Racism

Avalon Island is largely white and conservative, so the townspeople are shocked when white, blonde Leslie Day Marshall shows up to the fair with her black husband and two biracial children, Eva and Brooks. All of the perspectives that the novel is told from are those of white people except for Jules, the sole middle-aged black man who has just moved to the island from the city with his family. Many of the Grudder elders are aware of their own racial prejudices, but the children of the island are not. Upon seeing Leslie's family at the fair, Penny voices her surprise with, “Cool. Black people,” and Maddie contemplates as to whether or not she herself is a racist, too, as she was also shocked (25).

Later, the island boys make fun of biracial Brooks behind his back. When Maddie and her new friends are in Spencer’s...