Both “Expert from Double Dutch : A celebration of jump rope, rhyme, and sisterhood” and “ Expert from our world too!,” are about a young person’s solution to a problem. Describe a problem each one faces. How are the ways they solve their problems similar and different.
In "Expert from Double Dutch: A celebration of jump rope, rhyme, and sisterhood," the protagonist, Delia, faces the problem of struggling with reading and keeping it a secret from everyone around her. She's a good student in other ways, participating in various activities, and excelling in Double Dutch. When faced with the issue of needing to read in front of people, she fears that her secret will be revealed. She ultimately becomes brave enough to admit her problem to herself and others, and by the end of the story, she takes steps towards overcoming her struggle with reading by joining a reading program.
In "Expert from our world too!," the protagonist, Mattie, faces a problem with loneliness and making friends. He's a young African American boy who recently moved with his family to an area with other black families. Still, he struggles to make friends as he feels disconnected from his new neighborhood due to his parent's roles as activists. Mattie finds a solution to his loneliness by creating an imaginary friend named "Expert." This friend keeps him entertained and fosters a sense of companionship. However, the presence of the imaginary friend raises some concerns among Mattie's teachers and parents, who fear there may be deeper issues regarding Mattie's upbringing. At the end of the story, Mattie realizes his imaginary friend isn't sustainable and decides to rely on real friendships instead, proving himself more mature than it seemed and making his parents proud.
The way both protagonists solve their problems is similar in that they both face their issues head-on: Delia finally admits she has trouble reading and joins a program to help her, and Mattie understands the limitations of having an imaginary friend and chooses to focus on real connections. However, the ways they approach the problem are different: Delia avoids it and tries to hide it from others before ultimately owning up to it, while Mattie creates a coping mechanism (the imaginary friend) to help him with his loneliness before recognizing the need for real friendship. Both stories depict the protagonists as resilient and capable of addressing their problems when they confront them honestly.