In Meet Danitra Brown (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1994), Nikki Grimes introduced young readers to best friends Danitra Brown and Zuri Jackson, who were all but inseparable. In Danitra Brown Leaves Town, the two African American girls are spending the summer apart. Danitra is staying with her aunt in a small town and has a summer of new experiences, from pulling weeds and skinny-dipping to navigating the challenges of being the “city kid” in a small town. Left behind, Zuri feels abandoned, until she discovers that change can bring new discoveries, and even new friendship. Thirteen poems that move back and forth between each girl’s point of view chronicles a summer that proves to offer each of them opportunities to learn and grow, even as they remain firmly connected to one another through letters, a form that some of the poems take. Floyd Cooper’s brown-toned illustrations are especially effective at capturing expressions, and are infused with sun-drenched colors and the feel of summer heat. (Ages 5-8)

It's summer vacation, but Zuri Jackson isn't happy. What will she do all summer long in the city when her best friend, Danitra. Brown, the most splendiferous girl in town, is off to visit her family in the country? Write, of course!

Through a series of letters, these two friends share with readers what childhood summers are made of. fireflies, Fourth of July, skies like a thick overcoat buttoned up with stars, family reunions, block parties, handball games...and coming back home, where true friendship always remains.

We met these two unforgettable best friends in the Coretta Scott King Honor Book "Meet Danitra Brown." Now Nikki Grimes brings Danitra and Zuri back, in thirteen more spirited poems matched with Floyd Cooper's exuberant paintings.