No Laughter Here

By Rita Williams-Garcia

Subjects: Schools -- Fiction, African Americans -- Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, African Americans, African americans, fiction, Female circumcision -- Fiction, Reading Level-Grade 12, Friendship, fiction, Queens (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction, Reading Level-Grade 9, Nigerian Americans, Coming of age, Cultural Literacy and Humanities, Coming of age -- Fiction, Female circumcision, Reading Level-Grade 8, Schools, fiction, Friendship -- Fiction, Reading Level-Grade 7, Fiction, Children's fiction, Nigerian Americans -- Fiction, Reading Level-Grade 11, Reading Level-Grade 6, Reading Level-Grade 10, New york (n.y.), fiction, Schools, Friendship

Description: Even though they were born in different countries, Akilah and Victoria are true best friends. But Victoria has been acting strange ever since she returned from her summer in Nigeria, where she had a special coming-of-age ceremony. Why does proud Victoria, named for a queen, slouch at her desk and answer the teacher's questions in a whisper? And why won't she laugh with Akilah anymore?