Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

Abstract

Reviewed by: Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist Quinita Balderson Baptist, Kelly J. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero. Crown, 2020 [208p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593121368 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593121382 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Ten-year-old Isaiah Dunn learns that life can change in an instant when his father dies of a heart attack on Thanksgiving, his mother falls into a deep depression rendering her unable to work, and the family moves into in a smoke-ridden motel. He and his father had bonded over their mutual love of the written word, Daddy with his stories and 'Saiah his poetry, but the tragedy triggers writer's block. Inspired by his best friend Sneaky's candy business, Isaiah decides to earn money by various hustles including selling candy, working at a barbershop, and teaming with his former nemesis to sell his poetry to get his family out of "Smokey Inn." Fortune isn't going to cut the Dunns a break, though, and things only get worse for them. This is a sensitive story about homelessness and vulnerability; the fact that this family, like many others, quickly went from comfortable to dealing with multiple traumas in an instant makes this novel relatable to a wider audience. It also illuminates the unfairness of the expectation that children should deal with all of that trauma, go to school hungry, and still perform well. This is a solid story of a sympathetic young African-American kid faced with problems he can't fix, and it will be validation for kids living on the edge themselves and a compassionate eye-opener for kids not yet ready for Abbott's The Great Jeff (BCCB 4/19). [End Page 160] Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois