Young Adult: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

It has been awhile since I have picked up a Jason Reynolds book, and it feels like the guy is always publishing something. I had the pleasure of reading Long Way Down, and getting to hear from the man himself at the San Antonio Book Festival, as well as LibraryPalooza, which is held every year in February at Brandeis High School in San Antonio. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, is Reynolds' latest short story collection for young readers. I knew if it was going to be anything like Long Way Down, then I would need to be ready to think, ponder, wonder, and even look to what the future may hold.

Genre, Themes, History: As the subtitle suggests, this short story collection explores ten stories across ten blocks, each story focusing on a certain student, or group of students, all from the same school. Stories may intertwine, presenting questions for which the answers may be provided later, in a different story, about a different child having a different adventure. There are the usual issues and themes that tend to follow middle school-aged kids: bullying, scheming, close friendships with people that make them feel more like family, dodging authority, first crushes, and of course, what it is like riding the school bus. But ultimately, this book about those kids that walk home, and what kind of an adventure that can be. Even when it seems like the houses never change, and one block follows the next, the little things that do change make every day different enough that it is worth paying attention. Anyone who has ever attended a school, especially a middle school, will recognize these characters, as well as the setting.

My Verdict: This is a wonderful book, and not only for middle grade readers. While it is often funny (like the image of a boy having body spray applied to him by his friends because he is known for being smelly), and sometimes sad (like the story of the little girl's grandfather who is slowly losing his memory), what I think is most important is that the stories make you think, and are not at all predictable. It would be easy for a reader to believe they know where a story about a boy being afraid of dogs is going to go, but Reynolds manages to keep us all on our toes, as well as hold onto believability, even while talking about school buses falling from the sky. I do not cover many short story collections on this blog, but this one is worth talking about and recommending. 

Favorite Stories: My favorite short story of the collection is certainly Skitter Hitter on Bastion St, where Pia goes along on her skateboard as usual, not realizing how the smallest of decisions made by herself, a bully named Marcus, and a timid boy named Stevie, can alter all of their lives in remarkable ways. I also enjoyed Ookabooka Land on Southview Ave, where Cynthia "Say-So" Sower would hold her comedy show, using jokes she wrote with her grandfather.

Recommended Reading: I certainly recommend Long Way Down, which is more of a poetry collection that tells the story of a young boy deciding what he is going to do in response to his brother's murder.