Moonwalking
- Subject
- Social Themes - Prejudice & Racism
- Age
- 9-12 years
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 224
- Publisher
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
- Size
- 14.5 cm Ă 23.6 cm
- ISBN
- 9780374314378
For fans of Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson, this middle-grade novel-in-verse follows two boys in 1980s Brooklyn as they become friends for a season.
Punk rock-loving JJ Pankowski can't seem to fit in at his new school in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, as one of the only white kids. Pie Velez, a math and history geek by day and graffiti artist by night is eager to follow in his idol, Jean-Michel Basquiat's, footsteps. The boys stumble into an unlikely friendship, swapping notes on their love of music and art, which sees them through a difficult semester at school and at home. But a run-in with the cops threatens to unravel it all.
From authors Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Moonwalking is a stunning exploration of class, cross-racial friendships, and two boys' search for belonging in a city as tumultuous and beautiful as their hearts.
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What reviewers said
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
New York Public Library Best Book of 2022
A Bank Street Best Book of the Year
A Read Across America Title
New York Charlotte Award Nominee
"This novel in verse, alternately narrated by two boys in 1980s Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one channeled by Elliott and one by Miller-Lachmann, eloquently tackles race, culture and life on the spectrum."
"The coauthorsâ equally strong contributions evocatively bring the characters and setting to life through visual poetry. The even pacing makes for an engrossing read, and the charactersâ pain and promise will remain with readers. A stellar, hauntingly beautiful narrative."
"In an authentic look at the racial divide that continues today, authors Elliott and Miller-Lachman bring varying degrees of own-voices authenticity to the characterizations and emotions represented. Their multilayered exposure of a specific time in history will resonate with modern readers, who will see these racist acts echoed all too loudly in current events."
"A tender, engrossing tribute to art and close interpersonal bonds that explores themes of neurodivergence, mental health, and institutional prejudice."
Through alternating first-person accounts, and with varied poetic styles, Elliott (A Place Inside of Me, rev. 11/20) and Miller-Lachmann (Rogue, rev. 9/13) present a thoughtfully structured and sensitively rendered verse novel set in early- 1980s Brooklyn featuring two memorable protagonists... Both authors are adept at evocatively re-creating the setting, with references ranging from Ronald Reaganâs anti-union stance to Jean- Michel Basquiat, Michael Jackson, and the Clash. Authorsâ notes give background on various aspects of the novel, including autism as a likely diagnosis for JJ, usingâŠ
