Welcome to Litsy!

A poignant middle-grade story that packs a lot into its short pages: grief, friendship, sexual identity, racism, abuse, toxic masculinity, and just a touch of the mystical. It's all so beautifully layered together that it never feels overwrought or didactic.

My first #BookSpinBingo . This would also work for the #URC prompt “Black LGBTQ+ author.“

MG/Juv authors impress me with their ability to address such complex issues in a way that's accessible to young readers.

This story involves a boy already struggling with being Black in a world that judges him based on his skin, who also is coming to terms with the fact he is gay. I fell in love with King and was cheering him on every step of the way hoping he'd find the love and acceptance he desperately needed.

This was a beautiful story.

And now, #ManicMonday.

Book: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Author: Guy Gavriel Kay

Movie: Knives Out (except I‘ve only seen it once so I dunno if it‘ll hold up long term. Maybe I should tout Kill Bill instead)

Band: Korn (sort of by default; they‘re the only K in my music library, because I‘ve got some weird gaps. They did mean a lot to 17-year-old Me, though.)

Song: Kashmir - Led Zeppelin

I always read at least one mindblowing thing in June, and 2022 was no exception. The tagged book and THE PARIS APARTMENT by Kelly Bowen were both amazing. I‘m so, so glad I found them. They helped make up for a couple of big disappointments, too, including my lacklustre ZORRO reread. I loved that book so much when I first read it in 2006, but this year? Nope. 😔

Really excited for this one!!! This is my next Pride Month read. The fact that it‘s been challenged and banned makes it even better.
#KacenCallender #KingAndTheDragonflies #PrideMonth #LGBTQ #IReadBannedBooks

Every June for the last 15 years, I‘ve read at least one thing that totally blew me away. This year, the Book Gods gave unto me this amazing middle grade novel. 12-year-old King deals with grief, friendship, homophobia, racism, family ties, and child abuse, and the whole thing is pitch perfect. It‘s the best MG I‘ve read since Pam Muñoz Ryan‘s ECHO and it‘s cemented Kacen Callender as one of my must-read authors. 5 stars.

Terrific first line #firstlinefridays #late

An excellent read that explores grief, friendship, racism, and queer self-discovery. I liked the flow of King's story and how he shared his inner thoughts. It was easy to get into his character. #LGBTQ #Afterlife #HealingGrief #Grief

I enjoyed the audiobook, the narrator really captures the childlike innocence of the main character, Kingston. After his brother dies, King & his family are not the same. When King's childhood friend Sandy goes missing, King starts to question everything he's ever known about himself. Callender does a great job tackling the important topics of toxic masculinity, race, & sexual orientation in a way that young teens can understand & relate to.

"You're not your body, King. We're all one soul. The stars are in us."

How beautiful! ?

One of the best #middlegrade books I have read this year! It is about a young boy whose older brother passed away and he now sees him as a dragonfly. It also goes into racism, child abuse, and coming out.

Had this on my TBR forever, and it won the National Book Award for Young People‘s Literature last night, so it‘s time to start it. It‘s also Trans Awareness Week. So there‘s that.

I was drawn in by the blurb, and had high expectations, but was sad when I started reading it and it turned out to be a bit of a slow burner, however I still loved aspects of the book. I liked the characters quite a lot, and when King‘s internal struggles were delved into that gave some depth, and about half-way through some pace finally picked up. As for the ending, it just felt empty, I wish we‘d gotten an epilogue to see what happens later on.

There‘s a scene where a father tells his gay son to ignore his earlier edict about men not crying. He tells the boy it‘s okay to cry and then I started weeping too. A fearful African American child has a lot to deal with in this moving children‘s #audiobook set in contemporary Louisiana. Narrator Ron Butler is excellent. #queer #LGBTQ

Matrimonial cake (also known as date squares, date bars, or date crumble) #audiobaking

#audiowalking (view from my front step)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

One chapter in and BOOM 💥 I am hooked!!!

Book 2 completed for #24B42020. A middle grade novel that touches on grief, LGBTQ equality, child abuse, friendship, and the ability to change old beliefs. The characters were realistic, human, and memorable. The ending was wrapped in a MG bow and these issues are not in real life. Overall, I really liked it, particularly the MC in all imperfections.

I borrowed this ARC from a friend who obtained it at NCTE.

@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65 @jb72