Middle Grade Monday: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia.166 p. Amistad/ HarperCollins Publisher, May, 2017. 9780062215918. 

Happy Presidents' Day TMS Readers! I hope you are enjoying your break. Middle Grade Monday features Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Garcia-Williams. Clayton and his grandfather, Cool Papa are tight much to his mother's dismay. Cool Papa is a bluesman and Clayton's mentor about all things blues. He can't wait to be good enough to be called in to join the band when they play in Washington Square Park. Clayton's world is turned upside down when Cool Papa dies. When his mother sells or gives away most of Cool Papa's possessions, including items Cool Papa wanted Clayton to have, Clayton runs away to join the band, only he has to take the subway, go underground in order to do so. This slim novel depicts a complex, imperfect family and a boy's grief so profoundly that Clayton will remain in your heart after you close the book.

Fact Friday: Bad Boy: a memoir by Walter Dean Myers

Bad Boy: a memoir by Walter Dean Myers. 224 p. Amistad/ HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. 9780060295236. (Own)

Walter Dean Myers did not have an easy start in life. His mother died shortly after he was born. When his father remarried, his stepmother tried her best but Walter had "problems" and was hard to handle. He was sent north to live with a couple named Dean. He was bright but he also had a speech impediment that caused people to assume that he was less intelligent. He also had a temper and wasn't afraid to fight back when teased. He disliked school and would often cut in order to read all day. How did Walter grow up to be a legend in children's literature? In short chapters, Myers honestly and vividly depicts life growing up in his beloved Harlem. If you are a fan of Myers' work, this is a must read. If you enjoy memoirs, this is a must read. If you are human, this is a must read.