Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen copes with grief, social awareness in inspiring novel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
When YOUR PLANTATION PROM IS NOT OKAY opens, Harriet, a Black high school senior, is living with her historian father, operating tours at an enslaved people's museum on a former antebellum plantation. She's grieving the death of her mother with the help of a therapist. Then a mother and daughter from California move into the adjacent plantation, with plans to use the site for antebellum-themed weddings and even for Harriet's school prom. Harriet finds these events offensive in their ignorance of the past and present. Can she inspire others to put a stop to these plans?
Is It Any Good?
This story provides a thrilling, poignant ride with detours into romance, frenemy-ship, and a fight for social justice. In Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay, McWilliams skillfully juggles timely concerns, like the power of social media cancel culture and the reexamination of the country's racist past, with timeless teenage themes like romance, loyalty, and loss of a parent.
One small weakness of the book is the occasional data dump about topics such as the benefits of therapy, racism in the medical system, and White privilege. While the author is trying to share important information, it can take the reader out of the story in a distracting, rather than helpful, way. Overall, teens can expect to enjoy this unique story full of relatable experiences and social change.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the effects of grieving as described in Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay. Have you lost a friend, family member, or pet? How did you deal with this loss? What helped, and what didn't?
The slow pace of social change is a theme in this book. What social issue would you like to see change in your lifetime?
Several of the characters in this book deal with mental health issues, including grief, depression, and substance use disorder. What are some effective and ineffective ways they address these problems?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Activism , Friendship , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Empathy , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : May 2, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 16
- Number of pages : 320
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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