Skip to main content

Review: Eb & Flow

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

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Review: A Game of Noctis

A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...

DISPLAY: The Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead or DĆ­a de los Muertos is a lively holiday that is observed in Mexico and some other Central and South American countries each year in November. It honors and celebrates family members past and present. Celebrate Day of the Dead with Paper Crafts By Randel McGee Enslow Elementary, 2015. informational Learn to make a skull mask, a skeleton candy basket, fancy cut-paper window banners, and more as you explore the important symbols of Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead  By Linda Lowery Carolrhoda Books, 2004. Informational This colorful informational book introduces the holiday, Day of the Dead, or DĆ­a de los Muertos, and describes how it is celebrated in Mexico and in the United States. Just in Case  By Yuyi Morales Roaring Book Press, 2008. Picture Book As Senor Calavera prepares for Grandma Beetle's birthday he finds an alphabetical assortment of unusual presents, but with the help of Zelmiro the Ghost, he finds the best gift of all. Ghosts...