Fifteen-year-old Lala Russell is doing a bad job at being a Black girl. She has social justice fatigue, and she doesn't want to join the Black Alliance Club at her school (even though she agrees with them). A gifted cellist, she’s focused on leaving her small town and accomplishing her goals and dreams. But Lala has also inherited another gift, her grandmother Sadie's gift of foresight. She has visions of the future—and they always come true.
In Davey, the Texas sundown town she lives in, there is growing tension, as a Black organization attempts to diversify the nearly all-white part of town. Amidst violent protests, Lala has a vision. In it, a Black teenage boy is shot in the chest by a white homeowner. Now Lala has a mission: find the boy and save him.
But Grandma Sadie has a vision too. After the boy's murder, a wave of protests breaks out. And the outrage over the casual and frequent slaying of unarmed Black children will result in unprecedented change. Change that won’t happen if the vision is altered. Lala is faced with an existential question—can she allow herself to sacrifice one life to, in turn, save many? And if so, whose life will she choose?
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- Split the Sky
Split the Sky
Featured
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
13+
Release Date
September 09, 2025
ISBN
978-0316582872
Buy This Book
In this haunting story about family, legacy, and sacrifice, a young Black girl living in a Texas sundown town must find the courage to stand up for what’s right even when it means facing impossible choices—perfect for fans of Dear Martin and The Hate U Give.
Editor review
1 review
Powerful and Moving
(Updated: June 07, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I liked: From the description of this book, you know going in that this book is going to tackle some heavy subjects, such as racism, racial injustice, death, and more. Given this, I was prepared for a story that would break my heart; what I wasn’t prepared for was the mixture of feelings that happened as I read this story. Yes, your heart will break, but there’ll also be anger, frustration, awe, joy, and more.
This book does a great job of incorporating Lala’s gift into the story as you get to see some less meaningful flashes, but then you also see flashes that have an impact on her family and friends. The moment in which her grandmother takes her back in time and then shows her the house is a moving moment in which we see the real impact of a movement, and how movements get started. It was fascinating to see this take on how movements happen, and what starts them and how one small thing could’ve changed the trajectory of someone, which would’ve changed history.
Something that stood out in this book was Lala’s insistence that she gets all sides of something before making her final decision about what she does with the flash. She takes time to get to know each of the boys that it could be in the flash, and in those moments, you easily see why she feels the need to intervene. Then you also get a chance to see things her grandma shows her to try and let her know why she can’t intervene, which are also important. Getting the chance to see all of these sides shows you the hard spot that Lala is in now and creates tension in the story as you don’t know which answer is the right one.
While this book is a story about racial injustice and just how it impacts so many different people, it is also a story of hope. This story lets us hope that one person can make a change, and as it shows, this has been the case in the past. One person can start a movement that serves as the catalyst for change and can empower a lot of people to ensure that change occurs.
The ending of this story is beautiful as it is set in the future, and the hope would be that there’s one movement left to put an end to everything. This gives you hope that one day, all children in the jump house are going to get their souls released and move on. The multiple flashes that Lala gets at the end provide great closure to this story as things come full circle from the beginning.
Final Verdict: Split the Sky is a powerful and moving book, highlighting the reality of racial injustice while also showcasing the importance of community. This book is perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, This Is My America, Light it Up, and Slay. Young adults will enjoy the elements in this story where Lala’s flashes are incorporated, and seeing how she makes decisions once she has gathered all the information.
This book does a great job of incorporating Lala’s gift into the story as you get to see some less meaningful flashes, but then you also see flashes that have an impact on her family and friends. The moment in which her grandmother takes her back in time and then shows her the house is a moving moment in which we see the real impact of a movement, and how movements get started. It was fascinating to see this take on how movements happen, and what starts them and how one small thing could’ve changed the trajectory of someone, which would’ve changed history.
Something that stood out in this book was Lala’s insistence that she gets all sides of something before making her final decision about what she does with the flash. She takes time to get to know each of the boys that it could be in the flash, and in those moments, you easily see why she feels the need to intervene. Then you also get a chance to see things her grandma shows her to try and let her know why she can’t intervene, which are also important. Getting the chance to see all of these sides shows you the hard spot that Lala is in now and creates tension in the story as you don’t know which answer is the right one.
While this book is a story about racial injustice and just how it impacts so many different people, it is also a story of hope. This story lets us hope that one person can make a change, and as it shows, this has been the case in the past. One person can start a movement that serves as the catalyst for change and can empower a lot of people to ensure that change occurs.
The ending of this story is beautiful as it is set in the future, and the hope would be that there’s one movement left to put an end to everything. This gives you hope that one day, all children in the jump house are going to get their souls released and move on. The multiple flashes that Lala gets at the end provide great closure to this story as things come full circle from the beginning.
Final Verdict: Split the Sky is a powerful and moving book, highlighting the reality of racial injustice while also showcasing the importance of community. This book is perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, This Is My America, Light it Up, and Slay. Young adults will enjoy the elements in this story where Lala’s flashes are incorporated, and seeing how she makes decisions once she has gathered all the information.
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