Written by Kelly J. Baptist
New York: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023. Fiction. 218 pages.
Two kids, De'Kari and Ebony do not like each other. It all started when De'Kari, who likes to be called Flow, had a girl squirt a packet of barbeque sauce on his nice white shoe. Shoes that his dad had given him before he left for a deployment. Eb, short for Ebony, gets mad when she accidentally trips over a boy's foot and he calls her a bad name. Both Eb & Flow are angry and with their friends encouraging them they start a fight which ends in a pair of ruined shoes, a black eye, and a ten day suspension.
This novel in verse is told from alternating points of view as both Eb & Flow work through how they feel about the fight and deal with their individual problems at home. During their suspension their fight goes viral and family, friends and community members get involved. Both Eb and Flow have a lot of time at home to reflect on their actions and think about their futures and how one choice can change their lives.
I really enjoy Kelly Baptist's books. I love her characters and the depth and relatability of them as they move through their troubles and experiences. I really enjoyed the twist at the end of the book, it was not at all what I was expecting and I thought it made for a perfect ending to a well told story.
Comments