"Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes

Growing Up
Bronx Masquerade is about problems young teenagers have to face while finding themselves. In this book people change the way they look, act, and even think to feel like they fit in. These teenagers mimic people they look up to, or think "cool" because of their fear of being themselves. During these adolescent years many kids have low self-confidence and/or self-esteem, so they give up easily and believe others are better than them. This book takes a turn when the teacher introduces poetry to the class. The kids learn how to express their feelings through many different ways, one being poetry. When someone has self-confidence they have a stronger belief in themselves and in what their trying to achieve in life. Nikki Grimes writes this novel to show how hard people try to please everyone but themselves, just to fit in, until they realize they're most important in life.
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