January 2, 2024 by Crown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Netgalley
**Spoilers, but they appear in the publisher's synopsis as well.**
Lamar lives in the South with his family in a town called Morton. There are parts of the town that his parents don't want him to visit because there have been some incidents, but he is a budding film maker and wants to capture his town for a documentary. He angers a local thug, Mike Crosby, and luckily his grandfather, Joshua Phillips, happens by and gives Lamar and his friend T.C. (who is white) a ride home. In talking to his grandfather about his current project, he is reminded that his grandfather was a Civil Rights activist in the 1960s. After a long career in the postal service (a job he got because he was a Vietnam veteran, and which was groundbreaking because he was only the second Black man hired in the area), he continued to speak up for change. His current project is getting the town to pave the streets in the Black areas of town. Lamar decides to do his documentary on his grandfather. Sadly, not too long into the project, Joshua is involved in a traffic accident, and is shot and killed by a white man who claims that Joshua attacked him. This man has a history of racist behavior, and the community is outraged. Lamar's sister, Kyra, who is an activist herself, works to stage a protest to draw attention to this latest in unjust killings. The law enforcement in town is willing to believe the white man, but when a video of the altercation surfaces in Lamar's e mail, he knows he needs to push for more investigation. Unfortunately, the video came from a friend whose family is now in a difficult position and must leave town. Will Lamar be able to get justice for the grandfather that he was just getting to know better?
Strengths: This had several things that I always like to see in middle grade stories; children doing things, supportive parents, and strengthening ties with grandparents. This also had a very strong, small town setting, and a lot of timely information about Civil Rights both past and present. There is an interesting scene where Joshua is showing a documentary about Civil Rights to Lamar and several friends, and one friend is not at all interested in knowing the history of how Black people were treated. I see a lot of students like this, which is why I like to have books with this information to hand to readers who are interested in Civil Rights and who enjoyed Jackson's The Lucky Ones.
Weaknesses: There is a lot of information about filming, classic films, and Civil Rights that, while very interesting, occasionally slows down the pace of the story .
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Hudson's memoir Defiant, or stories that highlight the continued racism, especially in the South, like Buford's Kneel or Coles' Black Was the Ink.
Strengths: This had several things that I always like to see in middle grade stories; children doing things, supportive parents, and strengthening ties with grandparents. This also had a very strong, small town setting, and a lot of timely information about Civil Rights both past and present. There is an interesting scene where Joshua is showing a documentary about Civil Rights to Lamar and several friends, and one friend is not at all interested in knowing the history of how Black people were treated. I see a lot of students like this, which is why I like to have books with this information to hand to readers who are interested in Civil Rights and who enjoyed Jackson's The Lucky Ones.
Weaknesses: There is a lot of information about filming, classic films, and Civil Rights that, while very interesting, occasionally slows down the pace of the story .
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Hudson's memoir Defiant, or stories that highlight the continued racism, especially in the South, like Buford's Kneel or Coles' Black Was the Ink.
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