The Bronx Masquerade a story by Nikki Grimes, is a realistic fiction novel. This novel talks about a group of 18 high school kids who create a poetry slam, but what they don’t know is how far beneath surface it will take them. Open mike changed all of the students significantly. The students have changed the most throughout the novel were Diondra Jordan and Tyrone Bittings. Diondra Jordan is one of the children in Mr.Ward’s English class who participates in “open mike”. In addition to that, Diondra is really tall and her father wants her to be in the WNBA but she wants to be an artist. In the beginning of “open mike” Diondra was shy and afraid to show her talent of art because her father disapproves. For example in the story it says “Especially