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Home > Children's Books > Children’s / Teenage fiction and true stories > Action and adventure stories > Crime and mystery fiction > Blue Beach
Blue Beach

Blue Beach


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About the Book

Perfect for fans of Promise Boys, this gripping historical mystery follows a teenager who finds a murdered girl on her family's California beach--a discovery that will reveal the racism rampant in her world.

Fifteen-year-old Blue Collins's parents own the only Black beach in Santa Monica in 1929. She loves spending time there with her handsome friend Ben Clark. It's a quiet spot where they can be alone and where Ben's darker skin won't be judged by onlookers--or Blue's own family.

During a sunset rendezvous after a summer parade, the pair discovers the body of Dottie Whitehouse, a white debutante. Blue Beach is already threatened by local white property owners. Now their whole community could be at risk. In their panic, Blue and Ben move Dottie's body into the waters of a nearby white beach.

Dottie's body washes ashore, and it isn't long before all eyes are on Ben. Everyone saw how Dottie teased him and how they shared smiles. And their history goes deeper than Blue ever realized. But to save Ben from the outraged white townspeople, she'll need to do whatever she can to dig up the truth and prove his innocence. Ben isn't the only one whose life depends on it.



About the Author :
Karyn Parsons is best known for her role as Will Smith's cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn has gone on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films, to share stories about unsung Black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, and Chris Rock. The videos have been screened on HBO and Netflix, and enjoyed by schools and libraries across the country. She is the author of Clouds over California and How High the Moon. Karyn lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her family.

Review :
* "Parsons' latest is a page-turning narrative bolstered by a strong sense of time and place. A riveting story of secrets, betrayal, racial struggle, and loyal bonds."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Actor Parsons (Clouds over California) makes her YA debut with an evocative, socially conscious murder mystery set against the racially charged backdrop of 1929 Santa Monica."--Publishers Weekly

"Blue Beach is a brilliant and gripping whodunit set during a time that reminds us society's dangers exist without an expiration date. The historical setting is lovingly rendered, the crime heartbreakingly depicted. Karyn Parsons has done some fine work. Anyone who steps on the sand here is going to want to stay a while!"

--Lamar Giles, three-time Edgar Awards finalist and author of The Getaway "Blue Beach is an unflinching and beautifully crafted page-turner. Parsons's vivid prose builds palpable tension throughout this love story that explores the dangers of keeping secrets and the cost of telling the truth. An indelible tale."--Renée Watson, #1 New York Times bestselling author "An engaging period piece with an easy-to-follow mystery and highly compelling characters, this is especially relevant for its realistic depictions of race and class in American society."--School Library Journal "I loved Blue Beach--a thrilling, immersive historical mystery that illuminates California's segregated past from the vantage of the only Black beach in Santa Monica. You'll cheer for Blue as she navigates her world with honor and courage, and ache for characters facing down a nation's prejudice while trying to keep the joys of childhood alive. With prose bright and clear, this story rings with difficult truths about racism, colorism, and a past that still haunts us today. The mystery will keep you turning pages, but ultimately, it's love--for people, place, and home--that gives this novel such tremendous force. Everyone should pay a visit to Parsons's lovingly rendered Blue Beach."--Kelly McWilliams, author of Mirror Girls "Karyn Parsons does something special here--really in everything she writes. History is at the forefront: the beautiful and the ugly, the urgency to confront and correct it. Blue Beach is a mystery that pulses with immediacy. I found myself rooting for Blue, for Ben, and for justice for us all."--Tami Charles, New York Times bestselling author of Muted and Like Vanessa


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780316575751
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Publisher Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Height: 216 mm
  • No of Pages: 304
  • Spine Width: 26 mm
  • Width: 146 mm
  • ISBN-10: 0316575755
  • Publisher Date: 09 Jun 2026
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Weight: 381 gr


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