official synopsis Publisher
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
The thrilling second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi’s granddaughter, Charley, who’s set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.
You can’t protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have.
12-year old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee’s Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn’t need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South.
Even so, Nana Kofi’s thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big. She knows he has so many more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn’t old enough to know about certain things like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge and why she can never play on the brand-new real deal baseball field on the other side of town.
When Charley challenges a neighborhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. But when the picnic spills over onto their ball field, she makes a fateful decision.
A child cannot protect herself if she does not know her history, and Charley’s choice brings consequences she never could have imagined.
In this riveting second book of the Door of No Return trilogy, set during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family.
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