By Jason Reynolds
Illustrated by Alexander Nabaum
New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019. Fiction.
You never know what might happen on the walk home from school. Readers explore what happens after the last bell of the day rings in a series of ten short stories that each follow a different character on a different city street. The stories expertly weave together to capture a realistic glimpse into the life of a middle school student. For older readers, there are flashes of brilliant nostalgia, for younger readers, the concerns, fears, and hopes of the students of Latimer Middle School will feel familiar. Readers will be mistaken, though, in thinking there is anything predictable about this book - each short story reminds us that people are more than just what's on the surface.
This book is filled with humor, bittersweet reality, and an emotional richness that feels sincere but never saccharine. This book is among the most decorated books of 2019 and is sure to be a delight to read for years to come.
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