Isaiah Dunn Saves the Day

August 1, 2022
After experiencing homelessness, a boy and his family continue to find their footing. In this sequel to Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero (2021), the titular protagonist, his mother, and his younger sister, Charlie, are settled into Miz Rita's apartment. Isaiah's musings, divided into brief chapters, each headed by a date, reflect how he settles into a more stable, though still unhoused, life as Mama, Charlie, and he start college, kindergarten, and middle school, respectively. Isaiah and his friend and business partner Angel scale up their poetry-writing business as well as participate in the Rockets Reach Back, a conflict-resolution program in which the middle school graduates of the parent program, Rocket ReStore--where Isaiah and Angel settled their own antagonism toward each other--mentor elementary school students. At first reluctant and then with Mama's encouragement, Isaiah agrees to serve as a guide for Kobe Love, a third grader who loves basketball and bragging about his father (who he says is playing basketball overseas) and who often disrupts class. For all the encouraging words Isaiah has received and given to adults and to his contemporaries, will his words reach Kobe, who, like Isaiah, has his own struggles? While the first novel felt more like a list of issues Isaiah faced, the plot in this story moves along at a better pace. Isaiah's voice rings true, and his conflicts will resonate with readers, as will his efforts to support those around him. Characters present as Black. A gentle journey of community love. (Fiction. 11-13)

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August 1, 2022

Gr 4-8-In this sequel to Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero, Isaiah enters middle school. His life has stabilized, family has a permanent place to stay with a family friend, and mother is sober and going to school. A teacher strongly encourages Isaiah and his friend (and former bully), Angel, to mentor struggling fifth graders. Isaiah's mentee, Kobe, is resistant to participating and Isaiah struggles to know how to help him. Meanwhile, Isaiah is able to watch the man who runs the barbershop where he works mentor an older teen from the community, which serves as a model of what help can look like. All these moving parts come together as Isaiah recognizes that his gifts and experience can be used in small but heroic ways to help Kobe. The characters are realistically drawn and learn lessons from their mistakes. While it would be helpful to read these two volumes in order, this novel stands on its own as a portrait of a boy who has been through difficult things and has received the love and support he needs from his community, enabling him to thrive and help others around him who may also be struggling. VERDICT A worthy addition to middle grade fiction collections, especially where books like Jason Reynold's "Track" series is popular.-Kristin L. Anderson

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