Black Brother, Black Brother

by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Author)

Black Brother, Black Brother
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.

Framed. Bullied. Disliked. But I know I can still be the best.

Sometimes, 12-year-old Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbing him "Black Brother," Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey.

When he's bullied and framed by the captain of the fencing team, "King" Alan, he's suspended from school and arrested for something he didn't do.

Terrified, searching for a place where he belongs, Donte joins a local youth center and meets former Olympic fencer Arden Jones. With Arden's help, he begins training as a competitive fencer, setting his sights on taking down the fencing team captain, no matter what.

As Donte hones his fencing skills and grows closer to achieving his goal, he learns the fight for justice is far from over. Now Donte must confront his bullies, racism, and the corrupt systems of power that led to his arrest.

Powerful and emotionally gripping, Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy's fight against racism and his empowering path to finding his voice.

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Publishers Weekly

In this novel, Rhodes brings middle graders a story of two biracial brothers, Donte and Trey, navigating racism, colorism, and bullying. Older brother Trey, the lighter-skinned sibling of the boys' black ("Mom thinks Nigerian and Congolese") mother and white (Scotch-Irish and Norwegian) father, is considered the "white brother." Donte, the "black brother," feels like he's "swimming in whiteness" at Middlefield Prep School, where he is regularly bullied because of his skin tone. When Alan, who constantly targets Donte, throws a pencil and Donte is blamed for it--then arrested when he expresses frustration--Donte's ready to fight back, on Alan's home turf: the fencing mat. Donte finds an African-American former Olympian to coach him, and trains to defeat Alan and earn his respect, all while he deals with his own legal troubles and the civil rights case his mother files. This novel offers a solid story, with relatable, three-dimensional characters considering identity, that will teach readers about colorism's effects. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich. (Mar.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6—Donte is having a difficult time adjusting to life at Middlefield Prep. Going to public school in New York City to now being one of the only black boys at a prep school in Newton, MA, is a dramatic shift. What's worse, all the kids at school keep bullying him and singling him out as different, while his lighter-skinned brother, Trey, passes with ease. After one too many incidents with Alan, the captain of the school fencing team, Donte decides that he has to beat him at his own game. This quest sets Donte and Trey off on a mission to find Mr. Jones, a black former Olympic fencer and Boston Boys and Girls Club employee, who agrees to teach them how to fence. Along the way, Donte makes friends, becomes an excellent fencer, and finds his place in the Boston area. In the first part of the book, Donte's school calls the police after he throws his backpack to the ground, and he is forced to go to juvenile court. Rhodes points out his privilege in being well off, and how the court is willing to treat him differently after seeing his white father and white-passing brother. Donte's story is a good primer for younger readers on microaggressions. Though the first few chapters of the book focus heavily on Donte's mistreatment at school, the story quickly moves into a heavy focus on his fencing journey. The depiction of Donte's confidence growing with each lesson and as he makes friends at the Boys and Girls Club is interesting and exciting. Readers will want to learn more about the sport. VERDICT Give to readers who love Jason Reynolds's "Track" series or Jewell Parker Rhodes's other offerings for young readers.—Kelsey Socha, Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Praise for Black Brother, Black Brother
Jewell Parker Rhodes

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for youth, including Ghost Boys; Black Brother, Black Brother; Paradise on Fire; and Treasure Island: Runaway Gold. She is the recipient of many distinguished awards and honors, including the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Green Earth Book Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and the Octavia E. Butler Award. Rhodes is the Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University. She invites you to connect with her at jewellparkerrhodes.com.

Kelly McWilliams is the mixed-race writer of the young adult books Agnes at the End of the World, Mirror Girls, and Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay. She's written for Time, Publishers Weekly, and Bustle among other outlets. Mirror Girls, about biracial twin sisters growing up under Jim Crow, was a Target Book Club Pick and Barnes & Noble monthly pick, and her debut novel was a finalist for the Golden Kite award. She lives in Seattle with her family. Find her at KellyMcWilliamsAuthor.com.

Briana Mukodiri Uchendu is an illustrator, a visual development artist, and a first-generation Nigerian American. Her work is inspired by her interests in folklore, film, and animation and her passion to highlight voices that usually go unheard. Briana is a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design, where she majored in illustration. She is the illustrator of The Talk, A Coretta Scott King author honor book. She currently lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas. You can connect with her at mukoart.com
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316493796
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
March 30, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JUV005000 - Juvenile Fiction | Boys & Men
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV032000 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | General
Library of Congress categories
African Americans
Families
Family life
Schools
Massachusetts
Racism
Preparatory schools
Fencing
Social problem fiction
Texas Bluebonnet Awards Master List
2021 - 2022

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