Patina picks up right where Ghost left off. We find out how the first track meet went, only now events are told from Patty's point of view.
Patty and her family have experienced more hardships than any family should have to face, particularly in so short a span of time. Patty puts on a strong front, taking it upon herself to look out for her younger sister while also doing right by her mother and keeping her own life in order. It's a lot for a kid, and I'm not sure if it was in the writing or the character, but Patty showed a lot more maturity than I would expect from a middle schooler; I kept having to remind myself that she wasn't a high schooler.
The book takes place over the course of a week, but the first few chapters spend a lot of time laying down the backstory of how Patty and her sister came to live with their aunt and uncle. It's a lot of character development as Patty goes to school and interacts with classmates while learning about Frida Kahlo, and as she goes to track practice and interacts with teammates while learning to pass the relay baton. There isn't a lot if action at first, but things start to pick up towards the end of the week.
Patty is confident and self-aware as she takes on each new day, gradually peeling back the layers of the people around her and making sense of things. She's a great character for young readers to get to know, especially if you're on the lookout for a black female protagonist in realistic children's fiction.
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