Karyn Parsons

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Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 4: Clouds Over California (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers Level 4: How High The Moon (ELT Graded Reader)

How High The Moon

Clouds Over California

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

My heart! Clouds over California is one of those stories that nourishes the spirit and fills the soul. Deeply moving and refreshing, Stevie's story surprised me in every good and meaningful way. I tore through it in one sitting and then wanted to sit with it, like a new but already dear friend.

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Operation Sisterhood

Set against the dreamy backdrop of 1970s Santa Monica, Clouds over California is a touching story about the difficulties of accepting change and the importance of being true to yourself. I absolutely loved spending time in Stevie's world.

Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of The Only Black Girls in Town

Clouds over California is a taste of history with the thrills of mystery and brims with family secrets. Karyn Parsons created a sweet, heartfelt story filled with curiosity and hope.

Alicia D. Williams, award-winning author of Genesis Begins Again

One of the best stories I've read in a long while

Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse

This was supposed to be the best year ever for eleven-year-old Stevie Morrison. But instead, her life seems determined to turn itself upside down. 
 
First of all, her parents can't stop fighting - and they decide to move the family to a totally new apartment, in a totally new part of town, which means a totally new middle school for Stevie. On top of that, her best friend, Jennifer, is acting weird. She won't return Stevie's phone calls, and apparently her new best friends are a bunch of mean girls. The final straw comes with the arrival of Stevie's teenage cousin Naomi - sent down in disgrace from Boston (though no one will tell Stevie why). But with Naomi comes an exciting glimpse of a world Stevie hasn't paid much attention to before: one of Cleopatra Jones movies, women's liberation and an intriguing-sounding group called the Black Panthers. 
 
It might not be the year Stevie anticipated. But it will be the one that changes her life forever.

"Nourishes the spirit and fills the soul." - Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Operation Sisterhood 
 
"Touching and inspiring." - Lisa Moore Ramée, author of A Good Kind of Trouble 
 
"A taste of history with the thrills of mystery and brims with family secrets." - Alicia D. Williams, award-winning author of Genesis Begins Again 
 
Judy Blume meets Jacqueline Woodson in this powerful and sweetly emotional coming-of-age story about finding your place in the world, from the author of How High the Moon. 
 
This was supposed to be the best year ever for eleven-year-old Stevie Morrison. But instead, her life seems determined to turn itself upside down. 
 
First of all, her parents can't stop fighting - and they decide to move the family to a totally new apartment, in a totally new part of town, which means a totally new middle school for Stevie. On top of that, her best friend, Jennifer, is acting weird. She won't return Stevie's phone calls, and apparently her new best friends are a bunch of mean girls. 
 
The final straw comes with the arrival of Stevie's teenage cousin Naomi - sent down in disgrace from Boston (though no one will tell Stevie why). But with Naomi comes an exciting glimpse of a world Stevie hasn't paid much attention to before: one of Cleopatra Jones movies, women's liberation and an intriguing-sounding group called the Black Panthers. 
 
It might not be the year Stevie anticipated. But it will be the one that changes her life forever. 
 
Praise for How High the Moon: 
 
"Essential reading, full of voices that must be heard. One of the best stories I've read in a long while" - Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse 
 
"An impressive debut" - Mail on Sunday

Karyn Parsons is perhaps best known for her role as Will Smith's ditsy cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn went on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films. Karyn lives and works in New York.

Clouds Over California

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My heart! Clouds over California is one of those stories that nourishes the spirit and fills the soul. Deeply moving and refreshing, Stevie's story surprised me in every good and meaningful way. I tore through it in one sitting and then wanted to sit with it, like a new but already dear friend.

Set against the dreamy backdrop of 1970s Santa Monica, Clouds over California is a touching story about the difficulties of accepting change and the importance of being true to yourself. I absolutely loved spending time in Stevie's world.

Clouds over California is a taste of history with the thrills of mystery and brims with family secrets. Karyn Parsons created a sweet, heartfelt story filled with curiosity and hope.

One of the best stories I've read in a long while

About Karyn Parsons

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