  | Moonwalking Author: Elliott, Zetta | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
In 1980s Brooklyn, new student JJ Pankowski, an autistic, punk-rock-lover, befriends Pie Velez, an Afro-Latinx math geek and graffiti artist.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Miller-Lachmann, Lyn |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.80 Points: 4.0 Quiz: 515526 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (02/15/22)
Booklist (+) (02/15/22)
The Hornbook (+) (00/05/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 02/15/2022 *Starred Review* Set in 1980’s Brooklyn, Moonwalking evokes the challenges of a cross-racial friendship in a time and place that was highly diverse but not always accepting. The story is told in alternating-voice verse, and readers enter the lives and thoughts of “Pie” Velez, an Afro-Latinx middle schooler who is the ultimate history and math geek, and J. J. Pankowski, one of the few white kids at school, who also exhibits traits of autism (though undiagnosed). As the two get to know each other, Pie’s other passion (graffiti art—his inspiration is Jean-Michel Basquiat) and J. J.’s (music) are shared, and they form a tenuous bond. Then an incident involving both boys, spray paint, and the police occurs that could change everything, as J. J. is taken home with a warning and Pie experiences something very different. 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. This is not an easy read, but it’s tellingly effective and worth pondering and re-reading. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
Booklist - 02/15/2022 - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
