Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

by Jason Reynolds and Alexander Nabaum

Middle school life is on display in ten interconnected short stories set in a single... read more

Middle school life is on display in ten interconnected short stories set in a single neighborhood, on a single day, and zeroing in on the individual lives of young African American adolescents. Each story is set on a different block in the neighborhood, and the kids and their lives are compelling, varied, and vivid; sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, often both. Although the kids are all particular and distinctive, their thoughts and interactions will ring true with most American teens whose lives are mainly focused on themselves and their peers, even as they reflect broader truths about friendship and family and community, and struggles and triumphs small and large. Although each story can stand alone, taken as a whole readers will find recurring themes, images, and characters that also create a cohesive whole in this neighborhood of stories to relish and devour. (Ages 10–14)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020

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