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)