Shark Teeth

Sharkita "Kita" Hayes spends her days waiting: for her mama to slip up, for social services to be called again, for her and her siblings to be split up. This middle grade novel by Sherri Winston, an author longlisted for the National Book Award, follows Kita's effort to hold her family together even as she struggles herself.

Mama says things are different now. She has a good job, has quit drinking and no longer goes out every night, and Kita almost believes her. Even so, Kita can't shake the sense that everything might go up in flames at any moment.

Then her assistant principal, who is also her trusted dance coach, starts asking about her home life. Kita becomes more determined than ever to keep up appearances and keep the family together, even if it costs her. As the threat of separation circles like a shark in the water, the pressure builds. The story asks whether the thing Kita fears most could turn out to be the best outcome for her family, and for her.