In the Key of Us

By: Mariama J. Lockington

Narrated by: Yinka Ladeinde, Imani Jade Powers

From the author of the critically acclaimed novel For Black Girls Like Me, Mariama J. Lockington, comes a coming-of-age story surrounding the losses that threaten to break us and the friendships that make us whole again.

Thirteen-year-old Andi feels stranded after the loss of her mother, the artist who swept color onto Andi’s blank canvas. When she is accepted to a music camp, Andi finds herself struggling to play her trumpet like she used to before her whole world changed. Meanwhile, Zora, a returning camper, is exhausted trying to please her parents, who are determined to make her a flute prodigy, even though she secretly has a dancer’s heart.

At Harmony Music Camp, Zora and Andi are the only two Black girls in a sea of mostly white faces. In kayaks and creaky cabins, the two begin to connect, unraveling their loss, insecurities, and hopes for the future. And as they struggle to figure out who they really are, they may just come to realize who they really need: each other.

In the Key of Us is a lyrical ode to music camp, the rush of first love, and the power of one life-changing summer.

Beautifully Written & Much Needed Themes/Topics

Mariama J Lockington has written a much needed book. I loved it and will recommend to many of my students who need to hear her words.

Amazing!

This book is one of a kind and I enjoyed every second of it. I can’t wait to recommend this book to all of the young people I know. It is beautifully written and touches on very deep and important topics that should be normalized and understood. If you are considering reading it JUST DO IT!