CLICK HERE FOR AN AUDIOBOOK COPY
BOOK SYNOPSIS
A 2021 Coretta Scott King Honor Book / Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature / Winner of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry
In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself...
Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.
It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"
But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.
The Thing About Jellyfish meets The Stars Beneath Our Feet in this story about loss, grief, and finding the courage to discover one's identity, from the author of Hurricane Child.
RECOMMENDED FOR: MIDDLE SCHOOL
OUR BOOKS ARE LISTED BY AGE GROUP to indicate that the content is engaging and appropriate for those selected ages. PLEASE NOTE: They may not be the appropriate reading level for every individual at those ages or may extend beyond the brackets.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publish Date: Hardcover - February 04, 2020 / Paperback - May 03, 2022
Pages: Hardcover - 272 / Paperback - 288
Dimensions: Hardcover - 5.8 X 8.3 X 0.9 inches | 0.8 pounds / Paperback - 5.2 X 7.5 X 0.7 inches | 0.39 pounds
Language: English
Type: Hardcover or Paperback
Condition: NEW